Welcome to Hawaii, Majima-san
I have always admired the Yakuza, now Like a Dragon series even though I have never played any of them to completion. Yakuza 6 and Yakuza 0 were probably the ones I played the most of the tradiontial ones and then I played a good deal of Like a Dragon. So, I consider myself a novice in this world known for deep side stories, over the top activities and of course some kick-as combat. But when they announced Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza, I was beyond excited having been failed by Ubisoft with their Skull & Bones game; and friends I am here to tell you that Pirate Yakuza allows you to come off the boat for more than just wood.
At the outset players are introduced to Goro Majima, who has lost his memory and awoken shirtless on a beach in Hawaii. Quickly he befriends a local boy named Noah who he defends from some pirate thugs. One thing leads to another, and Majima has taken over as captain of the pirate ship, which he names the Goromoro and ends up embroiled in a race for a legendary treasure as well as keeping a promise to show his new friend, Noah, the world beyond his home island. There are tons of twists, backstabs and betrayals throughout Pirate Yakuza’s narrative; there are 4 chapters in total and I finished the story at about 18 hours of playtime. This was with me sacrificing engaging in a lot of the excellent pirate-y side content.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
For starters in Pirate Yakuza players have the option of engaging in tournaments at Madlantis, the headquarters of Queen Michele and Pirate King Raymond Law. There are a lot of activities that range from straight up navel battles to my personal favorite, battles that start with the boats but then end with boarding the enemy ships to throw hands. That’s right y’all, we can board ships just like pirates are known to do (TAKE THAT SKULL AND BONES). Players will recruit their pirate crew from NPC’s all over the world, some will join with conversation and others will need a quest or a test of strength (you have to fight them) in order to be convinced to join the Goromoro. All these characters come in various classes from ranged, tank, healers and more; players will then assign the crew to jobs on board the ship and boarding parties. I loved leveling up my crew and figuring out the optimal build to approach the various threats in the tournaments as well as the overworld.
As players sail around the world each area is comprised of enemy pirate ships that players will engage in. The common enemies’ players will just sink but the Devils Flag pirates who come into play later in the game will be some of the most thrilling fights in the game. Navel battles in Pirate Yakuza are some of the most thrilling since Assassins Creed: Black Flag in my opinion. The Goromoro is a fast and agile vessel, players can utilize the boost and drift, yes drift to one side and unleash their cannons.
There is a lot of customization that players can do in Pirate Yakuza; there are lots of outfits that they can use to dress up their Majima as well as the Goromoro. Weapon customization is also big as the Goromoro is equipped with cannons as well as machine guns that players can fire while facing forward. Some of these weapons come with elemental buffs which can cause an enemy boat to freeze with ice, burn with fire or be poisoned with … well poison. There are even freaking laser cannons that can be equipped on a wooden pirate ship in 2024; I’m telling you; this game is even crazier than that. These naval battles were so much fun, I never once skipped a fight and, not going to lie; sometimes I got beat because I overestimated my skills. When players fall, and you will; they will respawn at a local lighthouse which act as fast travel points and are dotted around each area. Not only are the navel battles epic but players will be forced to board the ships to take out the crew in a melee brawl as well.
These fights are frantic large fights on the deck of the ship, sometimes they are EXTREMELY crowded; made worse when some of the enemies throw grenades which do massive damage as well as knock down Majima. Nevertheless, these fights are so much fun, and Majima is a BEAST when it comes to hand to hand. In Pirate Yakuza he employs two combat styles the first being his “Mad Dog” style which is lighting fast and excellent for single combat. I imagine this is the style veteran players will recognize. I loved the air combat, being able to jump and juggle enemies in air was awesome. The second style is “Sea Dog’ and this is Majima at his pirate best, brandishing dual cutlasses this is the style that I used the most for the majority of battles because I was always being jumped. Majima is not only fast, but can use a flintlock pistol for ranged combat and even throw his swords like boomerangs. The Like a Dragon games are known for being flashy and Pirate Yakuza is no different, among the large list of treasures that players are free to find in the game there are cursed items which act as powerful summons; replete with epic intros (that can be thankfully skipped as it gets old on the 10th time).
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza feels like the perfect entry point into the series. From what I understand this is the first time that Majima has been playable and he is a hilarious, quick-witted and strong protagonist. The game has all of the karoke, arcade games and side activities that these games are known for. There is even a cooking minigame that I will admit I spent a lot of time leveling up. This was a really genuinely touching story and there is a ton of payoff for players who are caught up with the series; especially the ending, while I have not played all the latest games, I am aware of the things that occurred in the last two games. I honestly can’t recommend this game enough for newcomers and longtime fans alike.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
