I promised myself I’d go into Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii with the mindset of a critic, not a Majima fangirl that would simply be appeased because Majima was on my screen every minute of the day. But RGG Studio certainly didn’t make it easy. From the moment Majima washes ashore, topless and wearing his leather pants while sporting a sexy new tousled hair look, I was fighting an inner battle with myself.
Pirate Yakuza is an epic, entertaining adventure, with RGG Studio pushing the boat out on the bonkers. It’s that sort of feel good fun you’d get from your favourite childhood film, and one of mine sums up Pirate Yakuza well: The Goonies. A comedy adventure where a rag tag bunch of friends are searching for a legendary treasure and, in doing so, they find themselves in all sorts of mischief and moments that challenge them physically and emotionally. That’s Pirate Yakuza too, only with the usual RGG flair, and far more inked bodies on display.
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Buried Treasure
Though there are still some mature moments throughout, which is inescapable in a game that revolves around ex-yakuza, having young Noah as one of the central characters makes this a more light hearted game overall, as well as positioning Majima in a sort of fatherly role unlike we’ve ever seen before. The core storyline of finding the legendary Esperanza treasure and the newly introduced characters all have their own emotional ups and downs, but largely the game feels like it has lower stakes and on the surface at least is more about simply having a fun adventure than your average LaD title.
It’s easy to accept Pirate Yakuza as just some fun breakaway spinoff that has pirates, wild ship battles, and more outfits than any one person should ever own. But much like the ocean you find yourself exploring aboard the Goromaru, you might not realise there are hidden depths. It’s likely something that newer fans less attached to Majima will appreciate in full, but it’s undeniable that whether you know the guy or not, the character development he undergoes here is clear as day.
The opening scene sees Majima washed ashore with no memory of who he is, and mere minutes into the game, the legendary yakuza is facing down pirates… but backing away. The Mad Dog whimpering with his tail between his legs. His vulnerability and fear are written all over his face and evident in his body language. It takes Noah getting pummelled before Majima even makes his move, and even then he’s unsure why he intervened – an act of muscle memory no doubt – and so he begins backing away again, while his first unconfident swings are misses.
Majima never shows that same level of vulnerability again in the game. It’s a brief moment that echoes Majima’s own words of how forgetting his memory was like “being reborn”, but that small window into him at his lowest sets the scene for a blank slate for Majima. While Pirate Yakuza is a fun adventure at a glance, on a deeper level it’s an important character development journey for a man who has always been torn between different aspects of himself.
Setting Sail
Other than finally getting the Majima game that fans have always wanted, the most anticipated aspect of Pirate Yakuza was the naval combat. Mechanically, it’s not as robust as some might think, certainly not living up to Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag or Skull and Bones in detail or realism. You don’t have to craft cannons. You don’t take out their masts to disable their ships. It’s all rather straightforward.
You don’t adjust your sails to the wind, you’re just sailing through big circles that indicate a slipstream that makes you go faster. There are some weather elements, like whirlpools, water spouts, and lightning that can damage you, while stormy weather does make for rougher seas, but this doesn’t really impact how you play other than sailing around those obstacles. It’s arcadey, but good fun.
Attacking focuses on port and starboard cannons, your machine gun that fires straight ahead, ramming ships, and using the rocket launcher while on deck. Weapons can be upgraded and customised, such as firing lasers instead of cannonballs, with some whackier weapons included, but you’re not overwhelmed by things being too realistic.
Dealing with ship repairs is similarly simple: if your ship is aflame, you stand on the deck and hold a button down in a set location rather than having to run around actually dousing the flames. There’s still an element of skill in battle though, you’ll quickly learn to use your boost and brake (who knew ships could brake?) to do a U-turn and attack, or to choose weapons that do more damage over time so you can rush past many ships and set them all aflame at once.
Your crew have important roles aboard the ship, and will also participate in big free for all deck battles against the opposing team, similar to The Man Who Erased His Name’s group coliseum fights. You can also land on different islands to hunt for treasure, taking a squad of crewmates into a mini dungeon with its own obstacles.
The more arcadey style feels in keeping with the RGG spirit, focusing on easy to learn fun, rather than a convoluted chore. While some may be disappointed Pirate Yakuza isn’t miraculously the Dark God’s gift to naval gaming enthusiasts disguised as a LaD game, it showcases the series’ ability to step out of its comfort zone and tackle something new in its own way to make things more interesting for fans. Think back to Dondoko Island in Infinite Wealth; it wasn’t as in-depth as an actual life sim like Animal Crossing, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable.
X Marks The Spot
What impressed me the most in Pirate Yakuza was the land combat. I’ve always preferred the action combat rather than the turn-based combat the main games now favour, and Pirate Yakuza is the series’ action combat at its peak. I love fast-paced, fluid fights that I can button mash away to and feel like I’m really hammering away at my enemies, and you get that here in spades.
The differences between Sea Dog and Mad Dog styles feel much more significant than the differences between Kiryu’s fighting stances in the past, and interestingly Sea Dog has Dark God Instrument summons, taking a feather from turn-based LaD’s cap. Overall, there’s a better sense of movement and verticality as you have the Chain Hook to grapple towards people during combat, as well as being able to combo in the air. Most importantly, we still have those signature Heat Moves that clearly absolutely kill people, despite what the canon might say.
Pirate Yakuza is a fun and enjoyable pirate romp with a fan favourite at the helm, giving us full access to Honolulu again with a new range of weird and wonderful substories, the clothing customisation that fans adored from TMHEHN, and plenty of minigames, coliseum battles, and piratey goodness to sink your teeth into.
This game is about Majima. The other characters aren’t meant to outshine him. I don’t even think the whole grand adventure to seek exciting lost treasure is meant to outshine him, really. In a similar fashion, while the game does touch on some wider issues happening in the series, it’s kept quite brief (albeit very impactful), as we’re meant to focus on Majima’s journey, not what everyone else is up to. The ending, which I can’t and won’t discuss here, elevates the narrative to levels I didn’t expect.
While the length and cost of a game should never be the be all and end all of what makes a game worth playing, I still struggle with the idea that Gaiden titles are half the length of a mainline title, but only $10 cheaper. You get an incredible story and enjoyable experience you don’t get in the mainline series now in terms of combat or other gameplay elements. For me, that unique experience and story is worth the price, but there’s no denying that you get less bang for almost the same buck in terms of time and narrative length.
Pirate Yakuza goes all in on making Majima the most charming, endearing, and downright loveable rogue he’s ever been. It takes everything Majima and ramps it up to a million, throws in some added pirate spice and soul searching for the main man, and has him performing stunts and smacking down enemies as if he’s a character in his prime, not a 60 year old fast approaching retirement.
Reviewed on PC.
- Released
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February 21, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
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Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- The insight into Majima?s character that I?ve always wanted.
- Pure feel good fun over both narrative and side content gameplay.
- Action combat is the new series peak.
- Only $10 cheaper than a mainline title, despite being much smaller.