After going through some 'wilderness years' in the 2010s, where Yakuza games were deemed too Japanese to bring out in English, it's been great to see the series so revitalized that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio just can't stop releasing them. We've had 11 games in 10 years, and that's not even counting some spin-offs. Am I finally sick of the deluge with the latest, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii? Not even slightly.
One reason the developer is able to crank them out owes to canny re-use of assets. For many years, red light district Kamurocho was a main location in every entry, the map changing a little here and there. Last entry Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was split between there, the recently added Yokohama, and new location in Honolulu, Hawaii. If the name of the swashbuckling entry didn't give it away, the bulk of on-foot exploration here in Pirate Yakuza re-uses Honolulu – it's the main city you'll be calling port in. Yet, despite it literally being the same environment, and somewhere you can dip in to do the odd story mission before moving on quickly, I did anything but, rinsing it for hours.
Long vacation
What did we think of the full thing, rather than just Honolulu? Smooth sailing, to us – in our Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii review we said that "sun, surf, and treasure hunting takes the series to new places at the right time".
After a brief opening set on nearby islands, amnesiac pirate captain and former yakuza boss Goro Majima brings his crew into harbor, in order to get shipshape to take his vessel into the battle colosseum in the off-the-grid Madlantis. All you need to do is get some money together to strengthen your pride and joy, and stick some fresh cannons and machine guns onto the side.
I didn't end up pulling out of port until, erm, I had recruited every crew member available, solved every passerby's problems, mastered every karaoke track, gotten too frustrated with Sega Racing Classic 2 in the local arcade, upgraded all of my ship's weaponry as far as it would go with high-tier components, and literally reached maximum pirate reputation level to become the most feared crew on the high seas to not actually be on the high seas.
I didn't begin to progress to the end of the second chapter until I was past the 15 hour marker. And when Honolulu gets updated with new activities in chapter three, well, I had to hit pause on my quest for booty to do it all over again, from bounty challenges that have me busting up gang members for cash, to substories that ranged from kart racing to learning the ins and outs of becoming a game streamer (Majima's no spring chicken – but always up for learning something new).
Is that all to say that Honolulu in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is (a)vastly different to experience than it is Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth? It's both yes and no. The familiarity makes returning to these streets for a second sesh feel like a homecoming, while a switch from Kasuga to Majima as protagonist provides just enough mechanical differences to shake things up.
For starters, while random encounters of assholes (the arrr-seholes are only at sea – seriously) are still plentiful in sunny Hawaii, where last time around they were turn-based encounters, here Majima leaps instantly into the fray for real-time combotastic scraps. These run perhaps a little on the easier side of the series' history – though perhaps I was, of course, overleveled – meaning re-exploring Honolulu's regions are a breeze in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii compared to tactically wondering how to deal with foes in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
There are even moments where this return to Honolulu can feel like a lightweight sequel to Infinite Wealth, with returning characters who you can welcome aboard to your crew (that one J-rock star is back to make another musical video), and substories that continue tales forward (accident prone ringmaster Yasuda is up to more mischief). Minigames that come back feature new modes too, like a fresh, harder map in the Pokemon Snap parody Sicko Snap that pushes my skills to the the limit.
Yet, even bits that feel almost too familiar, like Majima's own photo rally, are fun to revisit. While the first time around this tour built Kasuga's familiarity with the new map, returning stops with Majima do the opposite, reversing it around to challenge just how much I really did learn the map in Infinite Wealth. It helps that some new spots do indeed require Majima's special skills – specifically a hook for reeling himself up to a handful of rooftops.
Sometimes, the same again can feel very boring. But when Yakuza does it, the series manages to juggle that feeling of warm familiarity alongside shaking things up just enough to engage you in appreciating the differences. Rather than simply being a handy way to get the most out of their budget, it also turns the re-use into a feature itself. It's an approach to development that Baldur's Gate 3's Michael Douse calls "genius sh*t", and rightly so.
With a spot as gorgeously rendered as Honolulu, soaking in the sun's rays and pressing a button to 'aloha' to passersby to make new friends is just something I can't say no to. Time to kick back, and take another trip to the Anaconda Shopping Mall.
Did you know we almost got a fishing-centric Like a Dragon: Tuna? Looking for your next crime caper? We've got a handy list of the best Yakuza games for you to jump into next!
