It is clear to see why fans are already so excited forLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, with the recently announced project being centered around a fascinating premise. Players will once again return to the tropical shores of Hawaii, this time through the perspective of beloved franchise character Goro Majima, who has lost his memory and quickly finds himself as the captain of his very own pirate ship.
Despite not being a mainline release, the scale ofLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuzais already shaping up to be quite impressive, especially given how the hugely expansiveInfinite Wealthonly released eight months ago. Ryu Ga Gotoku has always done well at reusing locational assets in its games while still keeping things fresh, and it is clear thatPirate Yakuzais aiming to do just that with the recent Hawaiin assets thatInfinite Wealthintroduced. A lot of the most important locations for the upcoming game have already been revealed, and fans can look forward to some exciting brand-new areas as well as revisiting pre-existing ones through a new lens.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Puts a Fresh Spin on a Familiar Setting
As expected, a huge part ofLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s explorable locations will come in the form of the main island itself. This will be the same map that wowed players in the recentInfinite Wealth, with it currently being unclear just how much of this map will be available inPirate Yakuza. Early footage for the game does show Majima engaging inInfinite Wealth’s Crazy Delivery mini-game, and it is also confirmed thatPirate Yakuzais shaping up to be around 1.5x larger thanThe Man Who Erased His Name.
With this in mind, it seems likely thatthe entire map ofInfinite Wealth’s Hawaiiwill be available inPirate Yakuza, allowing players to experience the sprawling and beautiful section of the island through the eye of Goro Majima. It is also confirmed thatPirate Yakuzawill also feature Nele Island as a location, with this being the prominent end-game location inInfinite Wealththat was home to the nefarious Palekana cult.
Pirate Yakuzatakes place six months after the events ofInfinite Wealthand the defeat of Palekana’s rogue leader, Bryce Fairchild, meaning that the Nele Island may now be passive and simply in a state of disrepair. This could easily mean that Nele Island acts asPirate Yakuza’s version ofInfinite Wealth’s Dondoko Island, which saw Ichiban slowly clean up and rebuild a dilapidated island into a thriving resort throughAnimal Crossing-styled gameplay.
Some of Pirate Yakuza’s Most Promising Locations Are Brand-New
In terms of new locations,Pirate Yakuzawill also feature Rich Island, the place whereMajima washes to shore with no memory of his past in the reveal trailer for the game. It seems that Rich Island will act as a kind of central hub forPirate Yakuza, being a potential safehaven during the wacky pirate adventures and narrative tension that the upcoming project promised to bring.
The final currently confirmed location forPirate Yakuzais known as Madlantis, and this particular place seems like one of the most interesting and chaotic areas that the title will feature. Madlantis is billed as the place in which pirates from all around seek pleasure and engage in naval battles, making it the likely home of some fascinating brand-new mini-games withinPirate Yakuza. The main antagonist ofPirate Yakuza, Queen Michele, is the owner of Madlantis, making the location quite similar thematically and gameplay-wise tothe Castle Barge fromThe Man Who Erased His Name. The gameplay and narrative opportunities ofPirate Yakuzaalready seem thrilling and unique, and the locations that have been confirmed for the game only reinforce this.
