Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the sort of video game name where the subtitle warrants a sentence all to itself. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. RGG Studio has always embraced the series' comical facets, but not until now has it ever been so blatant and — quite frankly — proud of them. After more than 10 entries of roughly equal parts seriousness and absurdity, it feels as if the team is loosening the reins and pushing all of the way into the latter for one uncompromising side story. It's put Goro Majima in charge of a pirate ship; what more needs to be said?

An impressive amount, actually, as the relentless development pipeline of the Japanese outfit has resulted in a project with a fresh and exciting feel just 12 months after Infinite Wealth. Despite the clear ties it holds — in both content and story — with last year's instalment, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii pretty comfortably carves out something to call its own.

Earlier this week, we spent two hours playing the new entry, sampling what it has to offer from the start of chapter two. The Hawaiian city of Honolulu does return, though most of our hands on session was all about what's new: a series of explorable islands separated by ocean, and bigger locations like Madlantis. Following the events of Infinite Wealth, the fan-favourite Majima wakes up on one of those tropical beaches with amnesia. Having befriended a young boy named Noah and his dad, the team sets out on a sea-faring adventure to reclaim his memories — and yes, for as wild as it is, it's all considered canon.

We're thrust into the action with Majima already dressed in his pirate getup and two cutlasses strapped to the belt. Beat for beat, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii plays exactly as you expect it to, but it's tapped into a bit of additional flair through the swashbuckling themes of the title. Subscribing to the traditional action combat system of the franchise rather than turn-based battles, Majima brings two new fighting styles to the table: Mad Dog and Sea Dog.

The latter is the main draw as it's the style Majima realises all his pirate cosplaying days with, even sourcing a touch of inspiration from Devil May Cry. Sea Dog is one of the most fast-paced and flashy fighting styles the franchise has ever seen. It uses Majima's pirate weaponry (cutlasses, pistol, a boomerang, and a chain hook) to quickly navigate battles, speedily slicing and dicing enemies and even launching them up into the air for some stylish combos. All the time you're downing other pirates, a Madness meter is filled underneath your health bar. Once this is filled, it allows you to perform a team-up attack of mythical proportions.

Activating the gauge in the Sea Dog style lets you call upon powerful animals to help you out on the battlefield. There's a shark, a monkey, a parrot, and jellyfish. Especially effective against large mobs and boss fights, they're a fun evolution of the combat system from before Ichiban Kasuga came onto the scene.

The Mad Dog fighting style utilises the same Madness meter, though it produces a different sort of attack. Goro Majima can clone himself and produce a series of doppelgangers for a limited time that help you in battle, using the same sort of attacks you do. The Mad Dog style is more traditional to the character with his trademark dagger in hand. How did he get these powers, though? "Don't ask," is the response from series producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto.

Those on-land brawls are the bread and butter of Like a Dragon, so it's a compliment to say the pirate ship battles are just as robust. Controlling your ship is simple and incredibly easy to get to grips with: you control all its movement with the left thumbstick, boost your speed with the Triangle button, a machine gun is always available head-on, and cannons can be shot on either side. It's kept relatively basic — especially compared to games like Skull and Bones and Sea of Thieves — but this feels deliberate. Even without the game's tutorial to work through at the preview event, controlling the ship and blasting its cannons became second nature after just a few minutes.

In the usual Like a Dragon fashion, there's plenty of upkeep, upgrades, and customisation tied to the mechanic too. You can assign crew mates to man specific weapons and perform certain roles when you're under attack in accordance with their attributes, levelling them up after a successful enemy sinkage. Better weaponry can also be discovered, bought, and equipped, and then cosmetic customisation opens up different designs and colours for your ship. It's like when RGG Studio is praised for creating a game within a game in something like Dondoko Island and is told it could comfortably sell it standalone on the PS Store. With its impressive ship mechanics, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii essentially makes that a reality. You can even hunt for treasure and plunder abandoned islands in between such battles, properly realising the daily pirate life.

In more familiar territory, the complete city of Honolulu is back with new content. As well as a fresh batch of wacky side stories, Dragon Kart returns to the Like a Dragon streets. You can compete in quick races or a full Grand Prix comprising multiple tracks taking in both the sea air and the busy streets of the holiday destination. Another new feature on the map is called Animal Rescue. Dotted around the play space, you'll find animals you can add to your Animal Kingdom, either by simply purchasing them or through quest completion. We bought a friendly cow, but due to the confines of the preview session, we were unable to work out where the cow went afterwards or whether there is more to the mechanic.

As a game designed to bridge the gap between mainline entries, just like The Man Who Erased His Name, you won't find another 70+ hour RPG in Goro Majima's latest escapade. That's okay, though, because RGG Studio is already primed to deliver long-lasting quality in a different way. That's in its memorable absurdity, but RGG Studio has already managed to communicate it much more effectively in just four words: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.


Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches for PS5 and PS4 on 21st February 2025. Are you prepared to set sail on board Majima's ship next month? Share your thoughts in the comments below.