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Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

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Like a Dragon:
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Developer(s)Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher(s)Sega
Producer(s)Ryosuke Horii[1]
SeriesLike a Dragon
Platform(s)
ReleaseFebruary 21, 2025
Genre(s)Action-adventure, beat 'em up, hack and slash
Mode(s)Single-player

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii[a] is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is a spin-off of the Like a Dragon series. Taking place after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024), Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii focuses on series mainstay Goro Majima, who, after being stranded on an island and losing his memories, now leads his own pirate crew to discover a hidden treasure.[2]

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is set to release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 21, 2025.[3]

Gameplay

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In Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, players control Goro Majima as they explore four different locales: Rich Island, a remote island in close proximity to Hawaii; Madlantis, a secret island frequented by criminals and pirates; Nele Island, the base of the Palekana religious group; and Honolulu, the main setting of Infinite Wealth.[2]

Similar to older Like a Dragon titles, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii utilizes a beat 'em up combat system. Majima has access to two fighting styles: Mad Dog, which is Majima's signature speed-focused style; and Sea Dog, which allows Majima to wield dual cutlasses and pistols, as well as other pirate tools. A new addition to the combat system is the ability to jump and perform mid-air combos.[2]

Outside of regular combat, players can also assemble a pirate crew and upgrade their own ship, the Goromaru, which they can use to explore the open sea and engage in combat with other pirate ships. Ship combat takes place in real-time, and players can also board enemy ships to battle their crew and defeat their captain.[2]

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii features the return of several minigames from previous Like a Dragon titles, such as Karaoke, Crazy Delivery, and Dragon Kart. In addition, a new side activity, Masaru's Love Journey, focuses on Majima recruiting "Minato girls" to hang out with one of the game's characters, Masaru Fujita.[4][5]

As with other Like a Dragon titles, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii features retro 8-bit games from past Sega systems such as the Master System and SG-1000, featuring Poseidon Wars 3D, Space Harrier 3D plus Star Jacker. The Arcade game The Ocean Hunter is also available to play.[5]

Premise

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Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes place six months after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024), and features ex-Tojo Clan yakuza Goro Majima (Hidenari Ugaki/Matthew Mercer) as the sole playable character. Through unknown circumstances, Majima has been stranded on Rich Island, with no memories of his past life. Having been saved by a boy named Noah Rich (First Summer Uika/Maya Aoki Tuttle), Majima finds himself embroiled in a new conflict, involving both local Hawaiian pirates and ex-yakuza members from Japan. He becomes the captain of a new pirate crew, and sets out in search of a hidden treasure, as well as to recover his memories.[2]

In addition to Noah, Majima is joined by a new cast of characters, including: Jason Rich (Kenji Matsuda/Jeremy Brandt), Noah's father and a former treasure hunter who owns a bar on Rich Island; Masaru Fujita (Ryuji Akiyama/Brent Mukai), a skilled chef who joins Majima's crew; Teruhiko Shigaki (Munetaka Aoki), a former Tojo Clan patriarch who volunteered to clean up the pollution on Nele Island; Rodriguez (Ayumi Tanida), a disciple of the Palekana religious group; Mortimer (Shunsuke Daito), a charismatic pirate who leads the Mortimer Armada;[2] Moana Rich (Reina Ueda), Jason's middle daughter who helps him run the bar; Naomi Rich (Yoko Hikasa), Jason's oldest daughter who went to Honolulu to study at college; Queen Michele (Romi Park/Debra Wilson), the ruler of Madlantis; and Raymond Law (Miou Tanaka/Samoa Joe), the manager of Madlantis' Pirate Coliseum.[6] Returning characters from previous Like a Dragon titles include: Taiga Saejima (Rikiya Koyama/James Kirkland), Majima's sworn brother and fellow ex-yakuza;[3] and Nishida and Daisaku Minami, former members of Majima's yakuza family.[6]

Development and promotion

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Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was developed as a standalone expansion to Infinite Wealth, following the success of the spin-off title Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023). According to Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's director Masayoshi Yokoyama, the concept of Gaiden was a gamble due to its more compact size and scale, but due to its positive reception, it allowed the team to develop the series more deeply. Yokoyama thought about writing a story depicting Goro Majima as a follow-up to Infinite Wealth, and chose the pirate angle as a way to do things differently than how the team usually did.[4]

Development started shortly before the release of Infinite Wealth, and was first hinted at by Yokoyama in December 2023.[7] Yokoyama estimated the main story to be 1.3-1.4 times larger than that of Gaiden, while the adventure section is much bigger due to the addition of new locations. Hawaii was chosen as a primary location as the team did not want to stop using the setting after just one game.[4]

In May 2024, RGG Studio hosted a "Minato Girls" audition, similar to past games' audition contests, where the winner(s) would be chosen to appear in the then-unannounced new Like a Dragon game, in addition to performing promotional activities. The final five winners were announced on July 19, 2024.[8] During the same month, the studio confirmed that they would reveal their new game at Tokyo Game Show 2024.[9]

In September 2024, RGG Studio hosted their RGG Summit 2024 livestream event, where they revealed Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii for the first time, introduced the game's voice cast, and talked about the combat system and new activities.[10] In October 2024, the studio released a second trailer detailing the naval combat system, while also confirming a new release date of February 21, 2025, moved up a week from its original date.[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ Known in Japan as Ryū ga Gotoku 8 Gaiden: Pirates in Hawaii (Japanese: 龍が如く８外伝 Pirates in Hawaii, lit. "Like a Dragon 8 Side Story: Pirates in Hawaii")

References

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  1. ^ Robinson, Andy (September 20, 2024). "Sega unveils new Like A Dragon game, 'Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii'". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Romano, Sal (September 20, 2024). "Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Dinsdale, Ryan (October 17, 2024). "Xbox Partner Preview | New Details on How Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Takes Ex-Yakuza Majima to the High Seas". Xbox Wire. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c 齋藤, モゲ (September 26, 2024). "『龍が如く8外伝 パイレーツ イン ハワイ』横山昌義氏インタビュー。海賊船を使った特別な遊びも!? 過去作にはなかった演出も盛り込んだ挑戦作". Famitsu (in Japanese). Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Romano, Sal (December 12, 2024). "Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii details Minato Girls, substories, and minigames". Gematsu. Archived from the original on December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Romano, Sal (October 22, 2024). "Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii details story, cast, combat, and locations". Gematsu. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  7. ^ Bevan, Rhiannon (December 30, 2023). "Like A Dragon Lead Hints At 'Big Announcement' In 2024". The Gamer. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Zalamea, Nigel (July 19, 2024). "Gorgeously famous Japanese cosplayer and actress to appear in the next Like a Dragon game". ONE Esports. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  9. ^ Middler, Jordan (July 17, 2024). "The next Ryu Ga Gotoku game will be revealed at TGS 2024". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  10. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (September 20, 2024). "Majima-Focused Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Announced at RGG Summit as Next Yakuza Game". IGN. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
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