Update October 17, 1:17PM ET: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has dropped a new gameplay trailer that shows some naval combat in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. It shows off some melee action too, with Majima summoning sharks and large monkeys to help him in battle. You’ll be able to try this ridiculous action earlier than expected, as the release date has moved up a week from February 28 to February 21.
Our original story follows below:
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio simply cannot stop pumping out Like A Dragon (aka Yakuza) games. The studio and publisher Sega have revealed that the next entry will hit PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Steam on February 21, just 13 months after Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth debuted. The latest spinoff has a typically kooky twist that’s not exactly kept secret by its title: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
A seven-minute announcement trailer shown at the studio’s RGG Summit features Goro Majima, a regular of the series, explaining what’s been going on with him recently. About six months earlier, Majima washed up on an island near Hawaii with no memory of how he got there, only to be helped out by a child with a pet tiger cub. It didn’t take long until Majima ran afoul of some pirates and swiftly became a pirate captain himself.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes place a year after the events of Infinite Wealth and Ichiban Kasuga’s exploits in that game. You’ll assemble your crew, upgrade your ship, engage enemy vessels and discover hidden islands. Majima will have two fighting styles that you can switch between on the fly. Opt for the Mad Dog option to vex enemies with “speed, agility and flair,” and then switch to Sea Dog to dual wield short swords and “pirate tools,” according to a press release. However you slice it, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii already looks way more fun than the 45 minutes I spent playing Skull and Bones.
While February 21 isn’t too far away in the grand scheme of things, there are plenty of other Like A Dragon-related things to help keep you occupied in the meantime. Like A Dragon: Yakuza, a live-action TV show based on the series, will debut on Prime Video on October 24. The franchise is also debuting on Nintendo Switch the same day with a port of Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the first game.