What started as a street-level beat-’em-up gangster drama 20 years with the unique Yakuza has developed into one thing delightfully, fantastically ridiculous with Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. In a brand new take a look at Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s subsequent installment, we see that any shred of realism has been discarded like jetsam; pirate protagonist Goro Majima can interact is mass naval warfare with laser weapons, summon an enormous spirit macaw with a magical saxophone, and go to the magical island of Madlantis.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii appears to be like prefer it may put Ubisoft’s beloved pirate video games to disgrace with its ship fight. Captain Majima can participate in fierce boat battles, equipping his vessel with vitality cannons, poison-spewing rocket launchers, and ice-elemental weapons that freeze opponents’ ships. Majima can assemble a crew of weirdos to man his vessel, together with former yakuza, hostesses, robots, ninjas, and sheep males. Issues can get even weirder on land, as Majima’s talents embrace the ability to summon shadowy doppelgangers that struggle for him. Or he can name upon jellyfish, sharks, and a giant monkey to do his ass-kicking bidding.
Whereas earlier Like A Dragon and Yakuza video games have had comparatively grounded fight, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has no such pretensions. Majima is now mainly Dante from the Satan Might Cry collection, and may launch his opponents into the air, juggling them with flying punches, kicks, and flintlock pistol pictures.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios is mainly doing what it does finest: borrowing concepts and gameplay mechanics from different recreation genres and stuffing them into a brand new Like A Dragon. If final yr’s Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth drew inspo from Animal Crossing, Dragon Quest, and Loopy Taxi, this yr’s spinoff will well swipe from Murderer’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Satan Might Cry, and each role-playing recreation the place you get up on the seaside as an amnesiac. Sega appears conscious of simply how bizarre issues have turn out to be; on the finish of the video, voiceover notes “sure, this recreation is canon, and also you’re going to want a number of them.”
If for some cause you thought that Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii can be a ho-hum, fast-tracked sequel in Sega’s long-running franchise, take the 13 minutes to observe Thursday’s Like A Dragon Direct. It’s jam-packed with recreation particulars that make this yr’s Like A Dragon one other must-play.
For Like A Dragon followers, there’s additionally a giant piece of welcome information in right here: In contrast to previous titles, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii received’t lock new recreation plus behind a paywall. That function will probably be added to the sport at no cost in a post-release replace, Sega confirmed.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Home windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Collection X on Feb. 21.
