Summary
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiiis the latest spinoff in the series, and it was completely unexpected. After all,Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the eighth main game in the series, only came out in 2024. Now, a year later a full-on pirate adventure is here and it stars a fan favoritelike Goro Majima.
Fans may think it’s a dream butLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiiis indeed real. It’s shorter thanLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthtoo, so if players are still cruising for like-minded games from more pirate adventures to treasure hunting expeditions, these games will fill the void in no particular order.
Hunting Vampires In Japan
Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressedtakes place in Japan which has been overrun with vampire-like entities. Players assume the role of a voiceless protagonist who is hunted by these vampire wannabes in the streets of the stylistic Akihabara district. Players can find all sorts of weapons to fight them off with from bats to umbrellas.
The main goal is to strip enemies down to their underwear and expose them to sunlight. It’s easy to imaginea Substory in theYakuzaseriestrying to emulate these mechanics.
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagis the most obvious choice on the list as it’s also about sailing and pirates. It’s not the first game in theAssassin’s Creedseriesto incorporate ship combat into the gameplay but it was the first to focus on it and the concept of being a pirate via Edward Kenway. There were still assassination plots but that took a backseat to exploring the game’s plentiful tropical locations all while singing sea shanties with the crew.
Players could engage with locals or other pirates on the high seas after blasting their ships to smithereens. It’s an unforgettable entry in the series and the game thatLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiimost likely resembles.
Cross Treasuresis a DS game most probably haven’t played or even heard of and that’s because it’s never released outside of Japan. It’s a rare one as it waspublished by Square Enixand they were usually pretty good about shipping things worldwide on the DS.
Players can create their character using a few different weapons and classes before venturing off to the dungeons below. The story takes a back seat to this dungeon crawler where loot is the main objective. It can be enjoyed alone or with a friend and effort has been made with fan translations.
Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skieswas the only main entryon the DS and it was also the first to release on a handheld. It was also the first to incorporate multiplayer into the core design. Players could create their character and then recruit three others to follow them on this turn-based adventure, switching out classes, or Vocations, as they went along.
Players could take their characters online with up to three other friends in co-op was a nice feature but not as fun as getting treasure maps. The service for these maps has long been discontinued but fans still holding onto their copies can help keep this treasure-hunting RPG alive.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerbucked the trend in the series in two ways. First, the art style used a cel-shaded technique that to this day helps it stand out among the entries that tried to be groundbreaking graphically on a polygonal level. It also removed thebig open plains of Hyruleand replaced them with open waters.
Even with these changes, the game was just as fantastical as every entry that came before it, andLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiiplayers will appreciate this special episode in the long-running saga. Both the GameCube original and HD remaster are worthwhile.
Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdombegins audaciously with the U.S. President, Roland Crane, witnessing an explosion and then warping into a fantasy world, Isekai style. Here, President Crane helps a young prince, Evan, try to rebuild his kingdom after it was taken over.
Beyond the action-based gameplay, players can travel the open-world overworld to look for NPCs to place in Evan’s new kingdom. They can be assigned tasks like manning shops or building new additions which will help the war effort. It’s similar in design to therecruiting system inLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiiwhich is used to fill out the ship.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4is the latest game in the series which spun off fromDynasty Warriors. Like the main Musou games, players get to control a wide array of characters each with their own unique set of skills and weapons. For example, Luffy can stretch his body like rubber to pummel enemies with his fists and Zoro uses three swords to slash enemies to ribbons.
Fans of the anime will be delighted in this game’s selection of heroes beyond theStraw Hat Piratesalthough newbies may be lost on the arcs this one adapts.Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiifans should give it a try as it’s one of the best examples of a pirate anime out there.
Persona 5is not about pirates but thieves instead. Specifically, The Phantom Thieves are a group of teenagers who gain special powers via entities called Personas. Their region in Japan is corrupt by local politicians and business owners and they have the power to change their hearts.
To do it, they have to infiltrate their metaphysicalPalaces inPersona 5, fight monsters, and the twisted version of the leader at the end. Even though it’s a turn-based RPG instead of an action-based one likeLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, it’s still a good recommendation, especially for fans of Sega/Atlus.
