Release Details
Developer: Sega, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega, SEGA of America
Release date: February 21, 2025
Available on: PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Reviewed on: PS5 Pro
It feels like an understatement to say the Like a Dragon series (previously referred to as the Yakuza series globally) has grown in popularity. The series has continued to rapidly expand, with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (PYiH) being the fourth game to launch in just two years. One could assume such a fast development and publication cycle would naturally incur some diminishing returns on quality, and yet PYiH shows that the series is stronger than ever.
Dropping all pretense, because that's the way Goro Majima, would probably prefer it, PYiH is an outstanding game that seems interested in trying to answer the questions "what else can we include" and "is this fun for the player?". Tightly constructed maps offer the perfect sensation of rewarding exploration, while a populated world of colorful characters and off-the-wall yet charming mini-games paired with over-the-top brawler combat offer one of the best Like a Dragon experiences to date.
For newcomers - what a Like a Dragon experience is generally is a bit harder to describe if you haven't had a chance to try the series. At a high-level, it's a blend of action and adventure with RPG and fighting game elements set in an open world environment that seeks to move through a serious plot that involves the drama and grit of organized crime.
That's the what, but the how it all comes together is far more interesting: Each title takes place in tightly constructed smaller- scale open world environments that manage to feel vaster than any large-scale open world by being loaded with side stories, minigames, random street brawls, and various other activities that feel like a life simulator fused with an amusement park's mindset for offering attractions and prizes, all the while held up by a combat system that has its roots in Shenmue while feeling approachable and manageable for just about any player, regardless of skill level. All of this is delicately balanced against a backdrop of zany comedic moments that help underscore the more serious main plot beats, often taking a non-serious subject overly seriously or making light of a deeply serious subject to lampoon daily life.
A fresh start on the high seas
Despite being a spin-off from the eighth game in a series that has no qualms about fully expecting players to have kept up with the overarching plot, PYiH is arguably one of the most approachable titles for newcomers. This is thanks to Goro Majima, our protagonist, suffering from amnesia when he is discovered washed up on a secluded island's beach by Noah, a ten year old island resident. While there are numerous references to the mainline series, as well as frequent call-backs to last year's Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, none of it prevents you from enjoying this entry to the fullest.
After Noah helps Goro out by providing him with some water, the two are accosted by a local gang of pirates. During the ensuing brawl, Goro realizes that while he may have forgotten his identity, his body and its muscle memory are just fine. Like many series protagonists, Goro comes off as vaguely superhuman, albeit in a series where combat is often meant to be taken as a metaphorical and hyperbolic visualization rather than a perfect depiction of the underlying violence occurring. Regardless of visual flair, Goro is sixty years old in this game, given that the series keeps pace with real-time, but that doesn't slow him down at all as he acts like a one man army against whole swaths of enemies.
Noah introduces Goro to his pet tiger, also named Goro (this is an obvious coincidence to help explain why stuff gets named after Goro despite human Goro not remembering his name for a while) and his family on the island. Noah's father Jason, an ex-pirate treasure hunter, is instantly distrusting of the grown man hanging out with his son, which honestly makes sense, and is even more put-off when the pirate gang returns for revenge on Goro and Noah. Naturally Goro does his thing and defeats them before deciding to pay their captain a visit down by the local docks.
Aboard the ship, Goro uses the standard Like a Dragon solution (smacks sense into people, repeatedly) and finds himself as the new captain of the ship and leader of its current meager crew. Eager to fulfill his promise to show Noah the world outside his home island, while also dragging along Noah's begrudging father by dangling the opportunity to find the lost treasure of Esperanza in front of him, Goro and the gang hit the Hawaiian high seas.
From there, the plot, and honestly Goro himself, is more interested in pursuing the life of a pirate and treasure hunter than reconnecting with the ex-yakuza in the area. This isn't to say PYiH doesn't have any inter-connectivity to the main series, it's just not as interested in the affairs of Japan's organized crime clans.
Who is the Mad Dog?
PYiH is the second title to feature Goro "The Mad Dog of Shimano" Majima as a central protagonist, following his role as deuteragonist in Yakuza 0 (2015). There are a few other Goro playable moments across the series, such as an expanded smaller scale adventure in Yakuza 2 Kiwami (2017) and a playable appearance in the non-canon Yakuza: Dead Souls (2011). Despite his massive popularity among the growing fan base, Goro has typically remained an important but non-player character.
Some fans like to refer to Goro as the Joker to the original series' protagonist Kiryu's Batman, in part thanks to actor Mark Hamill having lent his voice to Goro in the English dub of Yakuza (2005) and having previously provided an iconic vocal performance for the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series (1992). This is partially accurate, as Goro is certainly interested in testing and pushing Kiryu to his limits and being the one to defeat him, and yet Goro is just as often an ally to Kiryu, if not even doing outright heroic things. For example, in Yakuza 2 (2006), Goro plays an instrumental role in saving Kamurocho from a bomb threat.
Part of the charm of PYiH is that Goro is given space to be his wacky over-the-top self, with his amnesia ironically allowing even more of his personality to come through. It's also refreshing to play as a character who is genuinely funny, a noted badass, and someone who isn't afraid to be perceived as goofy at times. Goro is a well-written character that manages to pull off humorous dialog without coming off as "edgey", largely thanks to the sincerity captured in his interactions. One such moment, loosely paraphrased here, involves Noah wanting to come up with a pose for the crew. Goro isn't so sure, but is swayed when he sees Noah demonstrate the pose with one hand covering an eye and a finger pointing to the sky. This is promptly followed up with Goro going, "I thought it was going to look fucking stupid, but that's not bad!" and then enthusiastically performing the pose.
It's like if they made a substory the whole game this time
The tonal shift in PYiH is somewhat remarkable. About three hours in there was a full-blown pirate musical number on the deck of the Goromaru, Goro's pirate ship, and a sudden realization dawned that this was less of a serious entry punctuated by bizarre moments and was instead the bizarre and quirky portions of the Like a Dragon universe asserting themselves fully. This isn't to say there aren't any serious moments, but rather that PYiH is continuing the recent trend of leaning even further into the more off-the-wall tone the recent entries in the mainline series have been experimenting with.
Both Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020) and Like a a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024) shifted the series' free-form combat to a turn-based RPG format that employed such genre staples as character classes, stats, and a wider array of fantastical moves and skills (all thanks to protagonist Ichiban's warped perception of the world through the lens of Dragon Quest). PYiH shifts back to the brawler style of combat, allowing Goro to act freely during encounters and allowing for more nuance based on your skill as the player.
The combat itself feels loose and visceral as Goro zips around the field of battle, leaping into the year to rain knives down on his enemies or stringing together a flurry of fast-hitting combos. One tiny step back compared to Yakuza 0's incarnation of Goro, is that there are only two fighting styles on offer - yakuza-Goro who uses a knife and is more of a traditional, but still very agile, brawler, and pirate-Goro who wields dual cutlasses along with his pistol and hookshot.
Blue ocean strategy
It's not just empty praise to say PYiH is filled to the brim with things to do. A non-exhaustive list includes a go kart racing league, cannonball batting center, driving range for golf, snapping photos of sickos, rescuing animals, bounty hunting, crazy meal deliveries, and the list just goes on and on. Series' staples are present as well, such as darts, billiards, and the always popular karaoke. And yes, 24 Hour Cinderella is back.
A big part of the magic/secret ingredient/formula or whatever you want to call it behind the Like a Dragon series is this over-saturation of things to do but nothing feeling mandatory. Unlike most open world action RPGs, it seems like every map is deliberately kept as tight and compact as possible. You might find a gambling parlor, and in it there might be an NPC you can recruit to your crew, unique prizes to win, a fortune slip to pick up off the ground, some trash to rifle through outside, a photo to take for your photo rally, and in the alley out back there is probably a bounty to take in and cash out. But you're not coerced into doing any of that. It's a perfectly acceptable approach to try some or none of the activities and beeline your way through the main missions. You can do some now and save some for later or meticulously work through every opportunity as it becomes available. It's one of the ultimate examples of playing your way.
Best of all, is that everything in the world seems to subtly work towards building you up in some way. You might spend an hour at the batting cages to rack up enough points to clear out the prize roster, which means you can unlock a new pirate treasure for points and cash to upgrade Goro, items to improve later runs at the same minigame, a potential new pirate crew recruit, some new CDs for your in-game listening, and so on. And just about every optional activity has this sensation of rewarding you for investing time into it. It's essentially the feeling that time spent having fun isn't wasted.
Walking the plank
Honestly, it's hard to pin any serious criticisms on PYiH. It was free of bugs during my initial play through and while there was a wealth of things to do, nothing ever felt forced on me as I was able to take the adventure at my own pace and in my own time. Although, if you're a completionist, finishing the treasure hunting list can feel a bit grindy. Some treasure is found out in the open world, other pieces during island battles, and some are received when cashing in large sums of points at the various minigames. This isn't a huge problem, as you're not expected to S rank every difficulty level of each game, and you can just as easily replay the minigames tuned to your own skill level to round out your point total.
The minor gripe I had was that I often had to play each game for what felt like one more time too many to get the points I needed. For some minigames, like the batting center, this was fine because I thoroughly enjoyed that minigame, but for others like billiards, I was less enthused to run through the courses again.
The only other portion that feels like it could have been trimmed down is the open water travel sections. While lighthouses act as fast travel points once unlocked, it does take your ship some time to fill in the map and visit each island, and by the latter half of the game it felt somewhat monotonous. Traveling the sea is a great way to gather resources, and each route is dotted by clusters of enemy ships (sort of mirroring the roving gangs found in other on-foot areas), but these encounters pale in scale and excitement to the similar ones found in the coliseum. Likewise, the island skirmishes can feel a bit repetitive as well.
A jolly good game
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is further proof that the Like a Dragon series' formula could be applied to any genre or setting, such as Edo period samurai, zombie apocalypse, and now pirates, and will still manage to offer an extremely engaging experience bursting with ways for players to entertain themselves.
9.5/10
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