How To Complete The 1-Shot Challenge In LaD: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii may be a side game, but it is still packed with a staggering number of mini games. One returning staple among them is pool. This mini game is, essentially, two mini games. You are free to challenge opponents to a classic game of billiards, of course, but then there is a little something called the 1-Shot Challenge for you to experiment with as well.

The 1-Shot Challenge tasks you with sinking the target ball while avoiding hazards. Each stage of this challenge is less a pool game, and more a puzzle. You’ll need to get the angle right and figure out the correct power of each shot. Some of these shots will need to be pretty precise. But worry not, this guide will break them all down for you and give you the solution to every 1-Shot Challenge stage.

Where To Find The Pool Mini Game

You’ll find the pool table in the Diamond Head bar in District Five. You won’t have access to this part of Honolulu when you first arrive, but worry not, after head to Revolve, and then Julie’s Gearworks, you’ll actually be sent directly to the Diamond Head. The pool table is to the left of the entrance. Just talk to the attendant and you can start playing immediately.

Overview Of The Standard Pool Modes

You’ll have two options when you talk to the Pool Receptionist: you can ‘play with normal rules’ or ‘take the 1-shot challenge’. If you play with the normal rules, you’ll have the option of playing Nine-Ball, Rotation, Eight-Ball, and Four-Ball.

• Nine-Ball is a variation of pool where you’ll need to sink the balls in numerical order. The player who sinks the nine-ball when it is the final ball on the table wins, irrespective of who sunk all the balls leading up to it.
• Rotation rewards players for sinking higher-numbered balls. A ball’s value is its number, and the highest scorer wins.
• Eight-Ball is the most common form of pool where, depending on what you sink first, you will either chase all the solid or striped balls. Once you sink all your balls, you simply need to sink the Eight-Ball to win. If you sink the Eight-Ball before you sink the rest of your balls, you’ll lose.
• Four-Ball is the strangest variation of the bunch. There are no pockets. Instead, you need to try to ricochet your cue ball off of at least two of the three balls on the table. If you collide with all three, you score two points instead of one. The first player to get 15 points wins.

Once you choose the style of pool you want to play, you simply need to select your difficulty level. The higher the difficulty, the more points you’ll earn. However, be warned, the experts are pro-level talents. Be wary before you challenge them. The beginner level, on the other hand, is shockingly incompetent.

You’ll earn 200 pts. if you beat an easy opponent, 400 pts. for beating a normal opponent, 600 pts. for beating a hard opponent, and 1,000 pts. for beating a legend-tier opponent. However, the points you can earn will be halved after your first victory. Additionally, can play Nine-Ball solo, where you’ll earn 100 points for clearing the table. If you lose, you’ll still earn 30 pts.

Overview Of The 1-Shot Challenge

The 1-shot mode is the cornerstone of the pool mini game. There are four difficulties, and each one has three stages. Each stage is, essentially, a puzzle you need to complete. Each stage will have you ricocheting the cue ball all around the playfield, looking to sink a target ball into a target hole. The most important aspect is changing your perspective. This will give you an overhead view of the table, and it will provide you with a line indicating the path the ball will take.

You’ll have ten attempts to complete each of the three stages. However, a successful shot will not count against this total. That does mean that even if you have one shot left, with two stages still to go, it is possible for you to still win.

While you can influence a shot by hitting different parts of the cue ball to influence the direction of the shot, it is not necessary. For every breakdown of every stage, we always struck the cue ball directly in the center.

1-Shot Challenge: Easy Difficulty

The first set of three stages appear to be designed in a way that will help you understand the basic components of pool. You’ll be forced to use the bumper to ricochet your cue ball up, down, and all around, while also being shown how to effectively moderate the strength of each shot.

Stage 1

We’re starting off with a pretty gentle one. Hit the cue ball off of the rail on the right, sending the cue directly at the target ball in front of the corner. Just make sure the point of contact isn’t directly centered on the target ball, or you may sink the cue ball. Slightly to the left or right is fine. It doesn’t really matter how much power you apply.

Stage 2

If the previous puzzle was about getting you used to angling your shot and making use of the rail, this stage is all about teaching you to moderate your power. Sinking the target ball is quite simple, of course. You just need to glance the ball and it will go down. However, if you hit an eight-ball, you’re cooked, and there is a wall of them on this table. So, you should hit the cue ball extremely weakly. A tenth of the maximum range would do it.

Stage 3

To finish the first trio of stages off, you’ll simply be bouncing the cue ball off of the back bumper and shooting it off a ramp. Aim for the right half of the ramp, and you should be golden. In order to get the lift necessary, you’ll need to slam the ball, so go at it with your maximum power. You want it to bounce around quite a bit once it is in the enclosure to lose energy. So, if you notice the cue ball is getting sunk, you are probably aiming too far to the left on that ramp.

1-Shot Challenge: Normal Difficulty

If there is one element you’ll be falling back on frequently in the normal difficulty, it is how to best utilize a feather-light tough. Two of the three stages will require you to approach each shot in a measured fashion. For the most part, I wouldn’t consider this to be a sizable leap in difficulty from the previous set of stages.

Completing the Normal 1-Shot Challenge is the requirement for recruiting Sharpshooter Takumi. For more information on recruiting crew members, read our complete guide here.

Stage 1

This one is simple: aim for the side of the table you are already facing, and line the shot up with the target ball in front of the corner pocket. You don’t want to hit it dead on, so make sure the point of impact is slightly offset, striking a little more to the left of the target ball. The only tricky part is the power: you don’t want to hit it hard. If you strike the cue ball with too much force, it will end up careening into the wall of eight-balls. Aim to strike the cue ball with about a third of the maximum power.

Stage 2

For this shot, aim to bounce the cue ball off of the left wall, then the right, and at the target ball. The trick here is that you won’t be able to see your angle beyond the second bounce. However, the diamond will help us. Make sure the cue ball is hitting to the right of the diamond on the right wall. It should be about a ball’s width away from the diamond.

Seeing as there is another wall of eight-balls, you’re going to want to hit the cue ball pretty weakly. I’d recommend you position the cue about a third of the maximum distance away from the cue ball. That should be soft enough to avoid the eight-balls.

Stage 3

Unlike all the other holes, you won’t be hitting the cue ball softly. You need to provide enough power for it to shoot off the ramp and over the block wall. Aim for the right side of the ramp, and it should make it into the alley, bounce around, and strike the target ball. Use your maximum power for this shot. If you are flying off the table, you are likely hitting the ramp too far on the left side.

1-Shot Challenge: Hard Difficulty

There is definitely a sizable jump in difficulty here, as these stages can require a decent amount of precision. However, despite this being the case, there is one element that helps to ease the difficulty ever so slightly: every shot should be made with the maximum amount of power.

Stage 1

You’re going to want to bounce the cue ball off of the right bumper, and then the left bumper and hit the ramp in front of the target ball. You’ll need to hit it with as much force as possible to help the cue ball clear that ramp. When lining the shot up with the top-down camera, make sure the cue ball is set to hit a little over the cue ball’s width left of the diamond marker on the table to the right of the center pocket.

Stage 2

For this stage, you’ll be hitting the cue ball almost straight in front of you. You’ll want to hit pretty close to the left corner of the angled block, which will cause the cue ball to ricochet into the opposite angled block, and down into the target ball. You’ll want to hit the ball hard, so wind up all the way.

Stage 3

This one is pretty simple, angle the cue ball to hit off of the left bumper, and slam into the bumper directly to the left of the target ball. This will cause the cue ball to ricochet and glance the side of the target ball, sinking it.

1-Shot Challenge: Legend Difficulty

Naturally, this is the final, and most difficult, set of challenges. Just like with the hard difficulty, you’ll be using the most power possible with every shot. The main source of the difficulty here is how precise your angles need to be: there isn’t a ton of room for play.

Stage 1

This is, quite possibly, the hardest of all the stages. You’ll need to hit the bumper on your right, and hit the corner of the ball, causing your cue ball to ricochet off of the yellow ball, avoiding the row of eight-balls, while sending the yellow ball into the narrow alley, colliding with the red ball, and sinking it.

Stage 2

This one is another incredibly finicky stage. The solution is straightforward – literally. You want to slam the cue ball, have it sail over the two rows of eight-balls, hit the ramp, clear the final row of eight-balls, and just graze the target ball, causing it to careen into the corner pocket. Your cue ball should be very, very slightly angled to the right. If it does connect with the red ball, adjust the angle to the right very slightly. Make these adjustments as gradually as you possibly can.

Stage 3

Despite being the final hole, this is a pretty simple one. Hit the bumper on your left, and line it up directly with the yellow ball. We need to deliver enough power to send it over the ramp so, once again, we’re going to hit it as hard as we possibly can. This is easily the easiest stage of the three.

Pool Prize Exchange Rewards

With another mini game comes another series of prizes. Playing pool will give you the opportunity to earn a treasure chest, a crew member, four CDs, two eyepatches, and two makeup sets. After picking up all that stuff, you’ll have the usual assortment of plates and watches that you can sell for a pretty penny.

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