Pirates still exist. There’s the internet variety, of course, who absolutelywoulddownload a car. But the ocean-bound variety is also still around, getting up to crimes on the high seas. Back in 2009, pirates occupying a merchant ship was such a big story thatTom Hanks was in a movie about it. But modern piracy isn’t all that fun. The people who become pirates are often very young men who probably don’t have many other options. Modern boats aren’t as cool as galleons and sloops. And taking hostages to force a wire transfer isn’t nearly as romantic as searching for buried treasure. Dealing with pirates in the 17th and 18th century probably wasn’t all that fun either, but that’s the beauty of the past: Tragedy + Time = Fun.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii Has 1700s-Style Pirates
When I woke up and saw the news thatRyu Ga Gotoku Studioswas making a pirate-themedLike a Dragonspin-off starring Majima, I assumed it would feature the modern kind of pirates. After all, theYakuzagames (aside from non-canon spin offs) are set in the modern day. But, in beautifully anachronistic fashion,Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiiis all about the old-fashioned kind of seadogs, despite sticking with a 21st century setting. Majima has always had the vibe of a trickster spirit, and with this game Ryu Ga Gotoku is transporting him to a bizarre alternate present like a Yakuza version of Doctor Who.
I don’t know if RGG will offer up an explanation for why the characters in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii are sailing around on galleons, firing cannons, and searching for buried treasure, but I don’t really need an explanation. I’m so into the brief glimpse the trailer gives of the pirate city at sea that I will accept whatever reason RGG has to offer. Realism be damned, give me gangster One Piece.
I’ve loved pirate stories since I first sawPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearlas a kid. I loved them so much that I went to see Dead Man’s Chest five times in theaters. The magic of those movies is how the fantastical elements coexist alongside the fixtures of 18th century life, like the East India Company, British imperialism, and corsets. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii seems to be straddling a similar line (or walking a similar plank, if you prefer).
Why Shouldn’t Yakuza’s Take On Pirates Be Heightened?
The Yakuza games have always existed in a heightened version of reality, and I welcome the opportunity to see that reality heightened further. From my limited experience with the games, Majima has always seemed to be the most cartoonish of the series’ central characters. So a game about him hanging out with colorful captains in a pirate cove at sea in between engaging in a more expressive version of the series’ melee combat (and, also, ship battles) sounds like a perfect match. Maybe he’ll randomly attack ships at sea the way he randomly attacks Kiryu in Yakuza Kiwami.
I’m far from a Yakuza expert. I have started many games in the series and finished zero (the total, not the entry 0). But if the series is evolving to include more over-the-top offshoot adventures with cool new settings that are barely connected to the main story, and using amnesia as an excuse to let new players join the ride with no prior knowledge, I’m all for it.
I doubt Yakuza will ever be aZelda-style series where each game can be played completely independently, and fans wouldn’t want that anyway. But giving a secondary character a game of his own with wildly different mechanics seems like a good way to get the casuals on board. If they love sailing around Hawaii enough, maybe they’ll check out Kamurocho, too.
