Waves crash against the hull of a ship that looks like it's straight out of the 17th century, seagulls squawk overhead, and a figure in a Hawaiian-print shirt sits at the helm. It's not how you'd expect to be introduced to Goro Majima, perhaps one of the series' most popular characters. Like a dragon series, but it sets the tone. Polygon was invited to a recent hands-on preview to get a taste of what Like a Dragon: Yakuza Pirate in Hawaii would have stored, and it is the story of Majima in decline, on a path to becoming the greatest pirate the world has ever seen. It's all Like a dragon fans could wait.
Like a dragon: Yakuza pirates in Hawaii It's as absurd as you'd expect: it's a Like a dragon game, and Goro Majima is the protagonist, so it's only natural that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio would lean into that. Majima is perhaps one of the few characters within the series to receive full character arcs packed with some of the series' most emotional moments. Like a dragon The games have been seen, but not here. At least, not in this trailer. Instead, Majima and his crew head to the city of Madlantis, another dangerous underground city rife with violence and packed with other miscreants who, for the most part, aren't dressed like Party City versions of Jack Sparrow from Gore Verbinski's film. Pirates of the Caribbean. As Like a dragon: infinite wealthThe non-Japanese characters are an approximation of what Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios has created to roughly fit your average foray into a Like a Dragon game: wandering tourists, a few locals scattered here and there, and hordes of thugs ready to beat you up because you looked at them funny or because they want to kick a man while he's down. It's very much a video game town.
Compared to Madlantis, Honolulu isn't quite as exciting, and during my time with the pre-release version of the game, I was mostly roaming the city with my intrepid child companion and his pet Bengal tiger kitten, singing Majima's top karaoke hits, including “24-Hour Cinderella” by Yakuza 0 — or change Majima's look into a poorly constructed wardrobe. You can go shirtless with Mad Dog's white hannya grin tattooed on your back for all to see, or you might want to go back to wearing that iconic snakeskin jacket, leather pants, and silver-tipped shoes and all. I opted for the Yakuza 0 See, it reminded me of a better time in the series. I was also desperate to get that feeling back after hacking to pieces Keith, a generic-looking pirate in a three-cornered hat, who had gotten on Majima's bad side for one reason or another. I'm sure that will be explained in the full version of the game and will probably carry more weight.
You see, even though Majima ages like the rest of us and has already reached the tender age of 60, that doesn't mean he's any less agile. Shimano's Mad Dog is still capable of learning a few new tricks, and in true Sea Dog fighting style, he wields a pair of cutlasses and a 17th-century hand cannon. All of his attacks are as fast as they are deadly, and you can use a cable to propel yourself towards an enemy with total abandon. There are also aerial combos, which are fun and feel a little over-the-top, but I'm not going to complain about the game adopting the rule of cool for one of its most popular characters. But if you want to get back to the familiar, something that takes you back to the fantasy era, then you should know that this is not an RPG. Yakuza 0 or that Yakuza 2 Extra Stage: You can return to Majima's signature fighting style, Mad Dog, to tear through enemies with his tanto in hand. It doesn't get quite as crazy as in previous games, but you can summon doppelgangers and use an interesting spin attack to send enemies flying or kill them outright. I can confirm that a new remix of “Receive You” plays while in Mad Dog style, and Sea Dog's music isn't bad either. It's not the same overbearing EDM-style soundtrack that plagued Infinite wealth and it seems somewhat toned down.
After beating up Keith and his crew, I wandered around Madlantis as much as I could. It's not like the other crime-ridden underground areas of years past. Like a dragon games. It's dirty, rusty, and torn to pieces from ships collected in a proverbial graveyard. Neon lights illuminate the ramshackle buildings and reflect off the surface of the water on which everything floats precariously. It's not like the Purgatory of the original. Yakuzaor the Castle of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His NameIt wasn’t glamorous or flashy. Oddly enough, it’s a nice change of pace from what I’m used to, and I was willing to give Madlantis a chance, even if I only got to try out a little bit of it. I couldn’t engage in naval battles to turn Majima into the scariest pirate on the seven seas, or steer my own ship through the waters of Honolulu, but those options will be available in the full version of the game.
Like a dragon: Yakuza in Hawaii It really feels like a Gaiden game, something meant to fill the gap between releases to satiate the hunger of a growing new audience. Or win back longtime fans who otherwise grew tired of the series and just want to play as Majima one last time. There was a lot of rough edges and a lot of asset reuse, which isn't always a bad thing, but the Dragon Engine (which the team first used to Yakuza 6 in 2016) is starting to show its age. It's surprising that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio hasn't made the jump to Unreal Engine 5 like it did for Like a dragon: Ishinwhich seems a step above Yakuza in HawaiiAt the very least, I can't say it's more of the same, as a change of protagonist and a return to more action-oriented combat feels refreshing.