Pirate ships but with lasers: Pirate Yakuza's wackiness delivers so much joy

REVIEW: Tight gameplay mechanics Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii reach new heights and make a strong case for more fast-following spin-offs that recycle assets.

Your motley crew in Pirate Yakuza is nothing if not diverse.

The first trailer for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii confounded me. After jumping into the series last year with Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, I wondered if the franchise was doing a historic game -- set in an era where pirates were rife and apparently in Hawaii.

But no. I was wrong.

This is a game set in the present time. Where a realistic portrayal of Waikiki plays host to a seedy underbelly of pirate activity. Where grown adults literally battle each other in wooden ships with actual cannons, dressed like they are early for Halloween. Where there's a pirate capital city, hierarchy and long-lost buried treasure.

That really sets the scene for this game. From the minute you boot up Pirate Yakuza, it asks you to not only suspend disbelief, but throw it out the window. But a few hours in, you can't help but go alon…