Deal | Fancy a bit of chaos? Wacky pirate RPG is cheaper than ever on Steam

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is clearly a pirate game, but it takes a rather unusual approach: the title is set in the present day. Players take on the role of Goro Majima, who has lost his memory and reinvents himself at sea as a modern pirate captain. There, he is searching not only for his memories, but also for a legendary treasure. The action RPG from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is discounted by 75% on Steam until June 18 and is available for $14.99 instead of $59.99. According to SteamDB, previous discounts had usually topped out at 70%, making the current deal a new all-time low.

In terms of gameplay, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii combines classic third-person action with beat-’em-up combat, RPG progression and naval battles. On land, Majima fights his way through groups of enemies using different combat styles, swords, pistols, grappling hooks and special moves. At sea, the Goromaru takes center stage: players can upgrade their own ship, equip it with new weapons and deploy it in real-time battles against enemy crews. Crew recruitment, bounty hunts, treasure hunts, karaoke, cooking and other typical Yakuza side activities are also included.

The unusual approach seems to have struck a chord with the Steam community in particular: 88% of more than 9,400 user reviews are positive. German gaming magazine PC Games was somewhat more reserved, awarding 7 out of 10 points. The editorial team praised the entertaining setting, the well-crafted story and the enjoyable naval battles, but criticized the weak AI, the lack of tactical depth and the absence of a true “open sea” feeling, as the sea consists of separate map sections rather than an open, freely explorable world. On Metacritic, the action RPG has a Metascore of 79 and a User Score of 7.9.

The sometimes widely divergent ratings are hardly surprising. Anyone looking for a serious pirate game is clearly in the wrong place with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Players who enjoy wacky characters, a crazy setting and plenty of chaos, however, should find a lot to like here. That also applies to handheld gamers: on the Steam Deck, the title is classified as “Verified” and should therefore run smoothly.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.