Summary
- Yakuza: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is delightfully absurd, as it combines a Yakuza member with pirate tropes.
- The Yakuza franchise is known for emotional stories intertwined with meta-humor and absurd scenarios, and this game takes it to the next level.
- Despite the ridiculous premise, the story still centers around an emotional anchor—Majima’s relationship with the 10-year-old Noah.
Yakuza is a long-running franchise celebrated for its unique blend of intense drama, whimsical humor, and everything in between. The latest entry, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, continues the tradition by unapologetically embracing its identity as an entertaining and self-aware video game.
The Premise Is Absurd (Which Is Why It Works)
At the risk of sounding like an old gamer yelling at clouds, modern video games take themselves too seriously. From the emotional storytelling of The Last of Us to the action-packed quick-time events of Marvel’s Spider-Man, AAA games are now more reminiscent of quality Hollywood productions than video games, which, at the end of the day, are meant to be fun. Gone are the days of comedy-parody games like Saints Row, Postal, and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (which probably deserves its own article).
It makes sense, though. Publishers are now more risk-averse than ever, as they can’t risk making a smaller or more experimental game given the high development and marketing costs involved. Playing it safe by making a more generic game that will still sell makes financial sense.
But it’s good to know that not every game follows this trend. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii completely broke this mold. The title reveals the premise: you play as Goro Majima, a Yakuza member-turned-pirate who, after a bout of amnesia, wakes up on a beach in modern-day Hawaii. And for whatever cool video game reason, Hawaii is crammed with pirates—not modern-day ones, but old-school Caribbean pirates and cartoonish villains, further adding to the absurdity.
This is the perfect fusion of Japanese Yakuza and pirate tropes, allowing for absurd scenarios with outlandish characters. The two different combat styles, Mad Dog and Sea Dog, together with the Dark Instruments and the many colorful costumes, also add to the silliness and enjoyment.
Although Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is technically a spin-off of the mainline Like a Dragon (formerly known as Yakuza), it’s still a high-budget game that takes around 15 hours to beat and costs $60 on online storefronts, so it means business.
The Yakuza Franchise Loves to Blend Serious with Silly
If there’s one franchise that I’d expect a silly mash-up like this from, it’d be Yakuza. One of the defining features of the series is its ability to take something as serious as the underworld of Japan and create a powerful narrative filled with emotional themes of loyalty, redemption, and betrayal.
Then, it places the protagonist in hilarious situations in the game’s side content—like joining a cult or defending a Michael Jackson parody character while he’s recording a Thriller-style music video. The game is also filled with self-aware meta-humor and fourth-wall breaks, adding an extra layer of absurdity to the mix.
These side stories serve as a counterbalance to the darker main narrative, giving the player a quick breather before jumping back into the nitty-gritty. Plus, it’s always fun to see serious criminals participate in out-of-character activities that would probably get them into a lot of trouble if anyone found out.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes meta humor to a whole new level by having Majima recount the game’s story as an unreliable narrator. If Majima is indeed exaggerating his story, it’s possible that all the events are either recounted incorrectly or embellished—this could have significant implications for the narrative, especially in future entries. Regardless of the reasons behind the development of this story, I’m just glad it exists. We need more over-the-top scenarios in mainstream games, rather than relegating them all to indie titles.
Emotions Still Take Center Focus
Since the game’s theme of a Yakuza member placed in a pirate-infested Hawaii is ridiculous enough on its own, the game’s narrative has to have an emotional anchor so that gamers can still care about the characters. It comes in the form of a 10-year-old boy with asthma, Noah Rich. He is the first one who finds Majima on the beach and serves as his guide.
The parental relationship between Majima and Noah isn’t just the most serious part of the story; it’s the driving force of the narrative. Majima is a tough, unpredictable character (after all, his nickname is “The Mad Dog of Shimano”), but with Noah, we finally get to see his more vulnerable and protective side.
In a climate where most publishers and developers play it safe with known video game formulas and squeaky-clean narratives, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii completely flips the script by mixing the gritty, serious world of Yakuza with the swashbuckling pirate genre.
It’s this exact juxtaposition that makes the game stand out. Combined with its ties to the beloved and long-running franchise, this game should hopefully appeal to a broad enough audience, and its success could pave the way for more similar titles in the future.
Pick up Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One now.
