Yazuka meets Black Flag in Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

The new Yakuza game Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is predictably unpredictable in the best way possible, channeling AC4 Black Flag.

As if the Like a Dragon series couldn’t get any more absurd and confusing, Sega has announced Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like – and it comes out very soon. Series wildcard Majima headlines the equally wild adventure as a rather dashing pirate when he wakes up on an island following his bout of amnesia after the events of Infinite Wealth.

While the RPG series can often feel like a fever dream, bouncing from one absurd moment to the next, and somehow juggling more serious moments in between, this might just take the cake. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii isn’t a historical spinoff like Ishin!, but instead a full mainline title following the one and only Goro Majima. As for why he’s a pirate, well, I’m not sure Majima really knows either.

From the surprisingly lengthy reveal trailer, we see Majima wake up on the beautiful Rick Island. Shortly after being nurtured back to health – still without his memories – Majima makes the logical decision to become a pirate captain to defend the island and hunt down treasure.

Focusing mainly on the absurd narrative, this trailer doesn’t showcase too much of the moment-to-moment gameplay. However, a more in-depth showcase was also unveiled at the RGG Summit event. This teases the areas of Hawaii, Rich Island, and Madlantis, as well as the flashy and fast-paced Mad Dog and Sea Dog style combat stances, and the variety of minigames on offer. It’s also looking likely that we’ll get to sail our own ship on the high seas, based on several sequences of ship boarding and sailing. After all, we are a pirate captain now.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches on Friday, February 28, 2025, on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. This will mark just over a year since the last entry, Infinite Wealth, in January 2024, with developer RGG Studio somehow knocking out high-quality releases at a record pace.

Be sure to check out our Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review to find out more about Pirate Yakuza’s predecessor. If the crime game lives up to the amazing premise, then it could even become one of the best PC games out there, though only time will tell.

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