Hawaii’s Yakuza: Pirates of Like a Dragon received a new trailer during an Xbox Partner Preview event on Thursday, focusing on the game’s naval combat. The trailer shows off ship battles, melee skirmishes, and more of Majima Goro’s wacky adventures. Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio also announced that a spin-off of the action-adventure game “Yakuza” will be released a week early on February 21, 2025.
“Yakuza: Pirate Gang” was first released in Hawaii in September, and the story directly continues the events of “Yakuza: Infinite Fortune”. This time the protagonist is beloved series anti-hero Goro Majima, who wakes up on an island with no memory and soon finds himself the captain and crew of a pirate ship in search of a great treasure.
Pirate gangster naval battle revealed
The latest trailer focuses on the naval combat style in the game “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag”. Players will be able to fully control and customize their ships, engage in action-packed maritime battles, and live out their pirate fantasies as rival crews fight for hidden treasure.
Following the release of the new trailer, Enter the Dragon series producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto said in an interview published on Xbox Wire that players will be able to explore multiple islands outside of Hawaii in the game. “In the game, Majima and his crew will take to the high seas and explore different areas beyond Hawaii, including Ridge Island, Madelantis, and other hidden islands. While we can’t reveal details just yet, players can expect exciting gunplay and plenty of action, including ships and brawls,” he said.
new fighting style
Sakamoto said RGG Studio will share a deeper look at Pirates of the Dragon’s naval combat system in the future. Ship combat is new to the series, but the familiar action combat combat (a hallmark of Yakuza games) also returns. In the trailer, Mr. Majima can be seen fighting an entire group of hostile pirates. Shimano Mad Dog will also get a new pirate-focused fighting style that will take advantage of new weapons at his disposal.
“While naval combat will be new, real-time action combat will still play an important role in the game. In addition to Majima’s mad dog style focusing on speed, agility, and knife fighting, he also has a sailor style that allows players to dual-wield scimitars, pistols, and other pirate tools in combat,” Sakamoto said.
Yakuza: Hawaii Pirate Gang will bring a new fighting style
Image source: Sega/Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Madelandis awaits you
The trailer also showcases some of the game’s colorful characters and gives us a glimpse of Madlandis, a bustling pirate town that serves as a hideout for all the gangs, a hub of trade, and the center of the game’s supporting activities. Sakamoto provides more details about the Pirate Hideout and what it has to offer: “Made Landis is a ship graveyard dug into a cave on a secret island. It features a vast play area where criminals can let off steam and battle in the Pirate Arena, where ships duke it out in exciting real-time naval battles.”
RGG Studios also announced that Yakuza: Pirates of Like a Dragon will be released in Hawaii on February 21, 2025, one week ahead of its original release date of February 28. The studio said it did so because development of the game is progressing more smoothly than expected and that it wants players to experience games beyond Pirates of the Dragon with “peace of mind.” RGG is likely referring to Capcom’s Monster Hunter Wilds, which is set to release on February 28th.
Yakuza: Pirates of a Dragon is now available for pre-order on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. Players who pre-order the game can add Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Yakuza: Infinite Fortune protagonist Kasuga Ichiban and his pet crayfish Nancy to their pirate crew.