LaD: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Carries Torch for AC: Black Flag Features

More details are starting to surface about Ryu Ga Gotoku’s fascinating latest project, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. The upcoming title seems to consolidate a growing trend of spin-offs that are set between the franchise’s more expansive mainline releases, with these spin-offs currently putting the spotlight on the IP’s legacy characters like Kazuma Kiryu and now Goro Majima.

The announcement of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii came as a shock to many fans, with the title placing Majima back into his first protagonist role since 2015’s Yakuza 0. In typical Like a Dragon fashion, this role comes in the form of Majima washing up on the shores of Hawaii with serious memory loss, quickly becoming the captain of a pirate ship, and being embroiled in a feud with the island’s criminal underworld. A more recent deep-dive into the title’s game mechanics shed a fascinating light on how its pirate naval combat and exploration will look in-game, and Pirate Yakuza seems to have all the flair and gameplay opportunities that made Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag stand out so much back in 2013.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Seems Like a Love Letter to Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag

The themes, iconography, and stories that can be told within the context of historic piracy have given way to some of the most popular media of all time, with iconic books, films, and games being based around this setting over the years. In terms of video games based around piracy, however, not many projects stand out quite as much as 2013’s Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag.

Black Flag captivated players with its gritty and exciting portrayal of the pirate lifestyle of the 1700s, with fans stepping into the shoes of Edward Kenway as the captain of their own ship. The AC title possessed a comprehensive ship customization and improvement mechanic, as well as naval exploration and heart-thumping ship-to-ship combat. The variety of naval weaponry and tactics, such as boarding opponents’ vessels, made Black Flag feel like the ultimate pirate experience, while also featuring a lot of land exploration and mystery to further flesh out the game.

Players have been wanting a similar gaming experience ever since, and many projects have tried to recreate this to varying levels of success. The most infamous title to attempt this is Ubisoft’s recently released game, Skull and Bones, which went through a very difficult and unsteady development process that lasted over a decade. Skull and Bones was in every way supposed to be a spiritual successor to Black Flag, but ended up disappointing fans with the absence of much-needed features like land-based combat and exploration.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Covers Most of the Gameplay Bases That Made Black Flag So Fun

While other titles have found pirate success with more stylized and wacky premises, such as Sea of Thieves, the upcoming Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii seems to be the Black Flag-rivaling experience that fans have been waiting so long for. A recent trailer delved more into the ship mechanics of the upcoming game, showing the same kinds of ship customization and combat that fans fell in love with in 2013.

Tactics surrounding canons and full ship boarding mechanics were also showcased for Pirate Yakuza, with the game even featuring its own naval combat coliseum for the ultimate test of piracy. As an open-world game, Pirate Yakzua also possesses an extensive amount of land combat and exploration around Hawaii’s tropical shores, giving it a huge boost over the likes of Skull and Bones in terms of recapturing the magic that made Black Flag tick so well. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawa ii‘s February release is coming up fast, and the game is shaping up to provide a fantastic pirate experience despite its wacky modern-day setting.

Advertisement

Released

February 28, 2025

Engine

Dragon Engine

Advertisement

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown

Advertisement

X|S Optimized

Yes

Expand

Advertisement