Summary
- Majima's amnesia trope in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii offers a fresh exploration of his character.
- The game successfully blends traditional Yakuza elements with pirate lore to justify its absurd humor.
- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's pirate setting enhances the story with over-the-top scenarios and humor.
One of the most recognizable features of the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series is its willingness to lean into a level of absurdity that most games try to avoid. When attempting to pull off something like this, the challenge lies in a game's ability to justify such absurdity, though it's not always necessary, as the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series has proven. However, the latest entry in the franchise, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, does its best to justify its wildest story beats, which involve the classic amnesia trope and even pirates in its modern-day setting of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Even before its launch, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was fully expected to be just as bizarre as previous entries in the series have been, but it takes Like a Dragon/Yakuza's signature design to a whole new level of ridiculousness. That being said, its ability to balance cliche narrative tropes with deep character development, traditional Yakuza elements with pirate lore, and absurd humor with its unique setting make much of that humor understandable.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Proves the Series Can Still Innovate
The Like a Dragon series has been more iterative, but Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii introduces some innovations that take it to new heights.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's Wildest Story Beats Make Sense
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's Amnesia Trope Leads to Deeper Discovery of Majima's Character
The amnesia trope is often dismissed as cliche in video games, film, and television due to its predictability and frequent use as a narrative shortcut. However, whether it is effective in the end ultimately depends on how it is executed rather than the trope itself. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii begins with an amnesiac Goro Majima who is now naturally driven to rediscover his identity. While the trope has been used similarly in many other stories, it affects Majima's character much differently, as he has been portrayed one way throughout the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series but is given the opportunity to be someone entirely different in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's amnesia trope isn't just an excuse or a shortcut — it's a prime opportunity for players to see a character they have become more than familiar with over the years through a completely different lens. This ultimately leads the game's story to a deeper discovery of Majima's character than previous entries in the series have been capable of due to his history. Since Majima has forgotten his past, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii can essentially explore elements of his character that his past might have tried to keep under wraps.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Blends Traditional Yakuza Elements With Pirate Lore
The most significant change made to the series in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the introduction of pirates, to the point that Majima himself even becomes one. This is a bit absurd, to say the least, but the game ensures it works by blending traditional Yakuza elements with pirate lore. In combat, Majima's Mad Dog style is preserved, but the Sea Dog style is added to reflect his new persona. Additionally, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza sees the return of several traditional mini-games, including Karaoke, Crazy Delivery, and Dragon Kart.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's amnesia trope isn't just an excuse or a shortcut — it's a prime opportunity for players to see a character they have become more than familiar with over the years through a completely different lens.
On top of these traditional elements are several new features to emphasize Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's new pirate setting, with its naval combat and exploration aboard the Goromaru being a highlight. In addition to combat and exploration on the high seas, players can recruit new crew members for the Goromaru and even hunt for treasure on uncharted islands across the map.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's Pirate Setting Justifies Its Absurd Humor
While the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series has long been dramatically humorous, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's pirate setting ultimately justifies its own humor, thanks to common pirate tropes. The game fully embraces classic pirate cliches, exaggerating them in ways that enhance its comedic experience, like over-the-top ship battles, treasure hunts with humorous twists, and flamboyant pirate adversaries and friends. This allows Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii to be as absurd as possible, since the context ultimately justifies creative liberties such as these.
By fully committing to its pirate theme while maintaining the core identity of the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii finds a way to justify its most bizarre elements. The game leans into classic pirate tropes in the same way past Like a Dragon/Yakuza games embraced yakuza melodrama, using exaggerated humor and over-the-top scenarios to enhance its story. More importantly, it uses its somewhat cliche premise as a means for deeper character exploration of Goro Majima.
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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
