Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review

Ryu Ga Gotoku's 2025 spin-off takes Goro Majima, the series' most volatile recurring character, gives him amnesia, puts him on a ship and refuses to be embarrassed about any of it. It returns to real-time brawling rather than the turn-based combat of the mainline games, with two styles: Mad Dog, a fast knife-and-fist set that carries over from Majima's earlier appearances, and Sea Dog, a cutlass-and-pistol style with a grappling hook that turns fights into aerial nonsense. Around it is a naval layer - crew recruitment, ship upgrades and multi-ship battles that are closer to Sunset Riders than to a simulation - plus a Pirates Coliseum tournament and the full spread of Hawaii and Sotenbori side content from Infinite Wealth. It is shorter and cheaper than a mainline entry, roughly twenty hours, and it is one of the funniest games the studio has made. Playing Infinite Wealth first is not required, though it helps.