Yakuza: Pirate Gang of Hawaii Returns with Beat-’em-Up and the Best Minigames in the Series

Majima fans have been waiting for years for Mad Dog Shimano to return as a major story character. After the protagonist’s run in Yakuza 0, the Majima Everywhere system in Yakuza 2, and the brief but very satisfying saga ending in Yakuza 2, fans of this beloved character may have Spending a lot of free time taking screenshots and recording every frame to review his performance in the game and capture the good times we were able to spend with him.

The years of waiting are finally over. Ryu Ga Gotoku (RGG) Studio released a 7-minute trailer for its latest title Yakuza: Pirate Gangster in Hawaii, and Majima shines again, this time as the sole protagonist. Although RGG releases full-length games almost every year, even long-time fans may not have expected another game so soon, nor predicted Majima’s return as both a protagonist and a pirate. Plus, Yakuza’s grappling combat and some of the series’ best mini-games are back – this is going to be a great game!

正如我們在上週末發布的預告片中看到的那樣，遊戲發生在《如龍：無限財富》事件發生六個月後。真島在海灘上醒來，不記得自己是如何到達那裡的，甚至不記得自己的名字。一個小男孩諾亞（和他的寵物“貓”，絕對是一隻老虎）走近他，告訴他他們在夏威夷附近一個叫做“富島”的島嶼上，然後兩人很快就遇到了海盜。隨後，真島遇到了諾亞的父親傑森，並了解了尼勒島——一個廢物和污染的傾倒場，真島和黑幫以某種方式參與其中。

為了恢復記憶並解決內勒島問題，馬島必須往返於夏威夷的不同島嶼以及一個名為馬德蘭蒂斯的新區域——一個由新角色米歇爾女王管理的幫派成員和犯罪組織的藏身之處。然後，他以真正的 Majima 風格，接管了一艘海盜船作為新船長，並起航解決這些困境的奧秘。

如果沒有荒謬的前提，這就不是真正的 RGG 遊戲，還有什麼比 Majima 在一座失憶的島​​上醒來並立即成為海盜更荒謬的呢？真島一生都在從事各種奇怪的工作：從歌舞廳老闆到建築經理，再到以不同的偽裝騷擾桐生，所以最終出現另一個奇怪的職業才有意義。他已經戴上眼罩了，為什麼不也征服大海呢？

在預告片發布和故事揭曉之後，我再次對可玩的 Majima 的遊戲玩法產生了很多疑問。值得慶幸的是，我有機會玩一個簡短的演示。

回合製戰鬥風格似乎將成為《Like a Dragon》遊戲的標準，但《夏威夷的海盜如龍》則帶回了《如龍》系列最初的格鬥遊戲根源，包括標誌性的 Heat 動作。這種戰鬥風格對真島來說感覺更自然，他的狂暴個性可能在回合製戰鬥中顯得生硬。在演示中，我們向我們介紹了 Majima 的兩種戰鬥風格：他標誌性的 Mad Dog 戰鬥風格和新的海盜“Sea Dog”風格。

真島現在已經 60 歲了，但這並不能阻止他在敵人周圍跳舞，就好像他又回到了關西的街道上。戰鬥正如玩家所期望的那樣誇張和狂野，並增加了在戰鬥中使用跳躍攻擊的功能。瘋狗風格是一個現代化版本，感覺像是《如龍 0》風格的夢幻組合，使用拳頭和短刀作為武器。還有一種新能力可以讓真島「複製」自己創造分身，這對於消滅大群敵人非常有用。

The new “Sea Dog” style is somehow sillier than his signature style. By seamlessly switching into this pose, Majima transforms into a pirate, mirroring how characters from previous Enter the Dragon games transformed into their “jobs” during combat. Majima comes equipped with two scimitars, a flintlock, and a wire hook as weapons, and can easily switch between them for fun combos. I can only imagine how ridiculous the Heat’s moves would be in this style, and I’m looking forward to exploring it more.

RGG games are known for their rich side content and mini-games that can be enjoyed outside of combat, so, of course, the first thing I did after the combat demo was head straight to the karaoke bar. There are just a few songs on the playlist – there are brand new ones like “The Sun at 36.5 C”, as well as some throwbacks from previous games like “As Long as You’re Happy”. I’m sure more songs will be added later, but fans of Majima will be happy to know that Yakuza Pirate is bringing back the favorite “24 Hour Cinderella” and serenading us with the same glowing, roller-skating goofball . This time, however, we see him wearing the outfit as a 60-year-old man. I can honestly say it brought tears to my eyes.

Yakuza: Yakuza One Piece also brings back one of my favorite mini-games in the series: Dragon Kart. I only explored one track, but it was really fun racing around Hawaii with new characters and experiencing some of the new items in the game. It feels a little choppy and intense in some rounds, so hopefully it’ll be more polished before the game’s official release.

I also briefly explored Madlantis. Similar to the Secret City in the previous game, the streets of Madlantis are filled with neon lights and illegal gambling. I was impressed with the design of the fake city; the added shipwrecks and pirate themes to the area made it feel like an organized crime fantasy land.

One of my favorite new additions is the grappling hook, which I can use around the city. In certain areas of the map, Majima can climb to higher platforms to collect treasure and discover new heights. I loved using the spider grapple in Yakuza Gaiden, so it’s cool to see an update to this mechanic. It also provides a way to explore new areas within the familiar map of Hawaii.

Although my preview time was short, I got to experience a lot of exciting new features, and I’m enjoying playing Majima again. Even though the game is brand new, there’s something nostalgic about running around the streets as a mad dog, and I’m sure old-school fans of Majima will feel the same way.

I haven’t explored the story much, so I’ll reserve my analysis for now, but it’s been years since we’ve witnessed Majima’s more serious side, so I do have some aspirations. I’d love to see more tender moments with this character. I really hope there will be some references to the side stories in Yakuza 0, and maybe a reunion with characters from previous Yakuza games. Maybe there’ll be some heartfelt moments with Kiryu, too, or maybe a run-in with a character that long-time fans know now lives overseas.

Whether or not this story ultimately concludes Mad Dog’s saga, fans will be impressed with the new features that Hawaii’s Yakuza: Pirate Gang has to offer, finally satisfying the thirst for more Majima. Combat feels light and fun, there seems to be a ton of side content to explore, and best of all, we finally get to see the old Mad Dog shine again.