Lost Judgment once again puts players in the sneakers of lawyer turned street-fighting detective Takayuki Yagami. Joined by his partner, ex-yakuza Masaharu Kaito, the crime-fighting duo is called on to investigate a seemingly perfect crime whose lead suspect has an airtight alibi. What starts out as a tale of revenge reveals a tangled web of conspiracy involving several unlikely factions taking advantage of a broken law system. But as victims pile up and Yagami unravels the truth, he must choose between defending the law or exacting justice.
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Lost Judgment is incredible. Yakuza 0 is likely always going to be my favorite RGG title, but Lost Judgment takes the cake for their best game.
The Combat was an incredible step up from the first game. I did have some issues with it towards the end... mainly with how slow the animations are; I wish this game had better cancel animations, especially since they clearly want you to dodge/parry and not button mash, but it's very satisfying to play otherwise. The detective mechanics were still present, but they felt a lot more toned down, and they were also just less present in the main campaign.
I didn't do much of the side content, but I liked what I did more than the first game. Amasawa was a genuine delight and I'm interested in doing the side content purely for more interactions with her (if they do make a third game, I hope she gets at least a cameo). Dance stuff was cool too.
The story wasn't as strong as the first game, but it was still good imo. It's a lot more personal, and while messy at times, it really stuck with me. I have a lot of thoughts on the central theme, but I really do love the message it sends.
The characters were great too. All of the returning characters were great. Hoshino did kind of get relegated to comic relief (a shame because he was my favorite in the first game) but he was still enjoyable. I loved how they expanded on the friendship between Saori and Yagami. I like how Sugiura was integrated too; he's no longer heavily connected to the emotional core of the story, but his dynamic is great imo. Kaito is HIM, love than man. Higashi was an excellent blend of genuinely cool and dorky af. Mafuyuu was sadly not all that present (another shame because her dynamic with Kaito and Yagami was cute) but it was still neat seeing her again; and Genda was solid too. I liked Tsukumo's increased role too.
The new characters were pretty excellent too. Sawa-sensei is not a character I expected to care about as much as I did, but I really liked her. I dunno, I just have a soft spot for characters that care so much. She’s someone who’s suffered a lot and carries such a large burden on herself, but she’s still a genuinely good person who tries so hard to fight in whatever way she can. I felt like genuinely empty inside when she died because she only ever tried to do good and she was killed simply because she cared too much. I wish we got more than just the rooftop scene, but it was enough to convey what I needed to know about her. Another minor character who I completely loved was Tesso. He’s just a delightfully chill character and I loved all of the “Anaki” stuff. Another character architype I have a soft spot for (the character who is super chill and just follows their gut feelings). The antagonists in this game were also incredible. Soma is such a slippery son a bitch, but I can’t help but admire how much of a shit he is. He’s not quite Adachi level (plus Adachi has the whole paralleling Yu thing going on) but he’s such an effective villain; I hated that man, but I loved hating him. And I mean, where do I begin with Kuwana. He is a fantastic antagonist. He’s completely justified in wanting to seek justice for victims of bullying, especially because of how they’re failed by the justice system, but murdering bullies is just not productive. I thought Yagami’s words during the trial were really impactful; you can’t go around enacting your own justice, it’s the job of the law to bring justice. The law in its current state is not saving those who need saving, so it’s the job of its creators and those who enact it to fix that. I don’t think Kuwana is wrong for how he feels, and I mean he very clearly does regret his lack of action before, but he’s only caused more issues than he’s solved. You can't keep redefining "justice" so it serves your own actions. I don’t condone Kuwana, but I do understand him. He’s a fascinating character, and he really did make me rethink my own thought process; I like characters who do that.
Lost Judgment is far from a perfect game, but it’s pretty damn close and it had a pretty big impact on me. I know there are some complications with continuing this IP, but I really hope RGG is able to work things out and bring us a new Judgment game because this series is so fucking good.
The Combat was an incredible step up from the first game. I did have some issues with it towards the end... mainly with how slow the animations are; I wish this game had better cancel animations, especially since they clearly want you to dodge/parry and not button mash, but it's very satisfying to play otherwise. The detective mechanics were still present, but they felt a lot more toned down, and they were also just less present in the main campaign.
I didn't do much of the side content, but I liked what I did more than the first game. Amasawa was a genuine delight and I'm interested in doing the side content purely for more interactions with her (if they do make a third game, I hope she gets at least a cameo). Dance stuff was cool too.
The story wasn't as strong as the first game, but it was still good imo. It's a lot more personal, and while messy at times, it really stuck with me. I have a lot of thoughts on the central theme, but I really do love the message it sends.
The characters were great too. All of the returning characters were great. Hoshino did kind of get relegated to comic relief (a shame because he was my favorite in the first game) but he was still enjoyable. I loved how they expanded on the friendship between Saori and Yagami. I like how Sugiura was integrated too; he's no longer heavily connected to the emotional core of the story, but his dynamic is great imo. Kaito is HIM, love than man. Higashi was an excellent blend of genuinely cool and dorky af. Mafuyuu was sadly not all that present (another shame because her dynamic with Kaito and Yagami was cute) but it was still neat seeing her again; and Genda was solid too. I liked Tsukumo's increased role too.
The new characters were pretty excellent too. Sawa-sensei is not a character I expected to care about as much as I did, but I really liked her. I dunno, I just have a soft spot for characters that care so much. She’s someone who’s suffered a lot and carries such a large burden on herself, but she’s still a genuinely good person who tries so hard to fight in whatever way she can. I felt like genuinely empty inside when she died because she only ever tried to do good and she was killed simply because she cared too much. I wish we got more than just the rooftop scene, but it was enough to convey what I needed to know about her. Another minor character who I completely loved was Tesso. He’s just a delightfully chill character and I loved all of the “Anaki” stuff. Another character architype I have a soft spot for (the character who is super chill and just follows their gut feelings). The antagonists in this game were also incredible. Soma is such a slippery son a bitch, but I can’t help but admire how much of a shit he is. He’s not quite Adachi level (plus Adachi has the whole paralleling Yu thing going on) but he’s such an effective villain; I hated that man, but I loved hating him. And I mean, where do I begin with Kuwana. He is a fantastic antagonist. He’s completely justified in wanting to seek justice for victims of bullying, especially because of how they’re failed by the justice system, but murdering bullies is just not productive. I thought Yagami’s words during the trial were really impactful; you can’t go around enacting your own justice, it’s the job of the law to bring justice. The law in its current state is not saving those who need saving, so it’s the job of its creators and those who enact it to fix that. I don’t think Kuwana is wrong for how he feels, and I mean he very clearly does regret his lack of action before, but he’s only caused more issues than he’s solved. You can't keep redefining "justice" so it serves your own actions. I don’t condone Kuwana, but I do understand him. He’s a fascinating character, and he really did make me rethink my own thought process; I like characters who do that.
Lost Judgment is far from a perfect game, but it’s pretty damn close and it had a pretty big impact on me. I know there are some complications with continuing this IP, but I really hope RGG is able to work things out and bring us a new Judgment game because this series is so fucking good.
More Judgement is a good thing, and this one comes with the added bonus of having a bunch of silly minigames to do at school and I love it.
Really wasn't into the whole school setting or bullying as a central topic from the get-go and the opening hours are quite slow. Some chapters are very uneventful and short, chapter 6 basically nothing of note happens and chapter 7 is just fighting the same boss 6 times in a row.
It the middle section things do get more engaging especially with Yagami and the main antagonists having a really good dynamic and dichotomy going on, even if Yagami is just screaming "SAWA-SENSEI!!!" half the time.
In the final stretch the story tries to connect a random government conspiracy (because every RGG game needs one) to the bully hunter stuff and it's all just pretty convoluted and incoherent, it makes the whole thing seem unfocused and sandwiched together with the RK stuff feeling like a different game. In the Finale there's a random RK brawl which involves the school students that's just there to remind you of their existence since they haven't been seen in like 10 chapters. It really sucks the tension out of things.
As mentioned before Yagami is kind of an annoying idiot at times, instead of ever really criticizing the broader issues with vigilantism he just endlessly screams "SAWA-SENSEI!!" like a toddler. Just like Judgement, Lost Judgement has a large cast of supporting characters that are never allowed to actually help out. At numerous points Yagami turns them down for no reason and they just lounge around. It's only in the finale where Kaito & Gang actually do things.
I was already a fan of Yagami's general combat in the last game and Lost Judgement fixes the big issue of Crane Style being a complete joke. It also adds the Snake Style, a parry style (basically Tanimura from Y4) which gives Yagami a distinct, flashy, well rounded 3 style moveset. His overall abilities were cranked up to 11, he's op as shit and especially in heat mode he just flies all over the battlefield like it's bayonetta or something. The Dragon Engine physics is still the achilles heel, it's as unpredictable and janky as ever and maybe because of all the new crazy shit I had noticeably more "what was that" moments than in the predecessor. So many boss attack hitboxes are straight up broken (especially if they involve a grab) and the boss in the 2nd to last fight just kept teleporting across the floor on some attacks.
The detective gameplay is still just whatever and not something I ever look forward to. 1 noticeable change from Judgement is that there's fewer tailing missions but now there's new stealth sections which are somehow even worse. The enemies visions is just so unpredictable and stupid and if you're spotted it's an instant game over no questions asked.
"School Stories" is the main side content piece and while the clubs do offer a lot of content, unfortunately said content isn't all too good and the attached story is boring at best, they even bring back the insufferable Keihin Gang from the first game. Not all clubs were created equally either, some have their own fleshed out (admittedly not great) mini-game while others like the esports club have you play a few rounds of Virtua Fighter and the gambling "club" is just a roundabout way of unlocking the casino, it's not even relevant to the overarching story. The 2 most disappointing ones were the dance and bike club, the Haruka rhythm game stuff from Yakuza 5 was pretty fun but the dance club music just simply stinks and the bike club had me thinking it was going to be a racing mini-game, which are usually quite good in the series, but instead it's a boring gimick brawling "racer". The final race deservers special mention as the entire 7 minute long experience is decided by pixel perfect boost usage at the end since the AI cheats and will catch up no matter what.
While the dance songs suck, the rest of the OST is godlike. Easily some of the most memorable boss themes in the series with the final one being especially good.
Paradise VR had some good minor tweaks done but the most noteworthy change was the addition of rivals that turn the mode into a race to the finish line and since they removed the skill that slows down the dice, it's a heavily RNG based race. Ideally you get enough star points each round to activate the turn skip skill which essentially removes the rival from the game.
The story has it's moments but it's so unfocused that it ends up being forgettable and nowhere near as engaging as the first one. Other things do at least somewhat make up for it, alongside the usual QoL changes that come with a sequel, Yagami's moveset has been drastically improved in basically every aspect and Lost Judgement is easily the best playing Dragon Engine game so far.
It the middle section things do get more engaging especially with Yagami and the main antagonists having a really good dynamic and dichotomy going on, even if Yagami is just screaming "SAWA-SENSEI!!!" half the time.
In the final stretch the story tries to connect a random government conspiracy (because every RGG game needs one) to the bully hunter stuff and it's all just pretty convoluted and incoherent, it makes the whole thing seem unfocused and sandwiched together with the RK stuff feeling like a different game. In the Finale there's a random RK brawl which involves the school students that's just there to remind you of their existence since they haven't been seen in like 10 chapters. It really sucks the tension out of things.
As mentioned before Yagami is kind of an annoying idiot at times, instead of ever really criticizing the broader issues with vigilantism he just endlessly screams "SAWA-SENSEI!!" like a toddler. Just like Judgement, Lost Judgement has a large cast of supporting characters that are never allowed to actually help out. At numerous points Yagami turns them down for no reason and they just lounge around. It's only in the finale where Kaito & Gang actually do things.
I was already a fan of Yagami's general combat in the last game and Lost Judgement fixes the big issue of Crane Style being a complete joke. It also adds the Snake Style, a parry style (basically Tanimura from Y4) which gives Yagami a distinct, flashy, well rounded 3 style moveset. His overall abilities were cranked up to 11, he's op as shit and especially in heat mode he just flies all over the battlefield like it's bayonetta or something. The Dragon Engine physics is still the achilles heel, it's as unpredictable and janky as ever and maybe because of all the new crazy shit I had noticeably more "what was that" moments than in the predecessor. So many boss attack hitboxes are straight up broken (especially if they involve a grab) and the boss in the 2nd to last fight just kept teleporting across the floor on some attacks.
The detective gameplay is still just whatever and not something I ever look forward to. 1 noticeable change from Judgement is that there's fewer tailing missions but now there's new stealth sections which are somehow even worse. The enemies visions is just so unpredictable and stupid and if you're spotted it's an instant game over no questions asked.
"School Stories" is the main side content piece and while the clubs do offer a lot of content, unfortunately said content isn't all too good and the attached story is boring at best, they even bring back the insufferable Keihin Gang from the first game. Not all clubs were created equally either, some have their own fleshed out (admittedly not great) mini-game while others like the esports club have you play a few rounds of Virtua Fighter and the gambling "club" is just a roundabout way of unlocking the casino, it's not even relevant to the overarching story. The 2 most disappointing ones were the dance and bike club, the Haruka rhythm game stuff from Yakuza 5 was pretty fun but the dance club music just simply stinks and the bike club had me thinking it was going to be a racing mini-game, which are usually quite good in the series, but instead it's a boring gimick brawling "racer". The final race deservers special mention as the entire 7 minute long experience is decided by pixel perfect boost usage at the end since the AI cheats and will catch up no matter what.
While the dance songs suck, the rest of the OST is godlike. Easily some of the most memorable boss themes in the series with the final one being especially good.
Paradise VR had some good minor tweaks done but the most noteworthy change was the addition of rivals that turn the mode into a race to the finish line and since they removed the skill that slows down the dice, it's a heavily RNG based race. Ideally you get enough star points each round to activate the turn skip skill which essentially removes the rival from the game.
The story has it's moments but it's so unfocused that it ends up being forgettable and nowhere near as engaging as the first one. Other things do at least somewhat make up for it, alongside the usual QoL changes that come with a sequel, Yagami's moveset has been drastically improved in basically every aspect and Lost Judgement is easily the best playing Dragon Engine game so far.
Lost Judgment took everything I loved about the first game and cranked it up a notch! Yagami's a great detective, and the story is super intriguing, but the combat is where it really shines – it's so satisfying to pull off those wild moves. Yokohama feels even bigger to explore, and there are tons of wacky side cases to keep you busy. Some of the stealth sections can be annoying, but if you love action games, detective stories, and just a bit of Japanese craziness, Lost Judgment is a must-play.
After playing Judgment 1, I was really hyped for the second one. They had already sold me on the characters and the world, and I was expecting a story on the same level as the first. While they improved the game overall, with significantly less repetitive missions and new gameplay modes, without a doubt making it a superior game, I feel like the story fell a bit short compared to the first. It's not that the story is bad; it's just not as good. However, the Kaito Files DLC has a really cool story and was a lot of fun to play. I recommend it to anyone who has already bought the second game to consider getting the DLC, as it offers plenty of content and is quite enjoyable.
Quite literally every single problem I had with Judgment was fixed and then some. I thought the Yakuza games peaked with 2 but RGG has finally topped it. Every single aspect about this game is nearly perfect, the combat the story the side content the characters, basically everything is done incredibly well. This is the best RGG game that doesn't have Kenzan in the title.