It’s a pirate life for me, and it’s a pirate life for Goro Majima, the returning blinkered antihero from the series formerly called Yakuza. He’s the star of the just-announced Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii, a game I can only applaud for the brutal straightforwardness of its title. Whatever Sega was drinking when they opted out of Metaphor: ReFantazio, they weren’t drinking when they opted out of this. They were definitely drinking somethingalthough. Here’s the reveal trailer.
Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii opens with Goro washing dishes on the beach of a strange island, much like Link in Link’s Awakening, except Goro has a full back tattoo and fancy leather pants, and there’s a little tiger wearing a wears a scarf. [SCENE MISSING] Now Goro wears a three-horn hat and pilots a galleon. Madlantis is mentioned. [SCENE MISSING] Now there are ninjas in body armor, and Goro throws swords like boomerangs.
I think this is still set in roughly the present day? The combat appears to be in real time. Most importantly, Goro has fun, bless him.
The Steam page helps clear the fog a bit. Look, it has a full-fledged ship’s sail element! “Create a unique crew as you upgrade your ship as you explore the open seas and forge your legend amid the cannon fire of enemies, unexpected friendships, and vast riches made along the way,” the blurb explains. You can expect real-time cannon battles, boarding actions and hidden treasure islands.
As for combat, there are at least two fighting styles to choose from. “In ‘Mad Dog’ style, use speed, agility and flair to deliver precise yet powerful blows that will crush your enemies into submission,” the blurb continues. “Or walk enemies the plank with the ‘Sea Dog’ style, dual-wielding short swords and deploying tricky pirate tools to make some serious loot.” Three pieces of pirate language in one sentence, not bad. I can do better though: let me sink, this is a haul worth waving a dung on, otherwise I won’t be called Davey Jones’s Locker.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii releases February 28, 2025. I think I liked Goro better when he was an impossibly friendly nightclub manager, but I welcome this new nautical phase in his career. If you’re new to the extensive LAD series, you may want to refer to Ed Thorn’s piece on the correct order in which to play them.