Goro Majima is a man of many talents. He's a Caberet Club manager, a Yakuza legend, a zombie in Kiwami's Majima Everywhere, a zombie killer in Yakuza: Dead Souls, and even a hostess through his alter-ego Goromi. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yazuka in Hawaii only adds to his repertoire, as the beloved character takes to the open seas to show Noah the world beyond Rich Island, to search for treasure, to get into fights with bears, and to captain the Goromaru across Hawaii's waters. Being a pirate captain is hungry work, though, and as Majima considers both his own needs and his crew's morale, he manages to show off his cooking skills.
Mini-games are an essential part of Like a Dragon's history, and RGG Studio's latest game keeps the tradition going. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii lets Majima dabble in some of the greatest of its predecessors' offerings, like LAD7's Dragon Kart (which includes a neat little nod to Gaiden's Pocket Circuit), making his time both on land and on the open seas fulfilling. When Majima washes up on the shores of Rich Island, however, he first needs to consider his survival, and that is where Pirate Yakuza's cooking mini-game is introduced. Simple but effective all the same, Majima's cooking is a great resource both for himself and his crew, tying it to many facets of the game's design.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's Cosmetics Are One Of Its Greatest Strengths
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's cosmetic outfits for Goro Majima are an excellent tribute to his previous roles in the series.
How Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's Cooking Ties Into Inventory, Crew Morale
Cooking Mama(jima)
The Like a Dragon series has iterated on its approach to inventory management over the years, though some things have always stayed the same. Pausing a fight to down three sushi sets and two beers for health recovery continues to be a natural part of Pirate Yakuza's gameplay, as consuming food can be just as effective as drinking Staminans or Tauriners. Majima's inventory is more limited than Infinite Wealth's Ichiban, though his pockets can still hold a plethora of food and gift items procured from the shops around Hawaii. Beyond this, however, is room for all sorts of cooking ingredients, from seeds that can grow into vegetables and herbs to eggs from the chicken that he saved from slaughter and lovingly adopted into the Goro Kingdom.
Rich Island, Rich in Ingredients
With these ingredients, Majima can make all sorts of things, from brewing his own beer to cooking a pot of Hell Stew (thankfully not made of human meat). The resources needed for his menu manage to be incredibly accessible as well. Majima can select from multiple options of meat, fish, produce, herbs, and bugs, so no recipe manages to be too stringent in its requirements. Additionally, ingredients are quite easy to procure, as Pirate Yakuza gives ample opportunity to pick up resources; tiger cub Goro is able to scavenge for meat, while Majima can dive for fish along Hawaii's shoreline or even use his grappling hook to catch butterflies and other bugs, which are lovingly reused from Infinite Wealth's Dondoko Island.
A Feast Fit For a Pirate Captain
The cooking mini-game itself follows the same timing-based mechanics as others in the series, though instead of Ichiban hitting the right prompts to type out risky text messages or Kiryu sending hilarious messages on an adult chat site, Majima will slice and dice his ingredients in accordance to proper input. He must also fan the flames of his stove and skim the fat from his meals as they simmer, both of which add a neat layer of interactivity that doesn't overstay its welcome (especially on higher difficulties, where time limits are less lenient). Meals can be kept indefinitely in Majima's inventory, and the mini-game itself isn't time-intensive at all, making the many ingredients that Majima will naturally pick up useful.
Later in the game, Majima will receive an upgrade to the Goromaru fit for him and his crew, allowing him to cook from the comfort of his ship. In turn, this extends his menu to accommodate his fellow pirates, letting him hold feasts that raise the crew's individual levels and their morale. Through this feature, Pirate Yakuza's cooking mini-game becomes more than just a way to stock up on recovery items, tying directly into the game's ship combat mechanics and fostering a sense of community between Captain Majima and his ragtag group of treasure hunters.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
- Released
- February 21, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
