From swashbuckling action to embarking on a legendary treasure-hunting journey, Goro Majima, a ruthless yakuza boss with amnesia, sets sail on an over-the-top adventure featuring pirates and the Japanese yakuza.

A spinoff to the “Like a Dragon” series, this is what “Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii” is all about. The game takes place after the last mainline entry, “Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth,” but is more akin to the 2023 “Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name”

I, Jesse Illanes, and Senior Reporter, Nyan Gavino, are both fans of the series, completing every mainline game plus a few side games such as this one.

As we played through the series for the first time, we both anticipated the release of “Lost Judgment” in 2021, and we have been keeping up with each new series release since then. We will see how it compares to other games in the series and whether it is worth diving right into this game.

Storyline
One of the most intimidating bosses of the Japanese yakuza, Goro Majima, washes up after a shipwreck on “Rich Island,” a small island off the coast of Hawaii, with amnesia. A 10-year-old boy, Noah Rich, and his pet tiger, Goro, see Majima and give him water. Grateful that Noah saved his life, Majima promises to fulfill Noah’s wish: to leave the island and travel the world.

Majima befriends Noah, his father, Jason Rich and a chef who deserts his previous captain, Masaru Fujita. After commandeering Masaru’s former captain’s ship, they sail to uncover Majima’s past. They set out to retrieve the legendary treasure of “Esperanza,” a treasure from 19th-century Spaniards rumored to contain eternal riches and an elixir for eternal life.

Nyan: The story of Pirate Yakuza is solid overall. The race for the Esperanza treasure stays interesting throughout the narrative, although it begins to suffer from slight pacing issues as the game progresses. The new characters added to the roster are serviceable, but returning ones like Saejima, Nishida and Minami are especially welcome inclusions.

Noah and Majima’s relationship is interesting to watch develop over the story, adding some extra heart to the plot. One of the main draws of the narrative is the positive attitude and drive that Majima brings to his crew. He is wildly charming, and his charisma perfectly holds all the plot elements together.

Jesse: Speaking of that relationship, it is very reminiscent of Kiryu and Haruka’s relationship from the mainline games, which is nice that Majima has someone he is inspiring.

The scramble for the Esperanza treasure is one of the game’s more interesting aspects, but I agree that it suffers from pacing issues. I think it fits well in the theme of Majima becoming a pirate with his crew and adds to the camaraderie of the fantastic supporting cast of characters, both new and old, but the big twist that near the end that the Yakuza games are known for is half-baked.

Majima’s amnesia allows new players to jump easily into the series, but having a story that ties into the main plot of the series would’ve been favorable.

Gameplay
The gameplay features the classic beat-em-up style known from earlier entries, contrasting with the current turn-based RPGs, making the return of this style enjoyable.

They tried to enhance it with Majima, featuring his classic “Mad Dog” style and a new “Sea Dog” pirate style armed with two swords and a flintlock pistol.

Jesse: They added mechanics for which most “character-action” games are known, like launchers and juggles. While it is appreciated that the developers wanted to add to the aging brawler gameplay, it still feels mostly like that same game that we’ve had the gameplay style to for 10+ games already.

Nyan: The combat in Pirate Yakuza is one of my favorites in the series. It reflects an evolution of combat since the last “Like A Dragon” spinoff, “Gaiden.” This game allows much more movement in battle, as you can now jump, dive and perform air combos on enemies.

Combat elements in previous games, like “heat actions” and interactive objects, are here, with the same quality expected from the franchise, and customizable ship combat is also a blast. Destroying and raiding enemy ships in sea battles is a fun new gameplay loop for the series, adding more variety to the typical engagements seen in the series.

Jesse: The pirate theme, adding naval combat, treasure hunting and ship raids, is a breath of fresh air – much like the Hawaii setting was for the last mainline game.

I didn’t really have the interest to put effort into these games since I wanted to know what was happening in the main story. However, Pirate Yakuza is the first game to take this management game and make it part of the main story at times, which gave me more incentive to try to do more side quests, recruit new members to the crew and acquire upgrades for the ship.

Side Content
As with other games in the series, Pirate Yakuza offers a wealth of side content that players can enjoy while taking a break from the main narrative. These activities are found in three main locations: Madlantis, Honolulu and the Open Seas.

There is no shortage of side activities to distract yourself within the open world. Many of the minigames present are reused from previous titles, but new additions and changes keep them fresh.

The Open Seas are accessed through Majima’s ship, The Goromaru, where you can battle and board other ships through naval combat and explore islands hosting both treasure and enemy pirates.

Nyan: I often got sidetracked from the main story while exploring the side content in this game. It was a lot of fun bouncing between activities in Honolulu and the Open Seas–it represents a gameplay loop completely new to the series.

The in-depth customization of both Majima and his ship were incredible additions I hope to see in upcoming titles. I was left satisfied with this game’s vast amount of side activities.

Jesse: The “drink-links” character bonding mechanic returns from Infinite Wealth – which is welcome, as learning more about the new characters, such as new pirate crew members, and their personal goals feels rewarding for the player who becomes invested in the new characters, which appear following side quests.

In addition, the game finally included character customization, where you can change Majima’s appearance, which fans have requested for years.

RGG Studio celebrates SEGA’s history by showcasing never-before-released arcade games like “The Ocean Hunter.” With the Sega Master System available in every safe room, complete with save states for over a dozen games, players get “more bang for their buck. ”

Final Thoughts
Nyan: Pirate Yakuza is a very enjoyable game and a refreshing addition to the series. While this release has a weaker story than mainline titles, the game makes up for it with the new additions to combat and the vast amounts of side content, both on land and at sea.

It is a great spinoff title for the series that feels like a vacation from start to finish. Long-time fans will have fun with Pirate Yakuza, while the amnesia aspect of the narrative allows newcomers to have a strong entry point with this title.

Jesse: I agree with Nyan. Pirate Yakuza is a welcome addition and, overall, feels like a better experience than the previous spinoff, Gaiden.

Fans have wanted a new game starring Majima since the success of Yakuza Zero, so it is good to know that RGG studio is listening to their Western fans. The main beat-em-up gameplay is still stale, but the new pirate motif and story more than makeup for it.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is available now on PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store.