175: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (with Brian Edwards)
Dave is joined by Brian Edwards (Character Issues, Cane and Rinse) to discuss Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's 2025 Like a Dragon side story, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
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Show Notes
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Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has risen to the gaming mainstream with its beloved Like a Dragon series, and when a hot streak occurs, a heat check often follows, and there is no bigger heat check than a game where you play through a Hawaiian pirate adventure starring the series' lovable maniac, Goro Majima. So why has Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii fallen out of the conversation, even among series diehards? Did the heat check connect, or is it the beginning of a downturn? All that and more in this great conversation.
Guest info: Brian Edwards
- Listen to the Cane and Rinse podcast https://caneandrinse.com/
- Listen to the Character Issues podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-character-issues-podcast/id1530881747
- Follow Brian on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/characterissues.bsky.social
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 Title Card
- 0:20 Intros
- 5:45 Personal Histories With Yakuza Series
- 9:53 The Yakuza Secret Sauce
- 14:12 Opening Thoughts about Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
- 20:34 Like a Dragon Series Fatigue?
- 35:15 Story Setup, Majima the Leading Man
- 45:40 Framing Device, Substories, Goofs
- 1:11:18 Pirate Gameplay, Ship Combat
- 1:33:51 Action Combat
- 1:44:59 Mini-Games and Side Activities
- 1:52:36 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations
- 1:57:57 Character Issues, Cane and Rinse
- 2:02:33 Spoiler Wall/Patron Thank-Yous
- 2:04:37 Spoiler Section- Substories
- 2:18:42 Spoiler Section- Main Story and Ending
Music used in the episode:
- Anchors Aweigh (Saori Yoshida)
- Nameless Traveler (Saori Yoshida)
- Palekanian Dance (Yuri Fukuda)
- Mad Dog (Keitarou Hanada)
- Echoes of Hope (Kazuki Takagi)
- Masaru's Love Journey (Mitsuhara Fukuyama)
Check out the King of Games 1999 tournament on Retro Hangover! https://linktr.ee/retrohangover
Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures
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