RGG Studio’s latest spinoff, Dragon: Hawaii’s Pirate Yakuza, has made a bold leap into the High Seas, mixing with classic Yakuza chaos and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag swashbuckling adventures.
Dragon: Not as vast as endless wealth, but still offers a decent experience packed with explosive action, extensive customization and exciting ship battles.
Fight like a pirate
For the first time in the history of the franchise, fan favorite Goro Majima brings a twist, but he suffers from amnesia after washing land on a distant island. He is discovered by Noah – a boy who runs a local tavern and introduces him to his family who tries to help him regain his memory.
Majima quickly takes the helm of a pirate ship and sets out on a journey to uncover lost treasures, navigating through the dangerous world of sailor pirates. The story is fun, but there is no emotional weight and complicated twist in the mainline title. It remains Canon, but the simple nature of the story feels as though it was before, like the Dragon’s entry, inevitably less attractive.
There are many side quests and secrets to discover. One of the most distracting things is the home-based Sega Master System. You can play complete Sega classic games like Alex Kid from Miracle World and unlock more titles as you travel. I spent so much time playing these. It’s like getting a Sega Classic Collection in-game.
What the Hawaiian pirate yakuza lacks in the complexity of the story is compensated for with exhilarating gameplay. The combat system reintroduces real-time action, allowing players to switch between seedog and maddog fighting styles. The former embraces the theme of pirates, using Majima’s dual wheeled cutlass, pistols, and grappling hooks to fire across the battlefield.
The latter uses Majima’s signature brawler technique to stick to the series’ roots. The combat is consistently fun, but the seedog style far outweighs the muddog style, and I feel overwhelmingly compared the latter. You may feel the buttons fade during battle, but it is not enough to take away from the fun.
The main highlight is the Battle of Ships, which is accessible and attractive. Steering Majima’s ship is intuitive, with easy-to-use controls prioritizing fun over action and realism. Instead of worrying about wind direction and ship maintenance, weaving seamlessly between combat encounters, focusing on blowing up enemy ships with machine guns and cannons.
The upgrade allows customization of both the ship and its weapons, adding a rewarding progression system for naval skirmishes. It’s not as deep as a sea of burglars, but it’s definitely fun to remove the complexity of that mechanic and focus on having a good time.
For me, the pirate’s life
Customization plays a major role both on land and on the sea. Majima is equipped with pirate-themed gear, allowing you to fine-tune your fighting style and upgrade your weapons. The ship itself can be enhanced with new cannons, hull reinforcements, and cosmetic changes, allowing players to shape their own pirate legends.
Beyond the battle, Honolulu is filled with familiar fresh side activities, including dragon kart racing, bounty hunting, and even saving pet animals. These distractions add diversity, but they don’t necessarily reinvent the wheel.
Rescue and contain animals and be able to accommodate them as your companion is an aspect of this game where I am truly connected. I spent too much time recruiting and trading these on my journey.
One drawback is the repetitive nature of general research. Many of the new areas follow the same formula: linear paths filled with small enemies leading to predictable treasures.
With no diverse environments, treasures feel more standard than exciting. Nevertheless, the reward is valuable and keeps the loop attractive enough to completers. There are several islands where you cannot sail and dock and explore the ship. This can be very frustrating and my main complaint with the game.
Final thoughts
Like a Dragon: Hawaiian Pirate Yakuza is a fun and unique spin-off that blends classic Yakuza action with high season adventures. The story is simple and although some island segments feel repetitive, the pure fun of ship fighting, customization and over-the-top combat makes for a worthy entry in the series.
Majima as a pirate captain is a joy to play, and while he hasn’t reached the height of endless wealth, it’s still a fascinating side story that fans will appreciate.
4 stars (out of 5)
Highlights: Fun, fast-paced combat with a fantastic pirate-themed fighting style. Fight the ship with a large amount of customization.
Lowlight: Barebones Story. Little or no exploration
Developer: ryu ga gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC
Available: Now
Reviews conducted on PlayStation 5 use release code provided by the publisher.
