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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

While it may seem like the Like a Dragon team has completely done away with realism in pursuit of an off-the-rails pirate adventure at first glance, this isn’t quite the case. AUTOMATON recently had the opportunity to talk to RGG Studio’s key members at the Majima Maji Festival held in Osaka, Japan, and they had some interesting insights of offer about their latest project.

According to RGG Studio’s director Yokoyama Masayoshi, players should actually expect to be greeted by a rather serious Goro Majima, especially in the earlier stages of the game, before he becomes a pirate. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s producer, Ryosuke Horii, further added that “Becoming a pirate is not the goal in itself – there are several objectives, and the game depicts a passionate progression towards those goals, as well as the deepening of Majima’s bonds with his friends. The goofing off isn’t the main point – there’s a manly drama at the center of things. Of course, there are some crazy parts to take detours to, but overall, I think it’s a straightforward tale about a passionate man.”

On the topic of Majima’s reality-bending abilities, Horii says that the balance between realism and spectacle is something the team generally does keep in mind. However, certain aspects of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii made them go past their limit. “If we did things in a plain way in a game that features pirates, it would come across as boring. Thus, we made the game wilder, while maintaining a serious and proper drama.”

Another factor that contributed to the new spin-off’s unprecedented level of wackiness is its protagonist, according to Horii. “There is a kind of uniqueness that can only be pulled off with Majima and isn’t possible with Kiryu. So, if we didn’t take proper advantage of that, there would be no point in having Majima as the main character. That’s why we blurred the lines of reality a little more than we would with Kiryu, hoping to offer players rich action that’s full of variety.”

So, aside from a serious, chivalrous story and crazy detours, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii promises next-level action. Yakuza fans already have high expectations based on what’s been showcased in trailers (especially those naval battles), but the series’ chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto raises the bar even higher, commenting, “We made Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii so that it evolves upon the action in Like a Dragon Gaiden, while also taking advantage of Majima’s quirks. As a result, I think we’ve made the most exhilarating action game in the series. The fights are super entertaining, and there’s lots of replay value.”

The full interview in Japanese is available on AUTOMATON Japan.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii may blur the lines of reality with its wackiness, but not without a serious, manly tale to keep it grounded, devs say - AUTOMATON WEST

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's developers talk about why the new spin-off blurs the lines of reality more than past titles.

automaton-media.com

 

[TintoConCasera]

Gotta be honest I love those games but the last one (IW) felt so boring to me that I'm not hyped for this one at all.

Still wish them all the success. Hope we get to see Judgment 3 some day.

 

[KiteGr]

The Skull and Bones we deserve.

 

[Jack Videogames]

I heard enough, I'm horny convinced

 

[SaturnSaturn]

IW story was trash, not going to buy this wacky mess after nagoshi left.

 

[Mr Netori]

Found IW's story so boring too, getting this though as a Majima fan.

 

[NanaMiku]

I don't mind the wackiness, but I hope they think about the story more. IW was kinda meh story-wise. I still hate Lost Judgment story.

 

[Nankatsu]

Gotta be honest I love those games but the last one (IW) felt so boring to me that I'm not hyped for this one at all.

Still wish them all the success. Hope we get to see Judgment 3 some day.

You and me both.

Call me a madman, but since Nagoshi left the series has been kind of in a nose dive scenario for me.

Gaiden was really well executed story wish, only for it to fumble in Infinity Wealth.

 

[Fat Frog]

Call me a madman, but since Nagoshi left the series has been kind of in a nose dive scenario for me.

Bad for you. (hopefully, you'll have games from Nagoshi Studio to enjoy).

In my case, Sega without Nagoshi is a pure delight with the return of a load of beloved franchises. (let's be honest, Nagoshi only cared about Yakuza and his own legacy... the rest of Sega IPs were trash to him)

 

[Orbital2060]

 

[Kurotri]

I like the fact that they are addressing this in the first place. Always felt that they've gone way over the line ever since this game got revealed. Outside of the very last story beats of The Man Who Erased His Name I felt that game was pretty lacklustre, so I won't be there day 1 for this even if it's Majima.

 

[Kacho]

Did someone say manly tale?

 

[N0S]

How toxic

 

[Nankatsu]

Bad for you. (hopefully, you'll have games from Nagoshi Studio to enjoy).

In my case, Sega without Nagoshi is a pure delight with the return of a load of beloved franchises. (let's be honest, Nagoshi only cared about Yakuza and his own legacy... the rest of Sega IPs were trash for him)

I'm talking specifically about Yakuza, thought.

The fact that they have to come to public and say "hey, the story is mature, don't run away" just shows that they know the latest Yakuza titles haven't been good in that department.

Infinite Wealth's narrative, in particular, was a snooze fest. They couldn't strike that good balance like in previous titles.

 

[VanCityGamer]

Are they allowed to say manly?

 

[rubik's dude]

As a fan since the PS2 days, I liked IW's story. It was passing the baton from Kiryu to Ichiban. It also felt like a celebration of how mainstream Yakuza has become worldwide, being set in both Hawaii and Japan, with both English and Japanese voice actors. It was a beautiful thing to see, given how they almost stopped localizing it past 4/5 due to poor worldwide sales.

It wasn't the best Yakuza story, but it's far from the worst. That honor goes to Y2 imo. That's still the most ridiculously over-the-top wacky Yakuza game by far. Sengoku's fortress rising out of the ground like some Gundam/missile silo where Kiryu goes to punch tigers? That's even more ridiculous than Y6's underwater battleship.

Plus, this Majima game is a spinoff. All the spinoff games have been wackier than the main ones.

 

[nnytk]

Gotta be honest I love those games but the last one (IW) felt so boring to me that I'm not hyped for this one at all.

Still wish them all the success. Hope we get to see Judgment 3 some day.

I got distracted by the Sujimon Pokemon parody game inside the game, as soon as that became available. Dropped it close to that point in the game.

The area and story didn't grab me as much as I wanted. Loved the food delivery mini game though.

I hope this title helps them find their mojo again.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Sounds good to me! These games took awhile to click with me, but when they did, they clicked hard. Loved the original gameplay AND the RPG gameplay.

Definitely felt some pacing issues here and there throughout various games, but it just required a little push.

 

[diffusionx]

when i first heard about this game i thought it was an april fool's joke

it's like someone on the team was playing black flag and said "wait a minute why hasn't anyone done a game like this since?"

 

[DeVeAn]

Interesting to see how feelings towards the games evolve. First, we can't even get the games in the west. Now people bitching about every release. Some the of the most fun characters ever. Keep em coming!!

 

[Complistic]

Interesting to see how feelings towards the games evolve. First, we can't even get the games in the west. Now people bitching about every release. Some the of the most fun characters ever. Keep em coming!!

Gaf hates absolutely everything.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Are they allowed to say manly?

Nope, now they need to add in a girlboss who constantly emasculates Goro and comes out the winner of every interaction she’s in.

 

[rubik's dude]

Gaf hates absolutely everything.

I miss the days when Yakuza had a smaller fan base, even if we struggled to get titles localized back then.

 

[El Muerto]

Been a fan since day 1 on the ps2. No way i'm playing this. They should of made a continuation of Majima's story after Yakuza Kiwami 2. Not some dumb pirate shit.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

Been a fan since day 1 on the ps2. No way i'm playing this. They should of made a continuation of Majima's story after Yakuza Kiwami 2. Not some dumb pirate shit.

It fits the series. Fast sequels that reuse the previous new map have been some of the better entries. They are better when working within a limitation, and when not working with Ichiban.

I had my reservations with the over the top theme, but they tend to deliver in these situations.

 

[LordCBH]

I can’t wait for this game

 

[Gonzito]

I miss the days when Yakuza had a smaller fan base, even if we struggled to get titles localized back then.

Same, I actually translated to spanish Yakuza Kenzan and Yakuza 3, I made a guide in a spanish website called Vandal. Good times

I miss when Yakuza was more grounded and serious

 

[Metnut]

Looking forward to this. Series took a huge dive in quality from 3-5 but rebounded in 6 and is now on fire. Day 1.

 

[Fat Frog]

I'm talking specifically about Yakuza, thought.

The fact that they have to come to public and say "hey, the story is mature, don't run away" just shows that they know the latest Yakuza titles haven't been good in that department.

Infinite Wealth's narrative, in particular, was a snooze fest. They couldn't strike that good balance like in previous titles.

Fair enough

 

[Alexios]

 

[Alexios]

This looks even better than I expected from a "mere" side game (even after Gaiden was among the best in the series), Dragon Engine is a champ at handling the different systems they add, from standard Yakuza to turn based to these ship battles and of course even Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate/R.E.V.O.

 

[phant0m]

This looks even better than I expected from a "mere" side game (even after Gaiden was among the best in the series), Dragon Engine is a champ at handling the different systems they add, from standard Yakuza to turn based to these ship battles and of course even Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate/R.E.V.O.

RGG is a champ studio overall. Regular output and consistent quality. Yes, they get to reuse a lot but so does Ubi and it takes them 3+ years between mediocre entries.

 

[Humdinger]

I'm looking forward to it. I've played 4 of the Yakuza games and enjoyed all of them.

Saw this earlier today. It gives some other quotes from an RGG studio head about the wacky vs. grounded elements of the story. The video author yaps a lot, but just scroll through to see the actual developer quotes. The most important quotes are at 2:30 and 4:45-5:15.

In a nutshell, it's a game about Majima, so the overall story tone can't be serious; it has to be crazy/wacky. However, it will still have "emotional and dramatic moments" and "a lot of character drama stories."

 

[NanaMiku]

Wow, they gonna have a launch party in my country. I never expected this.

 

[consoul]

They can say whatever they like. Nothing can convince me this wasn't an Infinite Wealth DLC that they decided to bloat into a separate game.

The franchise has lost its way. Without Nagoshi at the helm, it's become a money spinner above all else. As much as I love the series, I think I'd be happier if they just took a break for a while.

 

[NanaMiku]

They can say whatever they like. Nothing can convince me this wasn't an Infinite Wealth DLC that they decided to bloat into a separate game.

The franchise has lost its way. Without Nagoshi at the helm, it's become a money spinner above all else. As much as I love the series, I think I'd be happier if they just took a break for a while.

I think it's their new pattern
main game (yakuza: LAD) -> spinoff smaller game (LaD Gaiden)
main game (LaD: IW) -> spinoff smaller game (LaD Pirate in Hawaii)

 

[Complistic]

The franchise has lost its way. Without Nagoshi at the helm, it's become a money spinner above all else. As much as I love the series, I think I'd be happier if they just took a break for a while.

Wild idea, but no one's making you buy/play it. Almost every release in the series has been a minor upgrade from the one before it.

If this one doesn't interest you, just get next years?

 

[Alexios]

This looks even better than I expected from a "mere" side game (even after Gaiden was among the best in the series), Dragon Engine is a champ at handling the different systems they add, from standard Yakuza to turn based to these ship battles and of course even Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate/R.E.V.O.

 

[Chuck Berry]

I think it's their new pattern
main game (yakuza: LAD) -> spinoff smaller game (LaD Gaiden)
main game (LaD: IW) -> spinoff smaller game (LaD Pirate in Hawaii)

Yeah the pattern is called milking and the series lost its way awhile ago to me.

These games were a treat because they were unique and few and far between with releases. Not anymore. They're now like the Ass Creed for RGG Studios.

 

[Mhmmm 2077]

Yeah the pattern is called milking and the series lost its way awhile ago to me.

These games were a treat because they were unique and few and far between with releases. Not anymore. They're now like the Ass Creed for RGG Studios.

when exactly they were few and far between releases? lmao

 

[Chuck Berry]

when exactly they were few and far between releases? lmao

LMAO I stand corrected. For whatever reason the releases seemed way more spaced out to me

Christ that's a lot of games

 

[Mhmmm 2077]

LMAO I stand corrected. For whatever reason the releases seemed way more spaced out to me

Christ that's a lot of games

And that's only the Yakuza franchise (+FotNS), there is no Super Monkey Ball, Binary Domain or Virtua Fighter games listed.

 

[EDMIX]

They're now like the Ass Creed for RGG Studios.

? I mean, I've heard this before but this makes like zero sense, AC series isn't yearly.......do you know how many Yakuza's and RE titles we got between AC V and AC Shadows? Its a fuck ton

when exactly they were few and far between releases? lmao

Beat me to it and Thank you!

Shit man, please people, just look this up as I think many literally have this hard on for just assuming AC is yearly or milked more then XYZ and its like, looking into the releases of Yakuza and Resident Evil, I don't even think some really get how much those IP are milked

So its one of those things where I need to verify that info before ever assuming. The wind blow and we get a new Yakuza lol I mean we got that Century Yakuza thing coming lol

Hawaii Yakuza
Century Yakuza
Yakuza 9
Yakuza 7 over 378 days
edit oh yea that fucking mobile one lol

 

[Complistic]

The Century Yakuza game looked pretty great too, already forgot about that reveal.