After spending game after game in the oppressive suits of the Tokyo Yakuza, it was about time Like A Dragon took a break abroad. Sometimes we all need to up sticks and take our open-world, minigame-filled gangster action to new climes. Infinite Wealth did just that, jetting off to Hawaii for a vast swath of its plot. I’d not have put money on RGG Studio following that game up with a pirate adventure literally called Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, but that’s exactly what they did this year.
Series regular Goro Majima’s swashbuckling sojourn is pitched firmly towards those who revel in the surreal side of the Japanese crime series. Waking up on a beach with no memory of his gangster life back in Japan, yakuzaman Majima sees the goons sailing about the modern-day Hawaiian seas in Age of Sail-style galleons and frigates and decides the pirate life’s for him. And so begins a treasure hunt full of the usual Yakuza shenanigans.
Alright, get ready to yell the word ‘fraud’ at me and lob some tomatoes, because I’m about to walk back some of my on-the-record love for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. At my previous home, I gave it a five star review score. In hindsight, it’s more of a four star game, as there are substantial amount of recycled activities and environments from Infinite Wealth. It’s the activities in particular that stand out, as there’s a noticeable dissonance between the normality of those from Infinite Wealth compared to the overtly piratey ones original to Pirate Yakuza. Another weakness is that Majima’s fighting abilities, ranging from cutlass throws to powers which summon swarms of deadly spectral animals, are pretty overpowered and arguably lack tough targets worthy of them. That lack of challenge is one reason why Nic preferred previous spin off Like A Dragon: Gaiden.
I’m a simpler man than Nic. I say life is hard enough, so I approve of a game that gives me instruments which conjure up killer ghost sharks and a ship with laser cannons, even if they’re handed over so early things get a bit too easy.
That’s not to say there isn’t something in Pirate Yakuza for folks with more complex or refined tastes. Nic, for example, enjoyed the weird live-action skit in which a middle-aged guy showers while gripping a dandelion between his teeth more than I did. See? There you go: Pirate Yakuza’s a game that has something for everyone.