RGG Studio hasn’t been solely upfront about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Extra of a aspect sport in a vein just like 2023’s The Man Who Erased His Title, the developer has urged within the lead-up to launch it’s fairly a bit larger than Kazuma Kiryu’s tear-jerking interlude. Each little bit of that’s certainly true, nevertheless it nonetheless feels just like the Japanese staff is promoting the primary likelihood to play as Goro Majima since Yakuza Kiwami 2 brief.
The story chapters charting the favored aspect character’s journey from amnesiac to pirate grasp make up roughly 18 hours of play. With one other prolonged record of substories, new places to discover, and the returning Honolulu resort boasting each acquainted and contemporary actions, the newest effort from Masayoshi Yokoyama and co comfortably greater than doubles your playtime. Whereas it could actually’t match the collection’ mainline epics, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii continues to be the kind of funding longtime followers love. Its solely situation is the lifetime of a freebooter can’t examine to the current spotlight Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
For the primary time within the franchise’s close to 20-year historical past, the fan favorite Goro Majima performs protagonist — however he’s not fairly as you’ve come to know him. As soon as declared the Mad Canine of Shimano, his cruel perspective has left with the tide as he washes ashore on an island with a nasty case of amnesia. He’s nursed again to well being by younger boy Noah and his father Jason, and after embracing the tradition and other people of the world, it isn’t too lengthy earlier than he finds himself the brand new captain of a pirate ship.
Regardless of marking fairly the departure for the IP, the sport earnestly embraces the pirate’s life and all the things that comes with it. The principle driving power behind the narrative is a quest for secret treasure, for each the wealth it brings and its potential to heal Noah of a respiratory sickness. He and Majima shortly kind a detailed bond, making their voyage throughout the seas simply as a lot concerning the retired Yakuza member as it’s the youthful collection newcomer.
All of the occasions of the sport’s 5 chapters are thought-about canon regardless of the preposterous premise, and it assumes you’ve performed Infinite Wealth. The plot stays largely standalone, although it does refer again to a number of the occasions, characters, and locations of the earlier title.
In contrast to the final instalment, nonetheless, what’s most stunning concerning the general plot is how straight it’s performed. A franchise famed for its sudden twists, turns, and betrayals, there’s little or no of that in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. The shortage of them leads to a narrative that proves slightly unexciting and received’t seize you fairly just like the trials and tribulations of previous efforts. What’s there’s solely competent, nevertheless it’s exhausting to not come away disillusioned contemplating the pedigree.
Thankfully, that familiarity and expectation hasn’t bred contempt elsewhere. RGG Studio brings again Honolulu and Nele Island from final 12 months’s sport, after which expands the playspace with various new ocean-based maps that includes islands to discover and plunder treasure from.
Navigating these waters is completed from the helm of a pirate ship, with all the boldness and beauty as if Majima has been crusing all his life. Easy controls and easy mechanics lean into the developer’s endeavour to make the brand new addition as straightforward to grasp as potential. It isn’t attempting to be a Sea of Thieves or Cranium and Bones; you don’t must consider issues like wind path or leaving your submit to drop the anchor. As an alternative, you merely push the left thumbstick within the path you need and off you go.
The ship comes outfitted with two machine weapons on the bow and a set of cannons on every of its port and starboard sides. The previous requires handbook aiming whereas the latter mechanically locks on to enemy vessels when in vary, permitting for simple management and navigation. The characteristic is saved painless on goal, and it’s all the higher for it. You will get straight to sinking different pirate ships, looking out the shoreline for treasure, and trawling the ocean for sources.
Some quantity of depth is sourced from ship and weapon upgrades, however actually, essentially the most advanced factor you are able to do whereas controlling the unlawful barge is a drift — and even that’s very easy. The Like a Dragon collection is famend for having impressively in-depth minigames constructed into all its releases, but RGG Studio has accurately proven some restraint right here. It doesn’t want the kind of depth Sea of Thieves presents, so by inserting all of the concentrate on enjoyable fight and easy-to-pick-up controls, the characteristic seamlessly slips into the general expertise.
Moreover crusing from one important location to the subsequent, you can even journey off and seek for hidden treasures on the beachfronts you discover. That is the place the title falters considerably, as these smaller areas appear and feel like carbon copies of one another. They largely subscribe to one among two aesthetics at a base degree: a jungle scene or an indoor facility. There’s extremely little variation of their visible design, decreasing what might look like a considerable addition to the sport into one thing you’ll need to spend as little time as potential partaking with. You merely run down a linear hall, beat up some pirates, and seize the treasure on the finish — you may conquer some islands inside 60 seconds in case you’re quick sufficient. The reward on the finish will at all times be value it, however the journey to it shortly dulls.
Two preventing types might be swapped between throughout these many island skirmishes — and certainly the whole sport — although one is so significantly better than the opposite that the loser is borderline out of date. You may seamlessly swap between the Sea Canine and Mad Canine types, with the previous permitting Majima to take his pirate cutlasses and tools into fight whereas the latter is extra conventional to the collection.
When utilizing the Sea Canine type, Majima can swing his two swords about and throw them, fireplace a pistol, and make use of a series hook to tug himself in the direction of enemies. When utilizing the Mad Canine type, Majima can… punch and stab with a dagger.
It’s the standard kind of Like a Dragon motion you’ve lengthy anticipated from the veteran collection, this time subscribing to the action-brawler fight methods of previous somewhat than the more moderen turn-based bouts. You’ll be capable to get by irrespective of which fight type you select, however the disparity between the 2 is so stark that Mad Canine feels prefer it’s there purely simply to make up the numbers.
Solely its particular assault, powered by a Insanity Gauge, has any actual relevance. Majima can create clones of himself that assist beat down enemy pirates for a restricted time, which proves massively useful once you’re up towards a big crowd. Moreover such conditions, although, Sea Canine trumps it throughout each side.
Whereas the mismatch is slightly unusual, given how gratifying the Sea Canine type is, it gives extra cause to interact with all of the hallmarks of a standard Like a Dragon expertise. Honolulu has been refreshed with extra comical aspect tales, Dragon Kart is again from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, bounties litter the map rewarding money, and a brand new exercise sees you rescuing animals to maintain as pets.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii nonetheless gives all of the highlights of another Like a Dragon entry of current instances; it’s simply that its peaks can’t compete with the mainline efforts. That’s okay for now, as we await the right follow-up to Infinite Wealth. You’ll discover enjoyable and welcome consolation meals in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii to tide you over.
