Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii received a new trailer at the Xbox Partner Preview event on Thursday, highlighting the game’s naval combat. The trailer showcased Horo Majima’s ship battles, melee combat, and other eccentric adventures. Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio also announced that the action-adventure Yakuza spin-off will now be released a week earlier on February 21, 2025.
First introduced in September, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii directly follows the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. This time, the main character is the beloved anti-hero of the series Horo Majima, who wakes up on an island without his memories and soon finds himself the captain of a pirate ship with a crew in search of a great treasure.
Yakuza pirate sea battle revealed
The latest trailer is dedicated to naval combat in the style of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Players will be able to fully control and customize their ships, engage in exciting sea battles, and fulfill their pirate fantasies while rival teams compete for hidden treasure.
In an interview posted on Xbox Wire following the new trailer, Like a Dragon series producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto said that players will be able to explore multiple islands outside of the game’s Hawaii setting. “In this game, Majima and his crew will take to the high seas and explore various areas outside of Hawaii, including Rich Island, Madlantis, and other hidden islands. While we can’t reveal the details yet, players can expect exciting gun battles and plenty of action, both ship-to-ship and brawling,” he said.
A new fighting style
Sakamoto said that RGG Studio will share a more in-depth look at Pirate Yakuza’s naval combat system in the future. The ship combat is new to the series, but the familiar action combat, a trademark of the Like a Dragon games, also returns. The trailer shows Majima-san fighting a whole crew of rival pirates. Mad Dog Shimano will also be getting a new pirate-focused fighting style that will utilize new weapons at his disposal.
“While naval combat will be new, real-time combat will still play a significant role in the game. In addition to Majima’s Mad Dog style, which focuses on speed, agility and knife fighting, he also has a Sea Dog style, where players can short swords, pistols and other pirate tools during combat,” said Sakamoto.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will bring a new fighting style
Photo: Sega/ Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Madlantis is waiting
The trailer also featured some colorful characters from the game and a fleeting glimpse of Madlantis, a bustling pirate town that serves as a hideout for all the gangs, a hub for trade, and a hub for side activities in the game. Sakamoto gave more details about the pirate hideout and all it has to offer: “Madlantis is a ship graveyard dug into a cave on a secret island. It features a sprawling entertainment district where criminals go to blow off steam and battle in a pirate coliseum where ships claim victory in exciting real-time naval battles.”
RGG also announced that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will now be released on February 21, 2025, one week earlier than its original February 28 release date. The studio stated that this was done because the development of the game was progressing more smoothly. than expected, and because he wanted players to experience the game, it came right after Pirate Yakuza with “peace of mind”. RGG is probably referring to Capcom’s Monster Hunter Wilds, which will be released on February 28th.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza is available for pre-order on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. Players who pre-order the game can add Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist from Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and his pet crab, Nancy, to their pirate crew.