Pirate Yakuza is the only game where you can engage in rollicking sea battles, but also attend a compliance seminar on how to be an HR-friendly scallywag. This is a Yakuza game through and through, filled with both raucous absurdity and heart-crushing emotion.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a ridiculous name for a game that actually describes what it’s like surprisingly well. In the same vein as 2023’s The Man Who Erased His Name, this is a drastically smaller-scale spinoff. It’s a game that fully embraces the zaniness Yakuza has become known for, and truly hits the ground running with the pirate premise (the game literally begins and ends with a big musical number). While there’s a bit of needless fluff, Pirate Yakuza is another strong entry into the series that’s becoming one of gaming’s best. But perhaps the game’s biggest achievement is how it works in concert as a companion piece to last year’s Infinite Wealth.
