A brand-new Like a Dragon game is almost upon us, and this time we’re taking a return trip to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth‘s Hawaii with the fan favourite Goro Majima in a pirate flavoured spin-off titled Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
Previously announced for a February 21, 2025 release on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC, SEGA and Ryu ga Gotoku Studio have dropped some small morsels of new information to keep eager fans excited for the new year.
The first bit of new info concerns the game’s Battle Styles, which see Majima switch between his signature “Mad Dog” style and the new “Sea Dog” style. Like other Yakuza/LaD games featuring different combat styles, these will both come with their own distinct feel and unique Heat Actions.
Mad Dog style is described as a freeform way of fighting, in keeping with Majima’s anything goes attitude, mixing punches and kicks with knife attacks and more in quick succession. This style also comes with a special move that summons a gang of Majima doppelgangers once player’s fill up a special gauge, adding even more chaos into the mix.
The Sea Dog style is more weapons-based with Majima wielding a pirate’s cutlass and multiple firearms (including a very cool Chain Hook) which can all be employed together in devastating combos. That same “Madness Gauge” also plays into the Sea Dog battle style, in which players can summon various dark and powerful beings known as the Dark Instruments. These come in the forms of things like man-eating sharks, giant apes, ship-sized jellyfish and a tornado-frenzied bird, and are summoned by playing literal instruments including a saxophone and a violin – because why not, right?
You can see some footage of Majima in action below:
The studio also revealed a bit more about the game’s naval systems, which will allow players to sail the oceans around Hawaii aboard their ship, the Goro Maru, looking for points of interest and (of course) treasure. The Goro Maru is also upgradeable, and it’ll be important to keep modifying and upgrading it in order to survive out on the harsh seas where other ships and crews will attempt to sink you.
It’s not just ship-to-ship combat either, but crew-to-crew brawls on deck that’ll test your ability to put together a strategically sound score of scallywags. I got a very brief glimpse of on-foot exploration and fighting as well as crew battles in the Pirate’s Coliseum during my hands-on demo at Tokyo Game Show 2024, and this one’s definitely shaping up to be a treat for fans of both Infinite Wealth and The Man Who Erased His Name.
There’s a new video for pirate battles too, which you can see below:
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches on February 21, 2025 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.
What do you think of this new Majima-led Like a Dragon spin-off? Is this a day one purchase? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
