Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii review - Ahoy, Majima-maties

Outside of Kazuma Kiryu, perhaps the most popular character in the Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) series is Goro Majima, aka the Mad Dog. For the most part, he’s been a memorable side character, but for the first time since 2015’s Yakuza 0, Majima is being given his moment to shine.

Set six months after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Majima washes up on the tropical Rich Island with no memory of how he got there. Thankfully, he’s rescued by a boy named Noah and events somehow lead the legendary ex-yakuza to be a pirate, in command of a ship with a loyal crew ready to fire the cannons and scrub the deck.

Check out the Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii trailer below!

Unlike Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii doesn’t feature turn-based combat. Instead, you can expect the free-for-all, high-octane brawling that fans enjoyed in earlier instalments of the series. Majima offers two fighting styles: Mad Dog and Sea Dog.

Mad Dog is a fighting style similar to Like a Dragon Gaiden, beating up foes frantically with over-the-top fist and feet combos, and allows you to use environmental objects as weapons, such as the classic bicycle (which never gets boring) and traffic cones, with Majima also wielding his signature Tanto knife.

Sea Dog is a pirate-inspired style with cutlass swords, a flintlock pistol and a chain hook. Mad Dog feels very much like the katana and pistol move-set in Like a Dragon: Ishin which has you slicing, shooting and dodging around your opponents until none are left standing.

Majima also has three gauges, Health, Heat and the new Madness gauge. The returning Heat gauge is used to unleash stylish attacks that will deal massive damage against an opponent. The Madness gauge will unleash Majima’s doppelgangers for Mad Dog, and one of four assigned attacks for Sea Dog which consist of a giant jellyfish, chimpanzee, parrot, sharks and more.

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The Sea Dog style also allows you to use the chain hook to fling yourself towards an enemy at high speed and it’s handy for quickly getting out of dodge. During exploration, the chain hook can also be used at certain points to access areas such as the roof of a building where you may discover some treasure.

The more fights you get into (which is a lot in this series) and the more activities you complete, you gain more means to upgrade Majima’s health, strength and abilities, unlike Infinite Wealth which will mostly upgrade automatically. Just like the traditional format starring Kazuma Kiryu, you can choose how to spend your in-game currency and XP with Majima’s abilities.

Some moves and abilities won't unlock until you reach a certain pirate rank which can be increased by defeating rival ships, playing mini-games such as cooking (which creates food to boost health and feed your crew), the returning Dragon Kart from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, playing arcade games and more. Your pirate rank will also have an impact on the level of crew mates you can hire for your ship.

For a decent portion of the game, you’ll frequently visit a place called Madlantis, a hub that many pirates like to call home. Here, you can not only partake in epic naval battles to increase your infamy on the open seas, but you can also gamble, buy exclusive items, and get to know the ruler of Madlantis, Queen Michele, and her pirate king, Raymond Law, played by legendary pro wrestler, Samoa Joe.

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When exploring the open seas, seeing similar sights can feel a little samey after a few hours, but landing on small islands to battle pirates in pursuit of treasure helps to break up any stagnation you may feel. Finding treasure is a great way to boost your pirate reputation. However, the real fun to be had on the sea is the naval battles, albeit minus the glitz and glamour of the Pirate Colosseum tournaments in Madlantis.

Much like grunts wandering the lands, you won't be short of naval battles, with almost every ship you encounter overly keen to pick a fight. Your ship will begin as quite a basic vessel with standard canons, though it will come equipped with a machine gun (obviously). The more currency you earn and as your pirate reputation increases, the more options will become available to upgrade your ship.

You can increase the strength of your vessel whether it’s dealing damage or the level of damage it can sustain. The ship can also look as scary or pretty as you want it to be. If you want a boat with the signature Majima branding or something bright, pink and sparkly, you can do that. I’m amazed at the depth of ship customisation available in the game.

Later in the story, you can even unlock laser cannons and flamethrowers, because what pirate ship is complete without ye olde laser cannons and flamethrowers? Before you sink a larger rival vessel to the bottom of the sea, you’ll have the option to board it for a fun all-out brawl with Majima’s crew in a battle resembling something from the Dynasty Warriors series.

In battle your ship will take a lot of damage, so you’ll not only need to repair it before it sinks, but also revive any fallen crew members on the fly. You can also leave the helm to fire a rocket launcher or take control of manual machine guns while your ship is stationary. Keeping crew morale high is also important whether it's showering them with gifts or food, especially if you want to maintain their productivity and your crew will level up following a battle.

That being said, it’s wise to keep a lookout for recruits on land that may improve your squad and some of those recruits, you may recognise from previous games in the series, including the spin-offs, Judgment and Lost Judgment.

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Aside from being an enjoyable game in many aspects, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii comes with some welcomed quality-of-life improvements. For starters, not only does the Street Surfer scooter have more cosmetic upgrades but you now pick up the vast majority of items on your land travels without getting off, which helps to maintain immersion.

That being said, my favourite quality-of-life improvement made in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, is that you can finally change the main character's clothes and I’m not just talking about the clothes seen only in battles like in Infinite Wealth. You can change Majima’s hair, jackets, trousers, accessories and more. Best of all, you can even customise your pet tiger Goro with a pirate hat, eye patch and a pink bow for a total cuteness overload. Expect Goro the Tiger to take over the internet.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii might not do much to reinvent the wheel, but it’s no less a blast. Developers Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio knows exactly what fans want and how to deliver the most enjoyable experience possible. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a jolly adventure and it’s a delight seeing Goro Majima shining once more in the gorgeous sunny Aloha state.

Pros: Fun high-octane combat, naval battles, ship and character customisation

Cons: Does not do much to mix up the series

For fans of: Yakuza 0, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Like a Dragon: Ishin

8/10: Excellent

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is available on 21 February on PC, PlayStation (version tested) and Xbox. Read a guide to our review scores here.