It is clear to see why fans are already so excited for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, with the recently announced project being centered around a fascinating premise. Players will once again return to the tropical shores of Hawaii, this time through the perspective of beloved franchise character Goro Majima, who has lost his memory and quickly finds himself as the captain of his very own pirate ship.
Despite not being a mainline release, the scale of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza is already shaping up to be quite impressive, especially given how the hugely expansive Infinite Wealth only released eight months ago. Ryu Ga Gotoku has always done well at reusing locational assets in its games while still keeping things fresh, and it is clear that Pirate Yakuza is aiming to do just that with the recent Hawaiin assets that Infinite Wealth introduced. A lot of the most important locations for the upcoming game have already been revealed, and fans can look forward to some exciting brand-new areas as well as revisiting pre-existing ones through a new lens.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Was Leaked Months Ago, But No One Believed It
Leaks regarding Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii came out before its September 2024 reveal, but were ignored due to how outlandish they were.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Puts a Fresh Spin on a Familiar Setting
As expected, a huge part of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's explorable locations will come in the form of the main island itself. This will be the same map that wowed players in the recent Infinite Wealth, with it currently being unclear just how much of this map will be available in Pirate Yakuza. Early footage for the game does show Majima engaging in Infinite Wealth's Crazy Delivery mini-game, and it is also confirmed that Pirate Yakuza is shaping up to be around 1.5x larger than The Man Who Erased His Name.
With this in mind, it seems likely that the entire map of Infinite Wealth's Hawaii will be available in Pirate Yakuza, allowing players to experience the sprawling and beautiful section of the island through the eye of Goro Majima. It is also confirmed that Pirate Yakuza will also feature Nele Island as a location, with this being the prominent end-game location in Infinite Wealth that was home to the nefarious Palekana cult.
Pirate Yakuza takes place six months after the events of Infinite Wealth and the defeat of Palekana's rogue leader, Bryce Fairchild, meaning that the Nele Island may now be passive and simply in a state of disrepair. This could easily mean that Nele Island acts as Pirate Yakuza's version of Infinite Wealth's Dondoko Island, which saw Ichiban slowly clean up and rebuild a dilapidated island into a thriving resort through Animal Crossing-styled gameplay.
Some of Pirate Yakuza's Most Promising Locations Are Brand-New
In terms of new locations, Pirate Yakuza will also feature Rich Island, the place where Majima washes to shore with no memory of his past in the reveal trailer for the game. It seems that Rich Island will act as a kind of central hub for Pirate Yakuza, being a potential safehaven during the wacky pirate adventures and narrative tension that the upcoming project promised to bring.
The final currently confirmed location for Pirate Yakuza is known as Madlantis, and this particular place seems like one of the most interesting and chaotic areas that the title will feature. Madlantis is billed as the place in which pirates from all around seek pleasure and engage in naval battles, making it the likely home of some fascinating brand-new mini-games within Pirate Yakuza. The main antagonist of Pirate Yakuza, Queen Michele, is the owner of Madlantis, making the location quite similar thematically and gameplay-wise to the Castle Barge from The Man Who Erased His Name. The gameplay and narrative opportunities of Pirate Yakuza already seem thrilling and unique, and the locations that have been confirmed for the game only reinforce this.
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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
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Dragon Engine
- Franchise
- Yakuza
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
