Like a Dragon: A Franchise of Frenetic Releases and Familiar Delights

Introduction

Fans of colossal video game franchises must exercise patience. A new Fallout installment is unlikely before 2030, and the announcement of the next The Elder Scrolls is now over six years old. These are behemoths, their development costs and human efforts beyond comprehension.

However, the landscape is different for enthusiasts of Like a Dragon: scarcely after finishing the latest chapter, another emerges. Scheduled for release on Friday, February 21st, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s newest title, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, is the series’ sixth installment since 2020. A breakneck pace for this saga centered on Japanese organized crime, whose popularity continues to soar.

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii: A Spin-off Adventure

Conceived as a brief spin-off episode, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii conveys all the necessary information in its title: we play as Goro Majima, one of the saga’s most renowned characters and a high-ranking member of the underworld. After suffering amnesia following a sea skirmish with a giant squid (don’t ask), he washes up on an island near Hawaii and decides to become the captain of a pirate ship (again, don’t ask) while he recovers his memory.

The main quest – the search for a legendary treasure lost for two hundred years – is a pretext for sailing the seas, engaging in naval battles, and, above all, expanding one’s crew of outlaws. All this while visiting Madlantis, a gangster’s paradise run by Lady Michelle and her "pirate king" associate.

Features and Gameplay

While naval exploration is among the game’s major novelties, it essentially consists of following rather repetitive paths on multiple maps, connecting one point of interest to another. Our journey is punctuated by equally repetitive ship battles, where the goal is to sink one’s adversary as quickly as possible. The only successful aspect: ship boardings, melee clashes between dozens of crew members that usually end in a joyous melee.

This installment also marks the return of real-time action, parries, and devilish combos that Yakuza had traded, for two episodes, for turn-based confrontations. The sequences, with grappling hooks, pistols, or swords, are always enjoyable while remaining refreshingly simple: in the recommended difficulty mode, the fights are very manageable and generally pose no real challenge.

Recycling and Familiarity: The Cornerstones of Like a Dragon

This Pirate in Hawaii is primarily an opportunity for Ryu Ga Gotoku and publisher Sega to capitalize on the Hawaiian setting modeled for the previous episode, as half of the game takes place in Honolulu. Recycling is an integral part of the Like a Dragon series’ operation: constantly reusing its settings, characters, and even certain mechanics, while adding a few innovations here and there, is one of the elements that allows the studio to release episodes at such a rapid pace.

But it is also what makes up the series’ strength and charm. Playing a Yakuza game means being sure to find intimate places, to walk through streets and neighborhoods known by heart from having spent dozens and dozens of hours there. And what a pleasure it is to rediscover the Revolve, the famous bar from the last episode, or the labyrinthine Anaconda Shopping Center and the beaches of Honolulu.

This familiarity is also reflected in the mini-games of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii: go-kart racing, karaoke, university exams, pizza delivery, baseball, billiards, and poker. Even some side quests are direct sequels, sometimes less inspired, to those found in the previous game. Like a Dragon is at its best when savored as a comforting and familiar game.

Pros:

• Familiar and comforting setting
• Enjoyable real-time combat
• Diverse mini-games
• Accessible difficulty

Cons:

• Repetitive naval exploration
• Lack of innovation

Recommended for:

• Fans of the Yakuza series
• Those seeking a familiar and accessible action-adventure game
• Players who appreciate a steady release schedule

Not recommended for:

• Those seeking a groundbreaking or revolutionary experience
• Players who dislike repetitive gameplay elements
• Those who prefer more challenging combat