Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Preview: Black Flag-Style Combat on the High Seas
Against all odds, it looks like the next game in the beloved Yakuza game series, Yakuza: Pirates of Hawaii Yakuza, will live up to its quirky name. At a themed preview event held outside Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, I and other reporters got to try out a hitherto unseen part of the game — maritime combat looks set to be an interesting highlight of the game. Lots of activities.
“Pirates of Hawaii” is a new adventure game launched by Sega Studio Ryu Ga Gotoku, starring the series’ most popular “mad dog” Goro Mashima, a wild gangster wearing an eyepatch from ” The manic assistant in Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Infinite Fortune gradually grows into the protagonist. Six months after the release of Infinite Fortune, Majima washes up on the shores of a small island with no memory of his past (mis)deeds. After getting Watched the game for the first time at the end of last yearthis new preview introduced me to the three activities featured in the trailer – ship-to-ship naval battles, arena battles, and the returning mini-game Dragon Kart.
More importantly, I got a feel for the flow of the game, as the first preview session launched me into the game’s second chapter. Despite losing many abilities and upgrades, I could still switch between Majima’s two fighting styles. The first, a pirate-themed “sailor” style, had me wielding double scimitars (or throwing them like boomerangs), shooting with my flintlock, and using a chain whip to pull myself toward enemies. The second is Mad Dog style, which will be more familiar to Yakuza fans who fought Majima in earlier games: he lunges with a knife like a back-alley brawler, even summoning clones to take on large numbers of enemies.
Both styles were fun, and while I scraped by by mashing buttons, I was forced to use my A handful of skills and tools. While the game is lumped into the Yakuza sub-series, it wisely abandons turn-based RPG combat in favor of real-time combat like the mainline Yakuza series, and it’s better suited for that too; Dressed as a Pirate Suit up, swinging a boomerang, an antics that’s feasible in non-stop motion (and may crash if the player has time to think).
In the first free-roaming portion of the game, I faced off against roaming gangs of island tough guys, but mostly I was running around learning about a strange and delightful corner of the game: growing herbs to harvest later. , cook stat-boosting meals, win the favor of your animal friends and stock up on health supplements and energy drinks. Even on the island, I’ll be buying supplies for the next unbalanced battle.
The next gameplay session brings the good stuff, namely the ship battles teased in early trailers. When gamers yearn for the dark sea dog era Assassin’s Creed IV: Black FlagEnjoying Sea of ​​Thieves and mourning the future of Skull and Bones, the shell-battered waters of Hawaiian Pirate Gang are sure to captivate you.
Naval battles, arena conflicts, etc.
The second gameplay session unfolds in the extremely dirty pirate dreamland of Madlantis, which is an important addition to the game’s gangster landscape. Villains prowl the rusty metal walkways, fight scenes are everywhere, and neon signs point to bars, shops, and casinos (where you can play poker and blackjack). But the centerpiece is the Pirate Arena, which allows you to participate in four different types of battles with increasing difficulty.
The first is “Quick Clash”, which places your ship in a flooded arena and engages in quick battles with enemies. In lower levels you’ll fight against a single ship, but more difficult battles pit you against multiple ships of varying sizes. Compared to the more realistic Sea of ​​Thieves, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’s maritime combat has a more arcade-like feel, as you’ll sail from a bird’s-eye view as the attack reticles of your three slotted weapons pop up : Forward-firing machine guns and a set of cannons on the port and starboard sides. These can be traditional projectile-launching guns, short-range flamethrowers or even laser cannons (keep it strong, like a dragon).
While you’ll primarily be moving between ships to get the best angle for the next cannon salvo and out of range of your opponent’s retort, there are a few reasons to get off the wheel and wander the decks of Goromaru (because your ships called). Most notably, you’ll need to do this if your ship is on fire, as putting out the fire will stop the damage, as the lower your ship’s health is, the less damage will be done. While walking on your ship, you can also use the machine guns on the deck or run around firing rocket launchers at enemy ships (never changes, Yakuza). Remember that you will be crawling away from the steering wheel, so be careful of enemies attacking your immobile ship.
Once you’ve defeated the enemy ship, it’s time to board, and you’ll automatically join your crew in hand-to-hand combat with the other ship’s captain and companions. The endings to battles are fun, especially in the second pirate arena mode, Captain’s Tournament, where your opponents will take on increasingly comical themes – for example, I faced off against biker pirates who not only dressed like Like the extras in “Grease” or “The.” Outsiders boarded the plane and rode across the deck on motorcycles.
The third Pirate Arena mode, Madlantis Mania, is a series of deck battles against enemy crews that are slightly less exciting than the other modes. But the fourth mode, “Swashbuckler Showdown,” is a joyous hand-to-hand combat on an island arena, pitting you and your crew against dozens of enemies—a bit like fighting a horde of goons in Dynasty Warriors, There are a few champions scattered among them. Here I fight long enough to charge up my Sea Dog-esque madness meter and summon one of the four dark sea gods (shark, parrot, ape, or jellyfish) to defeat my foes a lot of.
Your crew, by the way, is chosen from a variety of strange people you’ll meet while playing the game, some of whom have different abilities and are suitable for manning cannons, serving as squad leaders, or being your first mate. From chefs to brothel madams, accountants to gangsters, your team will be filled with celebrities. During one battle, my preset crew swarmed onto the deck of an enemy ship with me, and one of the guys was wearing a ram’s head on his suit, while another was fighting in his underwear.
Gangsters and pirates, what’s the difference?
Sadly, we don’t see much about the story, although we do know that the amnesiac Majima at the start of the game will revel in his freedom and affection for the friends he meets. However, things get complicated as his memories of the crime boss from the previous game, Yakuza: Infinite Fortune, return.
This preview is more of a taste of the pirate gangster vibe that awaits players – and it’s a little too ridiculous. The Yakuza series balances melodrama and zany hijinks in a somewhat complementary way, with the wilder side amped up in Mad Dog Majima’s work, Pirates of Hawaii like a Dragon. It pushes the limits of what players can take seriously, but many familiar features return from the main game to lay the foundation.
One of these recurring perks is the beloved Dragon Kart, which we played in the preview. While I’m not too familiar with RGG’s kart racing mini-games, it’s a lot of fun to stuff Majima into a mini and blast around corners, and there’s even a battle royale-like duel mode (which sounds a lot like Mario Kart’s combat) model). Of course, no Yakuza game would be complete without karaoke, which you can sing on board.
But the fun new pirate-themed styles caught my attention, from decorating all 10 of Majima’s fingers with different exotic rings (to boost stats and abilities), to getting good scores in the cooking mini-game so I could cook for My crew raises their level by throwing a raucous feast. Morale and strength. I could sail between the game’s four main land areas, battle plundering ships, and hunt for secret treasures on the shores of remote islands.
The game’s theme of breaking free from rules and rooting for your team does a good job of replicating the same dynamic found in many other Yakuza games, making sincere silliness more charming than alienating. Through intense battles on land and sea, Pirates of Hawaii like a dragon is shaping up to be a fun jaunt that expands the world of the series without straying from its core message: Be loyal to the family you choose (through violence).
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