Fans of Yakuza/Like a Dragon don't have time to be nostalgic given the frenetic pace of release of Ryû Ga Gotoku Studio's games. Barely a year after the release of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the eighth main episode in the series, here comes a spin-off that can be described as audacious.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes us on an epic journey aboard the Goromaru of the crazy Goro Majima. So, is this an essential spin-off that can make you forget the Yakuza: Like a Dragon series? Is the universe of the RGG saga a good setting for the codes of piracy? After 25 hours of play on PS5, we can say that the Japanese studio has met the challenge with flying colors.
Goro Majima, figurehead of a brilliant cast
In August 2024, Goro Majima, legend of the yakuza and former member of the Tojo clan, wakes up stranded on Rich Island. He meets Noah, a 10-year-old boy who discovered him on the beach, and his "cat" Goro.
We quickly discover that the Mad Dog of Shimano has lost neither his humor nor his frankness. On the other hand, his memory is failing him. Majima has amnesia, which perfectly justifies why this eminent member of the yakuza is going to embark on a quest to help Noah achieve his dream.
The first hours of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii take the time to lay the foundations of this pirate epic far from the usual darkness of the series at its beginning. The beginning of the adventure is a little sluggish, the game takes us by the hand for a good while. The real stakes take time to reveal themselves, as does the really interesting secondary content (we'll come back to that).
Majima recovers his ship, the Goromaru, fairly quickly, but that doesn't mean that you immediately feel like a captain embarking on a great adventure across the seas. Fortunately, this feeling is felt after a few hours of play. The former Yakuza, always full of optimism, humor and courage, excels in his role as captain.
The storyline, although with less crucial stakes than in the main series, manages to hook us from the second chapter. The curiosity and ambition conveyed by Majima, Noah and the rest of the crew shine through and make us want to see this fantastic quest for wealth through to the end (saying more would spoil the pleasure of discovery).
The main story conveys beautiful values in the background. The characters, both new and old, are particularly touching, not only thanks to very accurate writing, but also because of exceptional acting. Noah, Jason and Masaru very often hit the mark with their punchy lines and thoughts. Special mention to the French localization, which perfectly transcribes their emotions and typically Japanese humor.
Note that the scenario skillfully manages to connect with the narrative of the main series, especially with the events of Infinite Wealth. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is therefore an essential spin-off for anyone who wants to know the story of Yakuza in its entirety (unlike the spin-off Like a Dragon: Isshin, for example).
A Yakuza that is not really "next-gen", but absolutely charming
Furthermore, it only takes a few minutes to see that the 3D models of the main characters are still as fine, detailed and alive thanks to the motion capture work of the actors involved. On the other hand, there are still three "levels" of cut-scenes: the important cutscenes, the dubbed scenes (the most common) and those without dubbing.
In addition, the environments, such as buildings and mainly vegetation, are rather crude and dated. It is still a shame to see that the production does not take a step forward due to the technical limitations imposed by the release on old-gen consoles. The short trailer for Project Century unveiled at The Game Awards 2024 gives us a glimpse of what an RGG Studio game is like, freed from the constraints of the PS4 and Xbox One. When will there be a Like a Dragon only on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series?
Fortunately, the artistic direction makes us forget all that. Madlantis, a shipyard used as a hideout for lawless pirates and all manner of criminals, grabs and intimidates us with its sticky atmosphere. We also find Honolulu, introduced by Yakuza: Like a Dragon, as well as the small Nele Island.
It's no surprise to see RGG Studio reusing well-known areas. This is the recipe thanks to which the studio has such a frantic pace of production of Yakuza games. No matter: these places serve as a stage for new and thrilling events, that's the most important thing. In addition, this is "only" the third episode in which we visit Honolulu, which is quite a short time for someone who has roamed the streets of Kamurochō for eight games.
Majima with his gun and his knife
What would a Like a Dragon be without big fights? Here we find beat'em all type confrontations like in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name after the turn-based style of the last two major games. Goro Majima has two fighting styles. When he wears the rabid dog style (already present in Yakuza Zero), he can attack with his feet and fists by performing combos thanks to his legendary dagger.
This style allows him to perform a dash that charges for a few moments as well as a spinning attack. Big news: it is possible to project his enemies into the air to perform aerial combos. Fervor actions, devastating attacks to use when the gauge under the life bar is full, are still there. The former manager of the Grand cabaret must also rely on dodging and parrying to survive in combat.
Of course, you still have to go through the unlocking of skills to obtain new moves and fervor actions. The most effective and fun actions to use are learned this way. The new, more edgy Sea Wolf style lets you fight with a sword in each hand. Majima brings out the full pirate's panoply with a pistol to attack from a distance, a grappling hook to throw himself towards enemies and the ability to transform cutlasses into boomerangs.
This fighting style is very useful when there are a lot of enemies and is rather fun to use because of the gadgets available. Here again, learning skills is essential to maximize Majima's performance as a Sea Wolf. Note that this Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii introduces a rage gauge with which you can summon Majima's doubles or use an overpowered summon.
We might have liked a little more madness in the use of gadgets, which are limited to a few very specific actions. The pistol, in particular, is of little use given its low power. It does more damage when charged, but there is often not enough time to do so as the enemies are numerous and aggressive.
In the end, we have pretty much all the most important moves after a handful of hours. Another fighting style with one or two additional accessories wouldn't have been too much.We still have fun confronting both hordes of enemies and the many bosses of the adventure. A little tip: if you want slightly more tactical and exhilarating fights, choose the Professional difficulty.
It's me, the greatest pirate on the island
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii doesn't have its name for nothing: you'll be able to go on an adventure with your Goromaru. Unfortunately, don't expect to sail in an open world: the game's seas are broken down into several large sections separated by loading times. Logical, given the scope of the project and its release spanning two generations of consoles.
At least the sea has no shortage of treasure islands to discover. You'll have to set foot on land and defeat the pirates there to recover the chest at the end of the course. It's up to you to choose four people with whom to conquer them, paying close attention to the balance of your group. Brutes act as tanks, medics as healers, shooters attack from afar and mercenaries use brute force.
At sea, you will also come across enemy ships that are generally quite easy to sink. You will also find resources for crafting, on merchants or lighthouses allowing rapid travel to a destination already known. The navigation, rather pleasant thanks to successful sound design and ship physics, lacks a little consistency due to the lack of surprises to discover at sea. No secret islands where you wonder what you're going to come across, no chance encounters, no random events.
The pleasure of getting a new treasure is there, but the islands on which they are located are simple corridors strewn with enemies. Only the confrontations against 100 enemies are original. Of course, this is a spin-off for which RGG Studio probably didn't have a big budget, but we would have liked the environments to really invite exploration and offer more madness. At least, the new compositions are perfectly in tune to accompany you during your wanderings at sea and on foot. Some pieces even seem to come straight from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Cannons, these naval battles?
The naval battles of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii are quite simple on paper. The Goromaru has cannons on the port and starboard sides, and machine guns at the front. You have to position yourself as best you can to destroy enemy ships with these weapons. Of course, your opponents also have heavy artillery to sink you.
Fortunately, when you use the boost, you can perform a sort of drift to dodge enemy attacks marked in red. The acceleration even allows you to inflict damage by rushing at full speed towards the enemy ship. During a naval battle, you can let go of the rudder to attack with Majima's rocket launcher. Be careful, it is better to use a smoke screen to disrupt the enemy's vision before doing so, because an immobile Goromaru is a vulnerable Goromaru.
It may happen that members of your crew lose consciousness or that your ship suffers a state change (frost, poison or burn), in which case, it is advisable to let go of the helm to restore the situation. If you take too much damage, count on your crew to repair your ship. On the other hand, the maneuver makes your Goromaru unable to attack for a few seconds. In addition, the number of repairs possible to restore HP during the same confrontation is limited. Naval battles are therefore fairly classic, but rather engaging. Once again, they reveal their full potential in high difficulty mode against formidable opponents.
In certain circumstances, you can embark on a boarding once a ship's HP has reached 0. A big brawl then begins with dozens of pirates on deck. It almost feels like Dynasty Warriors, the action is so high-octane in these conditions. These clashes only differ from classic fights by the number of opponents, but be careful not to be surprised by the enemy captains, who are more powerful than the others.
A small subtlety, there is a voltage gauge that fills up gradually. Once full, you can activate it so that your entire squad benefits from advantages depending on the supports chosen. Be careful, because the opposing crew has its own voltage gauge. Activating these buffs at the right time can really turn a fight around, bringing an interesting tactical dimension. Note that you cannot heal yourself with items by going through the menu during brawls. Enough to add a good dose of tension to these fights.
Don't put the cart before the horse
A naval battle is also won with good preparation. You will therefore have to recruit pirates to expand the Goromaru's crew. Pirate recruitment can be done in many ways. The NPC interested in your troop usually asks you to fulfill a condition, such as bringing them an item, giving them a certain amount of money or having a particular pirate rank (it increases depending on the challenges completed). Some even require you to get a certain score in a mini-game or to fight them in single combat.
Of course, the strongest pirates are the hardest to obtain, like the Bartender in Aloha Links, who asks you to make thirty friends on Aloha Links (yes, the social network is back). Recruiting pirates is a great way for RGG Studio to push us to explore its side content.
Enlisted allies can be placed in different positions: at the port cannons, starboard cannons or machine guns. You can also assign them to the boarding crew. It's up to you to see which is the best choice based on their skills. The first mate also plays a decisive role. It’s best to make sure that he has a special ability, it can make a big difference during a naval battle.
The team leaders of your boarding squads must also be carefully selected since they can increase your attack, defense or health recovery. Furthermore, keeping an eye on your allies' morale is essential: if it drops, their performance suffers. You can raise it by giving them gifts, or even by organizing a party on board the ship.
Of course, the Gormaru's equipment is customizable. You can purchase cannons and machine guns either from the preparation menu or craft them in Julie's workshop in Honolulu. Too bad there aren't that many different weapons, though; there are about ten in total.
It is also possible to increase some of the Goromaru's attributes from the preparation menu, such as its resistance or the number of smoke screens available. Another aspect that you can customize from the boat (and in certain resting places): Majima's outfit. You will find multiple tops, bottoms, shoes, gloves or earrings to equip to change its appearance. Some are more difficult to obtain than others, but overall, the clothes can be obtained for cheap in stores.
There are even complete outfits to collect, such as zombie, samurai or even iconic characters from the license. The rendering of the clothes is very successful and does not clash with the standard pieces. In addition, your customized Majima appears in the outfit that you have defined during the cutscenes. The return of this mechanic already present in The Man Who Erased His Name, in which Kiryu was highly customizable, is a very good thing.
Moreover, Majima can equip a ring on each finger like a real pirate. The very stylish rings once worn do not only have a cosmetic use. They are used to increase attack, defense as well as resistance to bullets and blades.
Piracy is never over
We get caught up in the game of improving our Goromaru above all to succeed in the many challenges of the Pirate’s Coliseum. There are different types: quick brawls pit you against a main ship (often accompanied by support boats) to destroy. Then, the Goromaru’s crew launches to board it.
Manias ask you to chain together several brawls on the deck. In the captains' tournaments, you have to chain together several naval battles and fights on board enemy ships: it goes without saying that these are the greatest challenges of the Pirate's Coliseum. You have to skillfully manage your dodging, but also the cooldown of the cannons and machine guns to get through it. The fights on the deck include several formidable enemies with very annoying abilities.
The last category of fights can only be unlocked if you complete the series of side quests "Legends of the Pirates of Goro". In short, it’s an epic that pits you against the Devil’s Flags, bloodthirsty pirates.
You will have to travel the seas to confront their ships as well as their captains who are at sea or on islands to recover the treasure they have stolen. Here again, RGG Studio manages with this great side mission to make us explore the secondary content of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Note that the 65 treasures to be collected in the game are not all hidden on the islands.
You can obtain them by using the grappling hook, thanks to which Majima can hoist himself up high in Hawaii. This accessory brings a breath of fresh air to the exploration of Honolulu. In addition, some treasures are obtained after completing a quest or as rewards in mini-games. In any case, don't count on Goro, Noah's pet, to bring them back to you. He just brings you a few objects picked up here and there from time to time.
The walks in Honolulu are also an opportunity to complete the game's thirty or so side quests and arrest the 86 criminals wanted by the police. Enough to earn a few pennies to unlock Majima's skills and Goromaru's equipment. Allow about fifteen hours to complete the story in a straight line and double that to do everything.
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