Key Takeaways
- Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will have a story campaign that is roughly 1.3–1.5 times longer than Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
- The upcoming spin-off is hence expected to take between 15 and 18 hours to beat, at a minimum, similar to Yakuza 1–3 and Y6: The Song of Life.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will be significantly longer than the previous series spin-off, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has revealed. The Japanese developer even attempted to quantify the length difference between the two, suggesting that Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii could take at least 15 hours to beat.
The company officially announced Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii during RGG Summit 2024 on September 20. The game itself is a pirate-themed spin-off starring Goro Majima. Its titular setting was ostensibly chosen to allow RGG Studio to reuse some of the new assets it had created for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which hit the market in January 2024.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Will Be ‘1.3–1.5 Times’ Longer Than Like a Dragon Gaiden
Although Like a Dragon spin-offs have historically been among the series’ shortest games, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is still planned to offer quite a bit of content. That’s according to Masayoshi Yokoyama, Sega’s writer, producer, and director who has been working on the franchise since its inception. Speaking to Famitsu, Yokoyama revealed that Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will have a “1.3–1.5 times” longer story than Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, the most recent spin-off entry in the franchise, which debuted back in November 2023.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Story Length Will Be Comparable to Yakuza 1–3 and 6
In terms of story length, The Man Who Erased His Name is the shortest Like a Dragon game there is, with crowdsourced data from How Long To Beat suggesting that the 2023 ARPG can be completed in roughly 12 hours. Yokoyama’s comparison thus indicates that Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will take at least between 15 and 18 hours to beat. This puts in the range of many installments in the iconic franchise, including the first three Yakuza games and Y6: The Song of Life.
Yokoyama did not attempt to estimate the length of a completionist run through Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. But Sega’s track record suggests that seeing everything the game has to offer will likely take roughly three times as long as just beating its story. E.g., a completionist playthrough of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name takes over 32 hours on average, as per How Long To Beat data.
The next Like a Dragon spin-off is scheduled for release on February 27, 2025. Sega’s upcoming ARPG will be available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Apart from a sizable story campaign, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will also feature former WWE superstar Samoa Joe.
Source: How Long To Beat
