In an interview with Famitsu, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio Chief Producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto and Chief Director Ryosuke Horii opened up about development on Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. More specifically, both Horii and Sakamoto shared details about sailing in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza, and how difficult it was to develop this system. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
Up until the end of the development process, Sakamoto was worried about this key feature in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza. He also mentions that the development team ended up working through several concepts, while Horii elaborated that from the beginning the idea primarily focused on strengthening the crew and expanding the range of actions available to the ship. Horii went on to, jokingly, say that Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has always been stronger on land.
We’ve always been making cities, focusing on downtown areas. So we had relatively little experience, and we’ve never made something like naval battles. The first thing we worked on was making sure that ship movement, with the waves, wouldn’t make anyone sick.. Then we moved onto combat, but when we tried to make it more realistic, well.. That’s when it became quite difficult.
Horii ended up becoming the studio’s proverbial guinea pig. He mentions that since he’s arguably the worst at playing games on the team, that if he couldn’t make it through one of the test segments, adjustments would be made. Overall, the sailing system in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii ended up working out, with some difficult adjustments made because of Horii.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a spin-off game in the Like a Dragon (or Yakuza) series. It stars Goro Majima, one of the series most recognizable characters, as he sets off on an adventure to regain his memories and wreak havoc on the seas of Hawaii.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One and PC.
Published: Feb 25, 2025 05:00 pm