Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza will soon get a playable demo and an unexpectedly adorable Dave the Diver crossover

A screenshot shows Like a Dragon characters facing off in Dave the Diver.
(Image credit: Mintrocket)

Let go of any remaining winter dreariness, because the Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii floodgates have opened at State of Play, and ye shall soon receive a playable demo and Dave the Diver DLC.

The Pirate Yakuza demo will be available on PS5 beginning 10 a.m. ET on February 13, a full week before the kitschy seaside adventure releases in all its eyepatched glory on February 20.

"Players can try out two battle styles" in the demo, Sony global third party portfolio director Shawne Benson says during State of Play, "including Goro Majima's new seadog style, as well as engage in naval battles at the Pirates' Coliseum." The demo seems to overlap with gameplay we experienced during our Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii preview earlier this year, which we felt turns Majima into a "swashbuckling Spider-Man."

"The real-time combat feels more exciting than ever with its chaotic combos, while the ship battles add another level of fun," says writer James Daly. "Returning to Hawaii is another boon, as Infinite Wealth's map is huge and packed with things to do."

Benson also reveals Dave the Diver's shockingly cute Yakuza crossover DLC, Ichiban's Holiday.

"Ichiban Kasuga and other Like a Dragon characters team up [...] in classic beat 'em up-style, all while perfecting new recipes at Ganko Sushi," they say. The DLC's trailer shows lots of gleeful pixelated face-punching and underwater rifles, much to the dismay of poor, jolly Dave. It'll be out some time in April.

Keep up with our State of Play live blog.

Ashley Bardhan
Senior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at 12DOVE. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

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