Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii Demo – Impressions

Following up the critically acclaimed Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a pirate adventure starring Majma Goro. But does the title offer a high-seas adventure? Or does this swim with the fishes? Thankfully, SEGA released a demo giving players a taste of what this sea-fairing adventure can offer.

The Plot Of Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii?

Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) is a long-running series with many main titles and spin-offs. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii happens six months after Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and is the ninth main entry. Players control Majima Goro, a long-time character who has lost all his memories. Due to this twist, it’s unclear if playing Infinite Wealth first is necessary to enjoy Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s narrative experience.

Let’s Talk Demo Combat

The demo starts with a combat tutorial, which makes sense since combat is the core of the Like a Dragon series. Players can try out two distinct fighting styles: Mad Dog and Swashbuckler. In Mad Dog style, Majima sports his traditional Yakuza look, while Swashbuckler outfits him in a pirate uniform, with dual-wielding blades.

Each style offers unique flair and gameplay. I especially enjoyed using a gun to finish off enemies while playing in Swashbuckler mode. While playing the demo, you can run around and try out the combat, but the area of exploration is limited.

Once you’re ready to leave the starting demo zone, interact with your ship. A pop-up will appear, explaining that you can normally control it and tell it to take you to your desired location—though this feature isn’t available in the limited demo. Fortunately, there’s still a way to experience ship controls during the demo.

Ship Combat Mini Game

The second location is a neon-lit city, giving players another limited zone to explore and test new features. While trying the combat system, players can eliminate a wanted target. The demo also introduces sea combat, letting players control Majima’s ship for the first time.

This feature is accessed through a mini-game, fitting the series’ love for side activities. In this combat encounter, players control the ship, use its weapons, and rescue fallen crew members.

The demo ship includes a front-mounted machine gun, two cannons, and a rocket launcher that Majima can fire occasionally

My Overall Thoughts

Like A Dragon (formerly Yakuza) is a series I’ve always enjoyed and plan to dive deeper into with my “Tales from the Backlog“ write-ups, which cover various titles. Although I only experienced a small taste of the game, the combat feels like some of the best in the series, and the ship combat left me eager to explore more.

The demo is available on PC, PlayStation 5 (Pro Enhanced), and Xbox. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re even slightly interested. Plus, the demo isn’t a massive download—only about 14GB on PlayStation 5.