Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is an action-adventure game and a spin-off of the Like a Dragon series, formerly known as Yakuza in the West. The game was developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, which oversees the development of the series, while its release was handled by Sega, the company that holds the rights to the brand.

Plot

The main character of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is Goro Majima, well known to fans of the series. A former yakuza member wakes up on a beach and discovers that he suffers from amnesia, due to which he can't even remember his own name. The protagonist decides to become a pirate and set out on the open sea in search of answers to questions about his identity and past. Majima is not doomed to a solitary journey. From the beginning, he is accompanied by Noah, who saved his life, and over time other members of the pirate crew join him.

Majima and his entourage find themselves in the middle of a conflict between local pirates and other bandits. The stakes are high, as the fight is for a legendary treasure. As we can easily guess, Goro and his crew will also participate in it.

Gameplay

In Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii we view the action from a third person perspective (TPP). Although the events depicted in the game take place in modern times, the pirates are presented in a "traditional" way. Goro, his entourage, and his enemies look as if they were straight out of the 17th-century Caribbean setting. Adventure leads us through various places - apart from the titular Hawaii, we visit Rich Island inhabited by fishermen, Madlantis and the sacred island of Nele. We move on foot when we are on dry land, but we can also explore the sea aboard our ship.

The driving force of the game are missions pushing the plot forward, accompanied by side tasks, as well as countless optional activities, which is one of the hallmarks of the series. In addition to them, battles with opponents play an important role. When fighting in close combat, Majima can utilize two fighting styles – Mad Dog and Sea Dog. While the first one focuses on the speed and agility of the protagonist, allowing him to stun enemies and deal powerful damage, as a Sea Dog he wields two short swords and makes use of various tricks.

This is not the end, because we also eliminate adversaries at sea, fighting dynamic battles in real time. During naval battles, the key to success is taking a favorable position for accurate shelling and simultaneously avoiding enemy fire. After "softening" the enemy ship, we can proceed with boarding it, defeating its captain and the remnants of the crew, and then taking over the ship. As we progress, we not only gain access to new ships, but we can also upgrade the ones we already have.