Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Brings a Classic Sega Arcade Game to Console for the First Time

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is reviving classic Sega arcade game The Ocean Hunter in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, marking its first release on console.

As reported by Automaton, RGG Studio revealed on X/Twitter the wealth of minigames coming to the incoming Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii including The Ocean Hunter as an arcade game.

The Yakuza / Like a Dragon series is known for its myriad minigames and inclusion of full classic titles by visiting actual Sega arcades in the fictional takes on Japan and Hawaii. Yakuza 0 had Out Run and Space Harrier, Yakuza Kiwami 2 had Virtua Fighter 2, Yakuza 6 had Fantasy Zone, and so on.

2025年2月21日(金)発売予定
『龍が如く８外伝 Pirates in Hawaii』

ゲーム内で楽しめるプレイスポットやサブストーリー、「ミナト区系女子」の概要が、公式サイトにて公開されました！https://t.co/zab3Bec4b5#龍が如く８外伝 pic.twitter.com/8rcinRKXOL

— セガ公式アカウント🦔 (@SEGA_OFFICIAL) December 12, 2024

Bringing over The Ocean Hunter, a 1998 on-rails shooter about killing giant sea beasties like great white sharks, was a “very difficult task that required the cooperation of many people,” however, according to an X/Twitter post from RGG Studio technical director Yutaka Ito.

As mentioned, The Ocean Hunter has never been ported to console, so RGG Studio had to do everything from the ground up. This included visiting actual arcades to understand exactly how it worked, since the game doesn’t exist in any other, more accessible, capacity.

Ito said the development team had been talking about bringing The Ocean Hunter over for a year ahead of actually beginning work, because it’s lack of license-related complications made it an ideal choice and it also very much fits the theme of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

The game, which arrives February 21, is a spin-off sequel to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the eighth mainline entry in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series (or ninth including Yakuza 0). It follows Majima as he wakes up with amnesia and becomes a pirate, exploring the likes of Hawaii along the way.

A trailer released at the October Xbox Partner Showcase revealed a proper first look at ship combat akin to Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag and the return of the beloved character Taiga Saejima, perhaps teasing more ties to the main series than previously thought.

It will also be a decent bit longer than previous Yakuza spin-off Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, with its story taking around 15 to 18 hours to complete. Fans can also dress up Majima as longtime series protagonist Kiryu Kazuma, but only if they sign up for email notifications.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.