This review contains spoilers
Lost Judgment (alongside its companion DLC; The Kaito Files, both make an absolutely killer combo, as one brilliantly supplements the other) is by far the best game RGG Studios have EVER put out to date.
Nearly everything is in tip-top shape and quite the improvement over the last game; the combat, with its wide variety of combo options and approaches to encounters; for starters, the preexisting styles; Crane and Tiger are actually viable and useful in encounters unlike the last time, and we have two new styles; Snake and Boxer, and while Snake is an awesome and fresh new style with plenty of fun mechanics, Boxer falls a little bit short but is still fun in combos. Oh, and there's also the boss fights, the side content and activities, as Seiryo High is a brilliant, unique, and brand new setting for the RGG franchise, the music, the writing, the character interactions, and the majority of the new characters: with my favorites of the bunch being Kuwana, who is the best antagonist in the franchise, Sawa, and Amasawa, who is the best substory character the franchise has seen, (although there are duds like Koda and Bando), hell even Akutsu, Tesso and Soma, as relatively minor as they all are, are still pretty great and memorable despite their lack of screentime comparatively, and there's also the storytelling, which is deliciously gripping, enthralling, and morally complex all the way through, and on par with the great storytelling of the previous game, maybe even slightly better, as the first game had a bit of an issue with its pacing.
Even though the narrative's government conspiracy kind of trips over itself in the last few chapters of the game, the positives far outweigh the negatives, as I think it's a very refreshing, unique, and engrossing story narrative, tackling themes and topics the mainline Yakuza series wouldn't even dare to touch, like bullying and suicide, and what kind of damages it inflicts upon society and its people, and how various people get caught in the crossfire of it all. People might say the story's worse because it's less personal; and I'd say I disagree with that notion because while it may be a bit less personal than the first game, it still fits the Yagami squad's M.O as detectives, taking on various morally complex jobs and stories, and it does the job perfectly.
The only things that fall a bit too flat here are the detective and courtroom aspects, as they feel way too simplistic and tacked-on, and don't really require too much critical thinking to solve, and that Mafuyu does absolutely fucking nothing in this game, and by GOD, I hope JE3 fixes that because these two issues have been plaguing the Judgment series since day one. There are also some other small gripes I have, like some of the bullies' redemption arcs feel a wee bit rushed (looking at you Akane and especially Sakaki who barely counts as a character compared to the other two and on his own), and the sexual harassment plotpoints being a bit weird (they technically make sense but still feel lowkey in poor taste), that and the boxart is uhh... yeah it's bad, not even gonna sugarcoat it. But, despite the negatives, I'd say that the game is still more than the sum of its parts in the best way possible.
If I had to describe this game's narrative in a single word, it would be... morally grey. No one's right in this whole situation, but no one is wrong either, and no single perspective is correct, and that's the beauty of it all, honestly, I rarely see video games approach morally gray topics like that, and I'd say Lost Judgment aces it pretty well! so in short, it's absolutely peak, play the Judgment games now!
See you in Judgment 3! (it's gonna come out sooner or later by the way, Johnny's and Associates is out of commission, and Takuya Kimura has a YT channel, and there's also that big announcement Yokoyama was talking about https://twitter.com/Okami13_/status/1740800530056712454 so it's only a matter of when at this point)
Nearly everything is in tip-top shape and quite the improvement over the last game; the combat, with its wide variety of combo options and approaches to encounters; for starters, the preexisting styles; Crane and Tiger are actually viable and useful in encounters unlike the last time, and we have two new styles; Snake and Boxer, and while Snake is an awesome and fresh new style with plenty of fun mechanics, Boxer falls a little bit short but is still fun in combos. Oh, and there's also the boss fights, the side content and activities, as Seiryo High is a brilliant, unique, and brand new setting for the RGG franchise, the music, the writing, the character interactions, and the majority of the new characters: with my favorites of the bunch being Kuwana, who is the best antagonist in the franchise, Sawa, and Amasawa, who is the best substory character the franchise has seen, (although there are duds like Koda and Bando), hell even Akutsu, Tesso and Soma, as relatively minor as they all are, are still pretty great and memorable despite their lack of screentime comparatively, and there's also the storytelling, which is deliciously gripping, enthralling, and morally complex all the way through, and on par with the great storytelling of the previous game, maybe even slightly better, as the first game had a bit of an issue with its pacing.
Even though the narrative's government conspiracy kind of trips over itself in the last few chapters of the game, the positives far outweigh the negatives, as I think it's a very refreshing, unique, and engrossing story narrative, tackling themes and topics the mainline Yakuza series wouldn't even dare to touch, like bullying and suicide, and what kind of damages it inflicts upon society and its people, and how various people get caught in the crossfire of it all. People might say the story's worse because it's less personal; and I'd say I disagree with that notion because while it may be a bit less personal than the first game, it still fits the Yagami squad's M.O as detectives, taking on various morally complex jobs and stories, and it does the job perfectly.
The only things that fall a bit too flat here are the detective and courtroom aspects, as they feel way too simplistic and tacked-on, and don't really require too much critical thinking to solve, and that Mafuyu does absolutely fucking nothing in this game, and by GOD, I hope JE3 fixes that because these two issues have been plaguing the Judgment series since day one. There are also some other small gripes I have, like some of the bullies' redemption arcs feel a wee bit rushed (looking at you Akane and especially Sakaki who barely counts as a character compared to the other two and on his own), and the sexual harassment plotpoints being a bit weird (they technically make sense but still feel lowkey in poor taste), that and the boxart is uhh... yeah it's bad, not even gonna sugarcoat it. But, despite the negatives, I'd say that the game is still more than the sum of its parts in the best way possible.
If I had to describe this game's narrative in a single word, it would be... morally grey. No one's right in this whole situation, but no one is wrong either, and no single perspective is correct, and that's the beauty of it all, honestly, I rarely see video games approach morally gray topics like that, and I'd say Lost Judgment aces it pretty well! so in short, it's absolutely peak, play the Judgment games now!
See you in Judgment 3! (it's gonna come out sooner or later by the way, Johnny's and Associates is out of commission, and Takuya Kimura has a YT channel, and there's also that big announcement Yokoyama was talking about https://twitter.com/Okami13_/status/1740800530056712454 so it's only a matter of when at this point)
it definitely has a few rough edges but lost judgment might probably be the best thing that came out from rgg studio. i genuinely have no idea how can they surpass this
Dificilmente vou jogar algo tão bom assim de novo em toda a minha vida.
Nem vou prolongar muito, só queria dizer que as cenas nos créditos demonstram o quão vivo e natural esses personagens são, eu tô muito triste que acabou.
E devo admitir que surtei ao ver que a Ado canta a música tema do game
Nem vou prolongar muito, só queria dizer que as cenas nos créditos demonstram o quão vivo e natural esses personagens são, eu tô muito triste que acabou.
E devo admitir que surtei ao ver que a Ado canta a música tema do game
pretty fun but god that is one of the worst and most tactless narratives i've ever seen in a mainstream video game. the usual Yakuza conspiracy plot structure's presence here is absurd. since the game deals with bullying and the actions that victims' families take to get their own version of justice on the matter, Lost Judgment can't help but to relativize every instance of torture and murder commited against the bullies. it genuinely expects the player to have so little empathy for the bully that they don't see them as human. Yagami just hangs out with the serial killer here. has a toast with him. he's fully convinced that the guy's logic makes sense, but the only problem is getting other innocent people hurt while trying to hide his instances of moral torturemuder.
this only bothers me because this game is mostly a morality tale. it constantly stops to lecture you about bullying and the justice system in an attempt to make you try to think about the situation as if it was hard to decide who's right or wrong. like, man.... most people know bullying is a problem. it's very easy to empathize with someone who got bullied to the verge of suicide. i don't need to see that shit pushed to it's logical limit without any care at all.
also, Yagami kinda goes insane in this game. while he empathizes with many psychos in Lost Judgment, he also stalks and emotionally manipulates 3 different women (1 innocent, 2 guilty) in order to get answers for his investigation. i think his more social and brute way of doing detective work is pretty cool, it fits RGG studios' style. but here, he always goes to the most vulnerable women around him for answers, and pressures them while knowing they won't handle it and can't fight back. this is how he makes most of the more important discoveries. it kinda makes me sick.
ok so, i really like the combat, school stories and substories. for me these games are always more about their whole world than just the main plot, and Lost Judgment is one of my favorites in regards to side stuff! but the Judgment duology is also more focused on story and dialogue than other RGG games, and god this narrative is so long and expository that i can't help but to see as tainting a lot of the game.
i am sad but i will continue trying to have fun with these games. here's hoping i still enjoy the rest as much as i did the first half of the Yakuza series!
this only bothers me because this game is mostly a morality tale. it constantly stops to lecture you about bullying and the justice system in an attempt to make you try to think about the situation as if it was hard to decide who's right or wrong. like, man.... most people know bullying is a problem. it's very easy to empathize with someone who got bullied to the verge of suicide. i don't need to see that shit pushed to it's logical limit without any care at all.
also, Yagami kinda goes insane in this game. while he empathizes with many psychos in Lost Judgment, he also stalks and emotionally manipulates 3 different women (1 innocent, 2 guilty) in order to get answers for his investigation. i think his more social and brute way of doing detective work is pretty cool, it fits RGG studios' style. but here, he always goes to the most vulnerable women around him for answers, and pressures them while knowing they won't handle it and can't fight back. this is how he makes most of the more important discoveries. it kinda makes me sick.
ok so, i really like the combat, school stories and substories. for me these games are always more about their whole world than just the main plot, and Lost Judgment is one of my favorites in regards to side stuff! but the Judgment duology is also more focused on story and dialogue than other RGG games, and god this narrative is so long and expository that i can't help but to see as tainting a lot of the game.
i am sad but i will continue trying to have fun with these games. here's hoping i still enjoy the rest as much as i did the first half of the Yakuza series!
Greatest of all time. Zenith of the medium. Hallmark of media. Gold standard of storytelling. Apogee of creativity. Vertex of invention. Crest of ingenuity. Acme of imagination. Pinnacle of innovation. Epic of epics. Legend among legends. I am speechless.
This game rules but the main story is ASS, possibly the worst RGG has made. Which is a real shame as a followup to Judgement, what I'd consider to be the best written game in the series. Or at least the one with the best pacing. On the other end of the spectrum; Lost Judgement's story doesnt execute anything well.
The game effectively reaches it's climax at Chapter7.... of 13 lol. After this point the story becomes reminiscent of the earlier Yakuza titles in the worst possible way. Things just start happening - Go to X. Now go talk to Y in a different city. Oh shit its person Z, time for a 20 minute infodump of things you pieced together 3 hours ago. This continues all the way till the end where you're told "maybe sometimes being a serial killer is justifed..." Great game for attack on titan fans!
Im not kidding when I say the sidestories (both the main overarching one & 4minute jokey ones) are written better.
On that note: Side content this time around is great, some of the best in the series even! Combat is also the best the Dragon Engine has to offer.
If youre playing these games in release order you know what youre in for by now - I had fun with it and you likely will too. But the difference in quality between the main story and everything else is extremely apparent.
The game effectively reaches it's climax at Chapter7.... of 13 lol. After this point the story becomes reminiscent of the earlier Yakuza titles in the worst possible way. Things just start happening - Go to X. Now go talk to Y in a different city. Oh shit its person Z, time for a 20 minute infodump of things you pieced together 3 hours ago. This continues all the way till the end where you're told "maybe sometimes being a serial killer is justifed..." Great game for attack on titan fans!
Im not kidding when I say the sidestories (both the main overarching one & 4minute jokey ones) are written better.
On that note: Side content this time around is great, some of the best in the series even! Combat is also the best the Dragon Engine has to offer.
If youre playing these games in release order you know what youre in for by now - I had fun with it and you likely will too. But the difference in quality between the main story and everything else is extremely apparent.
You can beat up kids in this one
Sawa-senseiiiiiiiiiiiiii, I s2g if I hear Yagami say it one more time
Anyway, this is a marginal step down from the original. The stealth sucks, the side activities suck, the new QTEs suck, the investigating sucks, the parkour REALLY sucks, and the final dungeon is probably one of the dopiest sequences in the franchise. In this more than any other RGG game, the gameplay besides the fighting seems incredibly perfunctory - like this should really just be a beat 'em up with a bunch of cutscenes between fights. But the fighting is still good and it's got that old YAKUZA charm, so it can't ever dip below passable, really.
Also, you can just freely beat the everloving SHIT out of high school students in this game, and in fact need to for the plot. Gotta get some points for that.
Anyway, this is a marginal step down from the original. The stealth sucks, the side activities suck, the new QTEs suck, the investigating sucks, the parkour REALLY sucks, and the final dungeon is probably one of the dopiest sequences in the franchise. In this more than any other RGG game, the gameplay besides the fighting seems incredibly perfunctory - like this should really just be a beat 'em up with a bunch of cutscenes between fights. But the fighting is still good and it's got that old YAKUZA charm, so it can't ever dip below passable, really.
Also, you can just freely beat the everloving SHIT out of high school students in this game, and in fact need to for the plot. Gotta get some points for that.
Lost Judgment Finished: 1/21/24
Kaito Files Finished 1/24/24
New Years Eve of 2022 I had spent most of my afternoon finishing off the last few hours of Yakuza 4- a game I found frustrating for most of its run. Thus, I decided to start 2023 off suitably, starting Yakuza 5- a game I found in contrast, full to the brim with excellent moments, sidequests and minigames. It had its shortcomings but a year later I don't feel as though its moments have waned. Its a maximalist nightmare and a dream come true and I still believe it to be my favorite in the series still. A year later, however, I find myself in a similar situation. While I didn't end Like A Dragon Gaiden specifically on new years, it and the playthrough I did of 6 in October had left an admittedly middling aftertaste in the back of my mouth. They weren't bad games but I didn't come out as wowed as some of the other entries in the series- some moments I had expected to be whelmed while others I was baffled I hadn't been spoiled on yet.
Thus, with the start of 2024 I finished off Lost Judgment…a game I actually started a longgg while ago. I started this game around early 2022 (also off the heels of finishing Judgment on new years 2021) and have on/off played it. Really enjoyed it anytime I had it on but part of me wanted to savor it until after I had grinded through the prior games. Two years later:
I think this is at least on-par with Judgment, made stronger by its inclusion of new mechanics, improvements made to traversal and combat, and an overall stronger cast. Judgment was already batting a good average in my opinion with its strong lean into japanese dramas, and Lost Judgment isn't too different but I think this time around but I think there's more of a focus on its strengths than the shortcomings of its predecessor(s). There's a lot less trailing to do, Crane style is a LOT more fun to use in fights- coming off 7 it's a lot easier to traverse Isezaki Ijincho now that you have a skateboard. Coming off Gaiden's combat it felt so nice having three styles that just felt like butter to mess around with. Agent/Yakuza style be damned, nothing feels as good as landing Flux Fissure or ripping items out of enemies hands with Snake style. Fighting just feels GOOD throughout Lost Judgment.
Lot of the cast is great in this, and I think not having to rely on introducing most of the main cast helps a lot. Suguira and Tsukumo branching out into Ijincho, Higashi playing a more supportive role throughout, Saeko and Hoshino being a thing, Kaito my heartsweet. We'll talk about Kaito files briefly here rather than in a separate log.
I'd be lying if I didn't admit I feel the game can be a bit of a slow burn at times. Yakuza/RGG titles have an odd history of pacing, and certainly the openness to explore whichever metropolitan area(s) said title throws your way doesn't help muddy up the sheer amount of stuff that's available in these games. Half hour chapters can feel like they've been going on for a while just because you actually decided to go off and have drinks, start a go-karting venture and end up becoming a local legend for your efforts, it's part of the fun of every RGG title.
Lost Judgment gets incredibly lost in its sauce at points with regards to the amount of stuff you do regarding the school clubs. You have 10 clubs total- 5 major and 5 minor and these act as long-running side cases in a sense. Thankfully none of these are required for main story progression, so you're welcome to finish them at whatever pace you please, or even save it for the postgame. That said, much of the early game is spent at Seiryo High so you might as well check in whenever you see that teal folder icon.
The bottom line is: I think most of these are pretty fun- but this side plot encompasses RGG's minigame philosophy to a T. For better or worse.
Quick Rundown- the major clubs (barring Mystery Club) first, then the 5 minor.
-Dancing is a lot of fun- Yagami popping it like he's in fortnite is the funniest thing.
-Robotics is frustrating as hell at first -please consult the CyricZ doc to save yourself some trouble and it becomes tolerable.
-Biking is WAYYY too long- honestly coulda been fine but it can't hold a candle to 5's taxi racing.
-Boxing took a while for me to get interested but I dig how it feels even if I'm kind of a button masher when it comes to these things. Later fights get pretty tough but they give you an auto win if you can't eke out victory otherwise.
For the 'minor' clubs now, many of these are on the shorter side (kinda).
-Photography is pretty fun, although I wish it were done in a different manner. Some of these had me doing a bit of trial and error and it's not too punishing if you miss the timing but some took longer than I'd like to admit.
-Casino is kind of a joke- quite literally just as long as any other side story.
-Esports is fine, kinda easy even for someone that still doesn't understand Virtua Fighter. -Skateboarding is simpler than I wish, which is disappointing but overall fine.
-Girls Bar? Oh my LORD this one felt repetitive. You have to keep building up relationships with the staff of the bar and honestly these characters are pretty interesting within their substory (ironically not the main target and eventual girlfriend Emily) but actually doing the minigame and filling the meter gets super repetitive, especially since the club has a high entry fee and you have to go in and out of the place constantly to refresh the side quest markers.
Overall this side mode is pretty good, it's just interspersed with some pretty slow moments and some clubs not being as engaging as others. Getting to the end and finishing the MRC makes for a fun way to round out things, though.
The clubs being optional and a bit on the fatty side (in that RGG way I cant help but like) is one thing, but I will say if you decide to go primarily down the main story, Lost Judgment isn’t much longer than others in the franchise. Looking at the general lengths on HLTB, LJ actually clocks in lower than the first game and looking back over my playthrough it certainly felt like it. You dont have the introductory baggage, there’s a lot less trailing missions that take up time, and the use of the skateboard to help speed up traveling from point A to B makes going through Lost Judgment a breeze- comboing with how excellent of a narrative this game provides.
I won’t go too in-depth due to spoilers however I wasn’t expecting anything less than Judgment considering how much I enjoyed that game’s story and the general praise I had heard about this game. Sorry to say, no hot takes here- I really enjoyed how the story unfolds. Lot of the new cast does a great job, Kuwana and Ehara especially- on top of Yagami and returning characters performing excellently. The school bullying angle is one that’s pretty unique not just to the series but also to a lot of games of this type in general. Also makes for a really interesting angle as you play this from the perspective of a near 40 year old man, makes for an interesting counselor/student perspective. All of this spiraling down the usual twists and turns, but ending up in one of the most fun finales in the series.
Kaito DLC:
Honestly, this is how I had hoped Gaiden was presented. It's a brisk 6 to 8 hours and its all the better for not having the usual Yakuza 'fluff'. Even with how brisk Gaiden is compared to other games, it still feels like there's a lot of moments where you're expected to do some Yakuza-minigame-questline or major exploration collectathon. Here the only major collectible are Matsugane crests and these 'strong' encounters that appear after equipping a certain item. No checklists, no side stories, you don't even get SP from restaurants or most activities because you get a ton just from the normal questline. It feels like a breath of fresh air from how massive LJ already is.
In addition to its pacing it expands on maybe one of RGG's most underrated characters: Kaito.
Definitely my favorite character in the entire series, although prior to this he generally just gravitated to me for his blunt yet friendly, brotherly demeanor.
Kaito was an extremely trustworthy guy in the first game and Lost Judgment definitely gave him some great moments too. However the Kaito Files DLC definitely helps show him in a much more involved and unique role, utilizing his own sense of detective work. I'm so glad that he actually has a quality set of skills and isn't just 'I'll solve this case with my fists'. His heightened perception makes for some interesting detective work as he focuses on smells and sounds a lot more than Yagami, and it reminded me a lot of how powerful of a skill perception is in DND/WRPG- it always feels like an underutilized aspect in these kinds of detective games.
Similarly this DLC helps Kaito's characterization greatly by showcasing some of his regrets involving his mishandling of a prior relationship and the lengths he’ll go to protect the ones he loves. It’s not all the dissimilar to Kiryu, so don't get me wrong when I say I love Kiryu- however stoicness and legendary status within the ‘RGG canon’ somewhat alienates him as the series has gone on. Kaito, while still a monster of a brawler, still has a lot of humanity that does a lot for me. I wont go too into detail but ramping up towards the finale is a scenario that includes some of the most brutal moments in the series- Kaito being the most emotionally steady in the room hits a lot as he faces down arguably one of the most callous antagonists in the series.
Something about the heat action where Jun backs you up if you get downed and afterwards doing a high five without looking at each other just makes him a dawg. A bro. I love this dude.
Final Thoughts:
Lost Judgment, much like its predecessor- stands tall among the RGG catalog. I think there's some give and take between the two games as to certain aspects however ultimately I do think Lost Judgment is more fleshed out and lacks some of the baggage weighing down the initial setup in Judgment. I’m still gonna give this one some time to simmer before I decide where it sits among my all time favorite games, however there’s not a whole lot I really want to point out and complain about. Yakuza 5 might still remain my favorite in the overall series however Lost Judgment might be right behind it- standing similarly as a maximalist pillar in this already large and bloated series. The best thing I can ask for games like Y5 and Lost Judgment is that they snowball like they do and end just as splendidly.
Kaito Files Finished 1/24/24
New Years Eve of 2022 I had spent most of my afternoon finishing off the last few hours of Yakuza 4- a game I found frustrating for most of its run. Thus, I decided to start 2023 off suitably, starting Yakuza 5- a game I found in contrast, full to the brim with excellent moments, sidequests and minigames. It had its shortcomings but a year later I don't feel as though its moments have waned. Its a maximalist nightmare and a dream come true and I still believe it to be my favorite in the series still. A year later, however, I find myself in a similar situation. While I didn't end Like A Dragon Gaiden specifically on new years, it and the playthrough I did of 6 in October had left an admittedly middling aftertaste in the back of my mouth. They weren't bad games but I didn't come out as wowed as some of the other entries in the series- some moments I had expected to be whelmed while others I was baffled I hadn't been spoiled on yet.
Thus, with the start of 2024 I finished off Lost Judgment…a game I actually started a longgg while ago. I started this game around early 2022 (also off the heels of finishing Judgment on new years 2021) and have on/off played it. Really enjoyed it anytime I had it on but part of me wanted to savor it until after I had grinded through the prior games. Two years later:
I think this is at least on-par with Judgment, made stronger by its inclusion of new mechanics, improvements made to traversal and combat, and an overall stronger cast. Judgment was already batting a good average in my opinion with its strong lean into japanese dramas, and Lost Judgment isn't too different but I think this time around but I think there's more of a focus on its strengths than the shortcomings of its predecessor(s). There's a lot less trailing to do, Crane style is a LOT more fun to use in fights- coming off 7 it's a lot easier to traverse Isezaki Ijincho now that you have a skateboard. Coming off Gaiden's combat it felt so nice having three styles that just felt like butter to mess around with. Agent/Yakuza style be damned, nothing feels as good as landing Flux Fissure or ripping items out of enemies hands with Snake style. Fighting just feels GOOD throughout Lost Judgment.
Lot of the cast is great in this, and I think not having to rely on introducing most of the main cast helps a lot. Suguira and Tsukumo branching out into Ijincho, Higashi playing a more supportive role throughout, Saeko and Hoshino being a thing, Kaito my heartsweet. We'll talk about Kaito files briefly here rather than in a separate log.
I'd be lying if I didn't admit I feel the game can be a bit of a slow burn at times. Yakuza/RGG titles have an odd history of pacing, and certainly the openness to explore whichever metropolitan area(s) said title throws your way doesn't help muddy up the sheer amount of stuff that's available in these games. Half hour chapters can feel like they've been going on for a while just because you actually decided to go off and have drinks, start a go-karting venture and end up becoming a local legend for your efforts, it's part of the fun of every RGG title.
Lost Judgment gets incredibly lost in its sauce at points with regards to the amount of stuff you do regarding the school clubs. You have 10 clubs total- 5 major and 5 minor and these act as long-running side cases in a sense. Thankfully none of these are required for main story progression, so you're welcome to finish them at whatever pace you please, or even save it for the postgame. That said, much of the early game is spent at Seiryo High so you might as well check in whenever you see that teal folder icon.
The bottom line is: I think most of these are pretty fun- but this side plot encompasses RGG's minigame philosophy to a T. For better or worse.
Quick Rundown- the major clubs (barring Mystery Club) first, then the 5 minor.
-Dancing is a lot of fun- Yagami popping it like he's in fortnite is the funniest thing.
-Robotics is frustrating as hell at first -please consult the CyricZ doc to save yourself some trouble and it becomes tolerable.
-Biking is WAYYY too long- honestly coulda been fine but it can't hold a candle to 5's taxi racing.
-Boxing took a while for me to get interested but I dig how it feels even if I'm kind of a button masher when it comes to these things. Later fights get pretty tough but they give you an auto win if you can't eke out victory otherwise.
For the 'minor' clubs now, many of these are on the shorter side (kinda).
-Photography is pretty fun, although I wish it were done in a different manner. Some of these had me doing a bit of trial and error and it's not too punishing if you miss the timing but some took longer than I'd like to admit.
-Casino is kind of a joke- quite literally just as long as any other side story.
-Esports is fine, kinda easy even for someone that still doesn't understand Virtua Fighter. -Skateboarding is simpler than I wish, which is disappointing but overall fine.
-Girls Bar? Oh my LORD this one felt repetitive. You have to keep building up relationships with the staff of the bar and honestly these characters are pretty interesting within their substory (ironically not the main target and eventual girlfriend Emily) but actually doing the minigame and filling the meter gets super repetitive, especially since the club has a high entry fee and you have to go in and out of the place constantly to refresh the side quest markers.
Overall this side mode is pretty good, it's just interspersed with some pretty slow moments and some clubs not being as engaging as others. Getting to the end and finishing the MRC makes for a fun way to round out things, though.
The clubs being optional and a bit on the fatty side (in that RGG way I cant help but like) is one thing, but I will say if you decide to go primarily down the main story, Lost Judgment isn’t much longer than others in the franchise. Looking at the general lengths on HLTB, LJ actually clocks in lower than the first game and looking back over my playthrough it certainly felt like it. You dont have the introductory baggage, there’s a lot less trailing missions that take up time, and the use of the skateboard to help speed up traveling from point A to B makes going through Lost Judgment a breeze- comboing with how excellent of a narrative this game provides.
I won’t go too in-depth due to spoilers however I wasn’t expecting anything less than Judgment considering how much I enjoyed that game’s story and the general praise I had heard about this game. Sorry to say, no hot takes here- I really enjoyed how the story unfolds. Lot of the new cast does a great job, Kuwana and Ehara especially- on top of Yagami and returning characters performing excellently. The school bullying angle is one that’s pretty unique not just to the series but also to a lot of games of this type in general. Also makes for a really interesting angle as you play this from the perspective of a near 40 year old man, makes for an interesting counselor/student perspective. All of this spiraling down the usual twists and turns, but ending up in one of the most fun finales in the series.
Kaito DLC:
Honestly, this is how I had hoped Gaiden was presented. It's a brisk 6 to 8 hours and its all the better for not having the usual Yakuza 'fluff'. Even with how brisk Gaiden is compared to other games, it still feels like there's a lot of moments where you're expected to do some Yakuza-minigame-questline or major exploration collectathon. Here the only major collectible are Matsugane crests and these 'strong' encounters that appear after equipping a certain item. No checklists, no side stories, you don't even get SP from restaurants or most activities because you get a ton just from the normal questline. It feels like a breath of fresh air from how massive LJ already is.
In addition to its pacing it expands on maybe one of RGG's most underrated characters: Kaito.
Definitely my favorite character in the entire series, although prior to this he generally just gravitated to me for his blunt yet friendly, brotherly demeanor.
Kaito was an extremely trustworthy guy in the first game and Lost Judgment definitely gave him some great moments too. However the Kaito Files DLC definitely helps show him in a much more involved and unique role, utilizing his own sense of detective work. I'm so glad that he actually has a quality set of skills and isn't just 'I'll solve this case with my fists'. His heightened perception makes for some interesting detective work as he focuses on smells and sounds a lot more than Yagami, and it reminded me a lot of how powerful of a skill perception is in DND/WRPG- it always feels like an underutilized aspect in these kinds of detective games.
Similarly this DLC helps Kaito's characterization greatly by showcasing some of his regrets involving his mishandling of a prior relationship and the lengths he’ll go to protect the ones he loves. It’s not all the dissimilar to Kiryu, so don't get me wrong when I say I love Kiryu- however stoicness and legendary status within the ‘RGG canon’ somewhat alienates him as the series has gone on. Kaito, while still a monster of a brawler, still has a lot of humanity that does a lot for me. I wont go too into detail but ramping up towards the finale is a scenario that includes some of the most brutal moments in the series- Kaito being the most emotionally steady in the room hits a lot as he faces down arguably one of the most callous antagonists in the series.
Something about the heat action where Jun backs you up if you get downed and afterwards doing a high five without looking at each other just makes him a dawg. A bro. I love this dude.
Final Thoughts:
Lost Judgment, much like its predecessor- stands tall among the RGG catalog. I think there's some give and take between the two games as to certain aspects however ultimately I do think Lost Judgment is more fleshed out and lacks some of the baggage weighing down the initial setup in Judgment. I’m still gonna give this one some time to simmer before I decide where it sits among my all time favorite games, however there’s not a whole lot I really want to point out and complain about. Yakuza 5 might still remain my favorite in the overall series however Lost Judgment might be right behind it- standing similarly as a maximalist pillar in this already large and bloated series. The best thing I can ask for games like Y5 and Lost Judgment is that they snowball like they do and end just as splendidly.
This review contains spoilers
Lost Judgment improves on almost everything that I didn't feel strongly about or didn't like about Judgment. There's still a few blemishes here and there, but nothing that brings down the rating like it did for what came prior.
The game utilizes its pre-established characters extremely well, taking advantage of the fact that we are familiar with these characters already and the new characters introduced to us all feel natural and integrative to the narrative.
And its narrative is one of the strongest RGG has ever put out there. Not only is it treated with the seriousness and delicacy it deserves, the themes that hold the narrative are supported by the School Stories which can be considered its own game based on the sheer amount of content.
Kuwana is an antagonist that the series needed. Someone that shifts between ally and antagonist until the very end, allowing us to know him more personally, more than almost any other antagonist in the Yakuza series. While we condone and oppose his ideals, we understand him and are given a chance to root for him despite the wrong he has caused. It's refreshing to have an antagonist like this in the series and Kuwana is a very welcome addition to the cast as one of the most layered and sympathetic characters out there.
The game utilizes its pre-established characters extremely well, taking advantage of the fact that we are familiar with these characters already and the new characters introduced to us all feel natural and integrative to the narrative.
And its narrative is one of the strongest RGG has ever put out there. Not only is it treated with the seriousness and delicacy it deserves, the themes that hold the narrative are supported by the School Stories which can be considered its own game based on the sheer amount of content.
Kuwana is an antagonist that the series needed. Someone that shifts between ally and antagonist until the very end, allowing us to know him more personally, more than almost any other antagonist in the Yakuza series. While we condone and oppose his ideals, we understand him and are given a chance to root for him despite the wrong he has caused. It's refreshing to have an antagonist like this in the series and Kuwana is a very welcome addition to the cast as one of the most layered and sympathetic characters out there.
Yeah it's still the goat.
Ok, ISSO DAQUI SIM é impossivel de ser superado.
the pinnacle of RGG writing. even better than everyone says. a series that started as a simple crime drama about fate and parenthood is now tackling topics like bullying, vengeance, and justice in such a tasteful manner that i can't help but be so proud of what it has become.
honestly where do i even start, nearly every single plotpoint and major character in this game feels like RGG learning every lesson from their past mistakes in their catalogue. this has their best main antagonist thus far, their best protagonist/antagonist dynamic thus far, their best gameplay thus far, their best boss fights thus far, THEIR BEST FINAL BOSS FIGHT THUS FAR. i can honestly just go on and on but i'll just conclude this by saying this is absolutely RGG's best work and i'm even more excited for the future of this series now, or maybe this spin-off as well if we're lucky.
also i just wanted to mention that it's been EEXACTLY a year since i started my first game in this series, yakuza 1. this wasn't even intentional i'm losing my mind.
honestly where do i even start, nearly every single plotpoint and major character in this game feels like RGG learning every lesson from their past mistakes in their catalogue. this has their best main antagonist thus far, their best protagonist/antagonist dynamic thus far, their best gameplay thus far, their best boss fights thus far, THEIR BEST FINAL BOSS FIGHT THUS FAR. i can honestly just go on and on but i'll just conclude this by saying this is absolutely RGG's best work and i'm even more excited for the future of this series now, or maybe this spin-off as well if we're lucky.
also i just wanted to mention that it's been EEXACTLY a year since i started my first game in this series, yakuza 1. this wasn't even intentional i'm losing my mind.
I just can't believe they are making games to a bangful OST these days.
Uma sequência ideal, que mantém a qualidade de seu antecessor, Judgment, mas que também melhora em diversos aspectos se comparado ao já excelente primeiro jogo.
Lançado em 2021, Lost Judgment é o jogo mais novo da RGG (se não contarmos o Like a Dragon Isshin Kiwami e o Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, que são remakes) e ele se passa nas cidades de Kamurocho, a queridinha da franquia que apareceu em todos os jogos até hoje, sejam eles Yakuza ou Judgment, mas também temos o retorno de Ijincho, que estreou no Yakuza Like a Dragon.
Jogamos novamente a história de Takayuki Yagami, um ex advogado, agora detetive, que dessa vez se envolveu em uma situação peculiar: a onda de bullying que a escola Seiryo High está passando. Acompanhado de seu sidekick Kaito e também de Sugiura e Tsukumo, eles precisam parar com essas ações dos estudantes e investigar o que está acontecendo naquele colégio, que guarda histórias e casos muito mais sombrios do que esperados anteriormente.
A história é, na minha opinião, a mais complexa que a RGG já fez até hoje, com todos os acontecimentos tendo diversas camadas, múltiplos motivos para eles terem ocorrido e um envolvimento tanto com algo que aconteceu no passado quanto com algo que poderá vir a acontecer no futuro. Portanto, a escrita desse jogo é extremamente sagaz, mostrando coisas que podem não fazer sentido no momento, mas que depois de vermos cena x, conhecermos personagem y ou vermos o passado de personagem z, começam a se interligar na grande teia que é a história de Lost Judgment.
Os personagens desse jogo são fenomenais, com ele tendo possivelmente o melhor cast de um jogo só até hoje da franquia, pra mim tendo como competidores apenas Yakuza 0, Yakuza 6 e o seu antecessor, Judgment. Além disso, os plot twists envolvendo esses personagens são todos muito perspicazes, fazendo você chegar na metade do jogo sem qualquer ideia de quem é bom, quem é mau e sequer de quem você realmente está enfrentando. Gostaria de dar destaque para alguns, sem dar qualquer tipo de spoiler, com eles sendo Soma, Sawa e, principalmente, Kuwana. Para mim, todos eles são no mínimo top 25 da RGG. Entretanto, não só de personagens novos vive esse jogo, já que uma parte relevante dos personagens que aparecem com destaque no primeiro jogo voltam a ser importantes aqui, com alguns deles tendo inclusive uma relevância ainda maior (o maior exemplo obviamente é o Tsukumo, indo apenas de um amigo e ajudante do Yagami no primeiro jogo para um dos personagens mais importantes no LJ). E não se preocupem, o Yagami continua sendo um protagonista fantástico, tendo ganhado ainda mais meu apreço depois de jogar esse jogo.
O combate é algo bizarro, fácil o melhor que eu já experimentei em um videogame. Portanto, é de se imaginar a quantidade de detalhes e nuances que a gameplay desse jogo tem, com ele conseguindo arrumar um dos problemas de seu antecessor, que era o do estilo Tiger ser muito mais forte que o Crane. Enquanto isso, no Lost Judgment, todos os 4 estilos (Crane, Tiger, Snake e o de DLC, Boxer) são totalmente viáveis e devem ser usados a todo momento, pois o jogo incentiva o jogador a ficar o tempo todo alternando entre eles, dando juggle nos oponentes e tornando possíveis combos enormes. As Secret Arts de cada estilo ajudam demais também, com cada uma dela dando um benefício que, no último nível do upgrade, funcionam em qualquer tipo de combate que você esteja. A do Crane aumenta a velocidade de ataque, a do Tiger aumenta o dano causado, a do Snake te dá superarmor, deixando o Yagami praticamente colado no chão, sem cair por nada, e a do Boxer aumenta a EX Gauge depois de você fazer um counter. Todas essas skills devem ser aproveitadas e abusadas. Porém, eu tenho algo a reclamar do combate, que são os quick time events. Não só eles foram extremamente reduzidos, tendo apenas uns 4 ou 5 no decorrer da campanha inteira, mas a mudança de um botão para múltiplos, ao meu ver, não foi um acerto. A tensão de apertar um botão rapidamente para evitar uma catástrofe é bem maior do que a de ver a ação desacelerar e ter que apertar 2 ou mais botões em sequência para ver o resto do combate. Só que isso acaba sendo balanceado por mais Dynamic Intros excelentes e Action Sequences cada vez melhores, que não superam as do primeiro jogo para mim mas se aproximam demais disso.
A quest secundária nesse jogo são as School Stories, que se passam dentro da Seiryo High, escola que tem uma importância grande na lore. Nela, o Yagami vira o conselheiro do clube de Pesquisa de Mistérios (MRC é a sigla usada no jogo), onde a líder do clube, Amasawa, está a procura do Professor, uma figura que, pelo seu site obscuro, ajuda diversos alunos a fazerem coisas que eles não deveriam, como machucarem colegas, roubarem dinheiro ou até mesmo conseguirem empregos como sugar babies. Logo, a Amasawa pede para o Yagami usar os seus talentos de detetive para se infiltrar em 9 outros clubes da escola, a procura de qualquer pista possível que os leve a esse tal Professor. Então, ao entrar nesses clubes, temos uma gama enorme de minigames para explorar, como por exemplo danças, batalhas de robôs, corridas de moto e até mesmo partidas de Virtua Fighter. Devo dizer que o plot final dessa história me deixou bem boquiaberto, quanto mais eu ia eliminando as possibilidades e me aproximando de quem realmente poderia ser a Mastermind por trás de tudo, mais eu percebia como a escrita desse jogo é fenomenal.
O jogo tem um começo mais devagar, sou obrigado a admitir, mas ele mais que compensa por isso com os capítulos seguintes, que a partir de um em específico, o jogo só acelera e não para mais, crescendo, crescendo, crescendo e crescendo, com o seu plot tenso e que causa nervosismo no player ao aguardar o que pode acontecer nos próximos minutos.
Eu joguei Lost Judgment esperando um jogo fantástico, considerando que eu só ouvia elogios sobre esse título, mas ainda assim eu consegui sair surpreendido, parabéns Ryu Ga Gotoku studios, vocês conseguiram de novo.
Lançado em 2021, Lost Judgment é o jogo mais novo da RGG (se não contarmos o Like a Dragon Isshin Kiwami e o Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, que são remakes) e ele se passa nas cidades de Kamurocho, a queridinha da franquia que apareceu em todos os jogos até hoje, sejam eles Yakuza ou Judgment, mas também temos o retorno de Ijincho, que estreou no Yakuza Like a Dragon.
Jogamos novamente a história de Takayuki Yagami, um ex advogado, agora detetive, que dessa vez se envolveu em uma situação peculiar: a onda de bullying que a escola Seiryo High está passando. Acompanhado de seu sidekick Kaito e também de Sugiura e Tsukumo, eles precisam parar com essas ações dos estudantes e investigar o que está acontecendo naquele colégio, que guarda histórias e casos muito mais sombrios do que esperados anteriormente.
A história é, na minha opinião, a mais complexa que a RGG já fez até hoje, com todos os acontecimentos tendo diversas camadas, múltiplos motivos para eles terem ocorrido e um envolvimento tanto com algo que aconteceu no passado quanto com algo que poderá vir a acontecer no futuro. Portanto, a escrita desse jogo é extremamente sagaz, mostrando coisas que podem não fazer sentido no momento, mas que depois de vermos cena x, conhecermos personagem y ou vermos o passado de personagem z, começam a se interligar na grande teia que é a história de Lost Judgment.
Os personagens desse jogo são fenomenais, com ele tendo possivelmente o melhor cast de um jogo só até hoje da franquia, pra mim tendo como competidores apenas Yakuza 0, Yakuza 6 e o seu antecessor, Judgment. Além disso, os plot twists envolvendo esses personagens são todos muito perspicazes, fazendo você chegar na metade do jogo sem qualquer ideia de quem é bom, quem é mau e sequer de quem você realmente está enfrentando. Gostaria de dar destaque para alguns, sem dar qualquer tipo de spoiler, com eles sendo Soma, Sawa e, principalmente, Kuwana. Para mim, todos eles são no mínimo top 25 da RGG. Entretanto, não só de personagens novos vive esse jogo, já que uma parte relevante dos personagens que aparecem com destaque no primeiro jogo voltam a ser importantes aqui, com alguns deles tendo inclusive uma relevância ainda maior (o maior exemplo obviamente é o Tsukumo, indo apenas de um amigo e ajudante do Yagami no primeiro jogo para um dos personagens mais importantes no LJ). E não se preocupem, o Yagami continua sendo um protagonista fantástico, tendo ganhado ainda mais meu apreço depois de jogar esse jogo.
O combate é algo bizarro, fácil o melhor que eu já experimentei em um videogame. Portanto, é de se imaginar a quantidade de detalhes e nuances que a gameplay desse jogo tem, com ele conseguindo arrumar um dos problemas de seu antecessor, que era o do estilo Tiger ser muito mais forte que o Crane. Enquanto isso, no Lost Judgment, todos os 4 estilos (Crane, Tiger, Snake e o de DLC, Boxer) são totalmente viáveis e devem ser usados a todo momento, pois o jogo incentiva o jogador a ficar o tempo todo alternando entre eles, dando juggle nos oponentes e tornando possíveis combos enormes. As Secret Arts de cada estilo ajudam demais também, com cada uma dela dando um benefício que, no último nível do upgrade, funcionam em qualquer tipo de combate que você esteja. A do Crane aumenta a velocidade de ataque, a do Tiger aumenta o dano causado, a do Snake te dá superarmor, deixando o Yagami praticamente colado no chão, sem cair por nada, e a do Boxer aumenta a EX Gauge depois de você fazer um counter. Todas essas skills devem ser aproveitadas e abusadas. Porém, eu tenho algo a reclamar do combate, que são os quick time events. Não só eles foram extremamente reduzidos, tendo apenas uns 4 ou 5 no decorrer da campanha inteira, mas a mudança de um botão para múltiplos, ao meu ver, não foi um acerto. A tensão de apertar um botão rapidamente para evitar uma catástrofe é bem maior do que a de ver a ação desacelerar e ter que apertar 2 ou mais botões em sequência para ver o resto do combate. Só que isso acaba sendo balanceado por mais Dynamic Intros excelentes e Action Sequences cada vez melhores, que não superam as do primeiro jogo para mim mas se aproximam demais disso.
A quest secundária nesse jogo são as School Stories, que se passam dentro da Seiryo High, escola que tem uma importância grande na lore. Nela, o Yagami vira o conselheiro do clube de Pesquisa de Mistérios (MRC é a sigla usada no jogo), onde a líder do clube, Amasawa, está a procura do Professor, uma figura que, pelo seu site obscuro, ajuda diversos alunos a fazerem coisas que eles não deveriam, como machucarem colegas, roubarem dinheiro ou até mesmo conseguirem empregos como sugar babies. Logo, a Amasawa pede para o Yagami usar os seus talentos de detetive para se infiltrar em 9 outros clubes da escola, a procura de qualquer pista possível que os leve a esse tal Professor. Então, ao entrar nesses clubes, temos uma gama enorme de minigames para explorar, como por exemplo danças, batalhas de robôs, corridas de moto e até mesmo partidas de Virtua Fighter. Devo dizer que o plot final dessa história me deixou bem boquiaberto, quanto mais eu ia eliminando as possibilidades e me aproximando de quem realmente poderia ser a Mastermind por trás de tudo, mais eu percebia como a escrita desse jogo é fenomenal.
O jogo tem um começo mais devagar, sou obrigado a admitir, mas ele mais que compensa por isso com os capítulos seguintes, que a partir de um em específico, o jogo só acelera e não para mais, crescendo, crescendo, crescendo e crescendo, com o seu plot tenso e que causa nervosismo no player ao aguardar o que pode acontecer nos próximos minutos.
Eu joguei Lost Judgment esperando um jogo fantástico, considerando que eu só ouvia elogios sobre esse título, mas ainda assim eu consegui sair surpreendido, parabéns Ryu Ga Gotoku studios, vocês conseguiram de novo.
If you're going for 100% completion you'll play mahjong longer than the actual main story.
Lost Judgment subverts the first game by presenting a moral dilemma unsolvable by brute forcing the black spots out of society, highlighting the fundamental challenges in Japanese government and education and its inability to properly address atrocities that occur every day. Lost Judgment becomes much more biting commentary than its predecessor by tying its story events and main message to a real world challenge that Japan has yet to meet.
Rich side content, gorgeous lighting and cinematic color grading, refined Dragon Engine, lovable high school interactions, and fanservice for those who fell in love with the original 2018 game make Lost Judgment one of the best games RGG has ever put out. That's not to mention the incredibly addictive and cathartic juggle-heavy combat, which I got so into I had to take breaks from the game due to my hands getting sore. When I get the same feeling that I get from a tense match in a real fighting game, you know you did something good with your combat.
LJ is not perfect and one can absolutely criticize some of the stiff dialogue and the use of sexual assault in the story, but it's an incredibly well thought-out and bold product from a studio that has a tendency to meander about when it comes to commenting on the larger world their series takes place in.
Rich side content, gorgeous lighting and cinematic color grading, refined Dragon Engine, lovable high school interactions, and fanservice for those who fell in love with the original 2018 game make Lost Judgment one of the best games RGG has ever put out. That's not to mention the incredibly addictive and cathartic juggle-heavy combat, which I got so into I had to take breaks from the game due to my hands getting sore. When I get the same feeling that I get from a tense match in a real fighting game, you know you did something good with your combat.
LJ is not perfect and one can absolutely criticize some of the stiff dialogue and the use of sexual assault in the story, but it's an incredibly well thought-out and bold product from a studio that has a tendency to meander about when it comes to commenting on the larger world their series takes place in.
Is it wrong to be right?
Almost a total improvement of the first game. Mainly the combat and side-content. Both being so extended from the previous entry is almost unreal.
You can pretty much see an improvement right at the start of the game. Traling missions! They're ok now, it's still not engigaging as a mechanics of it's own and surprisingly it's not even bought again in the main story, some side-missions had it. They added stealth now as a replacement which isn't much better if I'm honest, it's too scripted. The investigation system was improved as well, now you can zoom without the camera slowing down and ask for hints if you're lost.
The combat feels just so perfect. We have 4 different styles now: Tiger, Crane, Snake and Boxer. Both feel totally different from each other with their own weaknesses and strengths. So much fluid and faster compared to the first game. In Judgment, Yagami felt like a more weak take on Kiryu. On Lost Judgment he feels like it's own character, really agile and stylish.
The story can be seen as an improvement or not. You can see the first game was about Yagami, it felt more personal to him. The sequel doesn't do much of that. It doesn't have that level of personal involment in my opinion, besides Yagami wanting to do his job right. Most of the cast was heavly underutilized for the sake of our protagonist. It just didn't felt it was a team resolving a case, Yagami did almost all the work and the rest were like cheerleaders or something. There is also something I can't get off my mind. At a certain point in the story, let's say a character "dissapears" because collateral. That very same dissapereance is used all through the story as a valid argument from Yagami instead of making it's own Judgment of the situation in general and see the logical side on it.
The main villain is great though. Serve as Yagami contrary way of thinking while not totally being a cartoon one dimensional evil character. Maybe the best villain in the whole Yakuza series? It stil has flaws, but that doesn't take the fact is a good overall antagonist.
As any good modern RGG game is, this has a lot side content. School Stories are that, substories centered around the Seiryo High School. If you ever played any modern Persona title this would feel familiar. Join a club and help them as muchas you can as you level up your stats and start unlocking new stuff for you through the game. There minigames and the substories, not to mention there are two whole different towns to explore: Kamurocho and Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama.
So, in short. Awesome game with a tan weak story compared to the first.
Almost a total improvement of the first game. Mainly the combat and side-content. Both being so extended from the previous entry is almost unreal.
You can pretty much see an improvement right at the start of the game. Traling missions! They're ok now, it's still not engigaging as a mechanics of it's own and surprisingly it's not even bought again in the main story, some side-missions had it. They added stealth now as a replacement which isn't much better if I'm honest, it's too scripted. The investigation system was improved as well, now you can zoom without the camera slowing down and ask for hints if you're lost.
The combat feels just so perfect. We have 4 different styles now: Tiger, Crane, Snake and Boxer. Both feel totally different from each other with their own weaknesses and strengths. So much fluid and faster compared to the first game. In Judgment, Yagami felt like a more weak take on Kiryu. On Lost Judgment he feels like it's own character, really agile and stylish.
The story can be seen as an improvement or not. You can see the first game was about Yagami, it felt more personal to him. The sequel doesn't do much of that. It doesn't have that level of personal involment in my opinion, besides Yagami wanting to do his job right. Most of the cast was heavly underutilized for the sake of our protagonist. It just didn't felt it was a team resolving a case, Yagami did almost all the work and the rest were like cheerleaders or something. There is also something I can't get off my mind. At a certain point in the story, let's say a character "dissapears" because collateral. That very same dissapereance is used all through the story as a valid argument from Yagami instead of making it's own Judgment of the situation in general and see the logical side on it.
The main villain is great though. Serve as Yagami contrary way of thinking while not totally being a cartoon one dimensional evil character. Maybe the best villain in the whole Yakuza series? It stil has flaws, but that doesn't take the fact is a good overall antagonist.
As any good modern RGG game is, this has a lot side content. School Stories are that, substories centered around the Seiryo High School. If you ever played any modern Persona title this would feel familiar. Join a club and help them as muchas you can as you level up your stats and start unlocking new stuff for you through the game. There minigames and the substories, not to mention there are two whole different towns to explore: Kamurocho and Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama.
So, in short. Awesome game with a tan weak story compared to the first.
Well, this took me a while. Full disclosure - I technically didn’t finish this. I finished the main story and DLC but had to stop School Stories (more on that later). Overall I really enjoyed this, some elements are better than the first Judgment game, and some are noticeably worse. I’ll split this review into a few sections.
Main Story: I was worried going into this - the idea of Yagami (with his penchant for younger women) being around a school might be inadvertently creepy and uncomfortable. Luckily it’s all fine, with the issues of teenage bullying and suicide - as well as Yagami’s interactions with teenagers - being treated with respect. Yagami comes off as more of a guardian for the kids than anything else. The story is full of the usual RGG twists and turns and it’s highly satisfying watching all the pieces come together. This game has possibly the best final boss (and boss theme) in the entire RGG series - it’s that good. The combat is even better than the first Judgment game, and I’ll fully admit that I used Snake style 99% of the time.
There are no Friend Events this time round, and there are less side cases in order to make room for School Stories, so the game feels a lot more streamlined, content-wise. The “detective elements” are scaled back a bit for this one, which is good since the changes made to the Tailing missions make them somehow even worse than in the first game? It’s bizarre. The new sneaking mechanic is way too simple for it to be a challenge, and every stealth sequence feels like a chore. While it's nice to see Saori get the spotlight again, the fact that she's involved in yet another "using her to lure a bad guy like a piece of meat" sequence is... concerning.
Another minor complaint; I wasn’t sure what was with the weird flanderization of Kaito, especially in the first few chapters. He seemed a little dumber at the beginning of the game, and his weird horniness for Sawa-sensei (boy am I sick of hearing that name) never really went anywhere. Luckily, he comes good by the end, and his title of “best boy” still remains. Speaking of Kaito…
The Kaito Files: What. A. Ride. This almost feels like an apology for the relative lack of Kaito in the main story and man, did they knock it out of the park with this one. Despite the relatively short runtime, The Kaito Files packs in more great characters, awesome boss fights and emotional moments than a lot of the other full-length Like A Dragon games. The story gives some incredibly interesting personal insight into Kaito as a character, and the shorter length allows for a compact, well-paced narrative with no padding to get in the way. With any potential future Judgment games up in the air, if Takuya Kimura isn’t able to return as Yagami I’d be more than happy for Kaito to step up and take the lead. The Kaito Files puts Kaito up there with Kiryu and Majima as one the best protagonists in the entire series.
School Stories: I’m sorry, Kyoko Amasawa. As much as I love Amasawa (genuinely one of my top 10 favourite LAD characters) and the MRC, I couldn’t finish School Stories. It’s all down to… you guessed it, fucking Robotics Club. It’s by far the worst minigame RGG Studio have ever devised. I would rather play a Like A Dragon game based entirely around mahjong and shogi than have to do any more fucking Robotics Club. It’s such a shame that you have to finish it to unlock the rest of the stories, as I like the MRC and Dance Club activities and side cases a lot. I’ll have to come back to Lost Judgment and finish these side activities eventually, but honestly? Right now I just want to move on to Gaiden.
Main Story: I was worried going into this - the idea of Yagami (with his penchant for younger women) being around a school might be inadvertently creepy and uncomfortable. Luckily it’s all fine, with the issues of teenage bullying and suicide - as well as Yagami’s interactions with teenagers - being treated with respect. Yagami comes off as more of a guardian for the kids than anything else. The story is full of the usual RGG twists and turns and it’s highly satisfying watching all the pieces come together. This game has possibly the best final boss (and boss theme) in the entire RGG series - it’s that good. The combat is even better than the first Judgment game, and I’ll fully admit that I used Snake style 99% of the time.
There are no Friend Events this time round, and there are less side cases in order to make room for School Stories, so the game feels a lot more streamlined, content-wise. The “detective elements” are scaled back a bit for this one, which is good since the changes made to the Tailing missions make them somehow even worse than in the first game? It’s bizarre. The new sneaking mechanic is way too simple for it to be a challenge, and every stealth sequence feels like a chore. While it's nice to see Saori get the spotlight again, the fact that she's involved in yet another "using her to lure a bad guy like a piece of meat" sequence is... concerning.
Another minor complaint; I wasn’t sure what was with the weird flanderization of Kaito, especially in the first few chapters. He seemed a little dumber at the beginning of the game, and his weird horniness for Sawa-sensei (boy am I sick of hearing that name) never really went anywhere. Luckily, he comes good by the end, and his title of “best boy” still remains. Speaking of Kaito…
The Kaito Files: What. A. Ride. This almost feels like an apology for the relative lack of Kaito in the main story and man, did they knock it out of the park with this one. Despite the relatively short runtime, The Kaito Files packs in more great characters, awesome boss fights and emotional moments than a lot of the other full-length Like A Dragon games. The story gives some incredibly interesting personal insight into Kaito as a character, and the shorter length allows for a compact, well-paced narrative with no padding to get in the way. With any potential future Judgment games up in the air, if Takuya Kimura isn’t able to return as Yagami I’d be more than happy for Kaito to step up and take the lead. The Kaito Files puts Kaito up there with Kiryu and Majima as one the best protagonists in the entire series.
School Stories: I’m sorry, Kyoko Amasawa. As much as I love Amasawa (genuinely one of my top 10 favourite LAD characters) and the MRC, I couldn’t finish School Stories. It’s all down to… you guessed it, fucking Robotics Club. It’s by far the worst minigame RGG Studio have ever devised. I would rather play a Like A Dragon game based entirely around mahjong and shogi than have to do any more fucking Robotics Club. It’s such a shame that you have to finish it to unlock the rest of the stories, as I like the MRC and Dance Club activities and side cases a lot. I’ll have to come back to Lost Judgment and finish these side activities eventually, but honestly? Right now I just want to move on to Gaiden.
Lost Judgment has no reason for going this hard. It's such a good improvement from the first game. Has the best RGG action combat to date and second best story after Yakuza 7.
One of the best games of all time.
This game is incredibly well made. Story, characters, music, sidecase's, school stories. I love everything about this game and will never be able to forget how much emotion it has.
Generally game sequels nowadays don't really add much to the previous entries but this game does it perfectly. Adds dozens of playable minigames, 2 extra fighting styles, so much content with school stories that is full of good story and characters with amazing development. I was in a trance when doing quest's because how well made they are and every story has a little message and it's really emotional. I cried so much, laughed so much and enjoyed it.
I think this is RGG studios passion project or something because they poured everything they learned over the years making Yakuza games and this is the what they can do with everything they got. I don't think they can top this game for a long time.
As for combat i don't think i will be enjoying other games for a long time because this game does it so perfect that i will compare it to every game and get disappointed. The juggles you can make in this game are crazy, i was beating a guy in air for 20 seconds and it was so much fun just switching styles and doing combos. Played it on Legend difficulty for the first time, it was hard at some specific fights but generally speaking perfectly balanced gameplay.
I will %100 this game in the near future, not a fan of playing koi koi tho.
This game is incredibly well made. Story, characters, music, sidecase's, school stories. I love everything about this game and will never be able to forget how much emotion it has.
Generally game sequels nowadays don't really add much to the previous entries but this game does it perfectly. Adds dozens of playable minigames, 2 extra fighting styles, so much content with school stories that is full of good story and characters with amazing development. I was in a trance when doing quest's because how well made they are and every story has a little message and it's really emotional. I cried so much, laughed so much and enjoyed it.
I think this is RGG studios passion project or something because they poured everything they learned over the years making Yakuza games and this is the what they can do with everything they got. I don't think they can top this game for a long time.
As for combat i don't think i will be enjoying other games for a long time because this game does it so perfect that i will compare it to every game and get disappointed. The juggles you can make in this game are crazy, i was beating a guy in air for 20 seconds and it was so much fun just switching styles and doing combos. Played it on Legend difficulty for the first time, it was hard at some specific fights but generally speaking perfectly balanced gameplay.
I will %100 this game in the near future, not a fan of playing koi koi tho.
Como que faz pra dar 6 estrelas
This review contains spoilers
It has been a tradition of mine, ever since Yakuza 3, to buy every game in the series on release, play some of it, and then, for one reason or another, finally get around to finishing it just before the new one comes out. So, here I am, in late October of 2023, wrapping up Lost Judgment in time for Yakuza Gaiden.
Yeah, it's Like A Dragon now, but guess what: They screwed up by calling it Yakuza to begin with, and when there are... 9??? Like A Dragons to even things up, I'll concede the nomenclature.
Anyway, I shouldn't have put this one off, because I think it's actually the best Yakuza. Combat has been massively improved from the first game, removing the bizarre overly-animated flourishes, resulting in a far more fluid and responsive feel. I also particularly enjoyed the new Snake style. With its emphasis on limb locks, judo throws, disarming enemies, and "non-violent" takedowns, it feels like the series finally making good on Tanimura's concept from Y4.
The other major boon here is the plot. While most Yakuza games feature absurdly convoluted tales of Yakuza politics, double-and-triple crosses, and various buildings exploding, Lost Judgment keeps things relatively simple. This is great, to me, because I couldn't tell you what happened in most of the mainline games. 6? Uhhh, Haruka had a baby with some random guy, Kazuma played baseball, and Takeshi Kitano summoned a submarine. Why did that happen? I dunno.
To the people who just really want to see Millennium Tower get blasted to bits, the relatively low-key plots of the Judgment games are probably underwhelming, but I love them. Honestly, they're the closest we'll probably ever get to proper Daredevil games. Turn the dub on and pretend you're playing as Mattu Murudoku. This is especially true this time, as we get the best antagonist the series has ever seen, who provides a compelling counter-view to Yagami's hard-on for the Law.
The friendship system from the last game has been replaced by the school stories, wherein Yagami ends up being a "special advisor" to pretty much every club in the school, and nobody thinks that's weird. What IS weird is how you have to do some grinding in the dance club before the others will open up, and the school stories menu will sometimes say their progress is locked when it actually isn't.
These clubs, and their accompanying minigames, are of varying quality, as you'd expect. Most of them are fine, with one exception: anyone who complains about the Robotics Club clearly didn't do the Death Races. Holy shit, you have to do SO many of them and it SUCKS, and the last few are BRUTAL. If you don't have the DLC bike, good luck!! (Speaking of DLC, I think it's pretty inexcusable that the only girlfriend available in the base game is the absolute worst one... Minato Todo 4ever)
That said, the sidestories are an essential part of the experience. I know there are people who completely ignore them, and those freaks need to be studied like orangutans. You need to have the tonal whiplash of Yagami finding out a friend has been murdered, and then immediately playing Virtua Fighter 5 in the eSports club. Or, in the middle of the story's climax, doing a little Three Stooges bit with Kaito in one of those muscle men boards with head cutouts.
Unfortunate that this series is likely dead due to insane talent agency bullshit. They had a good thing going, and Johnny's just had to blow it up! Johnny's, and their PRIDE...
10/10
[Marked as "Mastered" because I completed all school stories, all but 3 or so of the side cases, and the vast majority of the TownGo/KamuroGo missions. I'm never 100%ing a Yakuza. Are you kidding me?]
Yeah, it's Like A Dragon now, but guess what: They screwed up by calling it Yakuza to begin with, and when there are... 9??? Like A Dragons to even things up, I'll concede the nomenclature.
Anyway, I shouldn't have put this one off, because I think it's actually the best Yakuza. Combat has been massively improved from the first game, removing the bizarre overly-animated flourishes, resulting in a far more fluid and responsive feel. I also particularly enjoyed the new Snake style. With its emphasis on limb locks, judo throws, disarming enemies, and "non-violent" takedowns, it feels like the series finally making good on Tanimura's concept from Y4.
The other major boon here is the plot. While most Yakuza games feature absurdly convoluted tales of Yakuza politics, double-and-triple crosses, and various buildings exploding, Lost Judgment keeps things relatively simple. This is great, to me, because I couldn't tell you what happened in most of the mainline games. 6? Uhhh, Haruka had a baby with some random guy, Kazuma played baseball, and Takeshi Kitano summoned a submarine. Why did that happen? I dunno.
To the people who just really want to see Millennium Tower get blasted to bits, the relatively low-key plots of the Judgment games are probably underwhelming, but I love them. Honestly, they're the closest we'll probably ever get to proper Daredevil games. Turn the dub on and pretend you're playing as Mattu Murudoku. This is especially true this time, as we get the best antagonist the series has ever seen, who provides a compelling counter-view to Yagami's hard-on for the Law.
The friendship system from the last game has been replaced by the school stories, wherein Yagami ends up being a "special advisor" to pretty much every club in the school, and nobody thinks that's weird. What IS weird is how you have to do some grinding in the dance club before the others will open up, and the school stories menu will sometimes say their progress is locked when it actually isn't.
These clubs, and their accompanying minigames, are of varying quality, as you'd expect. Most of them are fine, with one exception: anyone who complains about the Robotics Club clearly didn't do the Death Races. Holy shit, you have to do SO many of them and it SUCKS, and the last few are BRUTAL. If you don't have the DLC bike, good luck!! (Speaking of DLC, I think it's pretty inexcusable that the only girlfriend available in the base game is the absolute worst one... Minato Todo 4ever)
That said, the sidestories are an essential part of the experience. I know there are people who completely ignore them, and those freaks need to be studied like orangutans. You need to have the tonal whiplash of Yagami finding out a friend has been murdered, and then immediately playing Virtua Fighter 5 in the eSports club. Or, in the middle of the story's climax, doing a little Three Stooges bit with Kaito in one of those muscle men boards with head cutouts.
Unfortunate that this series is likely dead due to insane talent agency bullshit. They had a good thing going, and Johnny's just had to blow it up! Johnny's, and their PRIDE...
10/10
[Marked as "Mastered" because I completed all school stories, all but 3 or so of the side cases, and the vast majority of the TownGo/KamuroGo missions. I'm never 100%ing a Yakuza. Are you kidding me?]
An evolution of the first game in every aspect, the combat that was already great was improved even more, the styles are much more balanced, Tiger remains my favorite and the standard for dealing with smaller hordes of weaker enemies, Crane which was almost useless in the first one because it was much weaker than Tiger is actually useful now, it is very satisfying to use and the new skills are welcome, and of course there is also the new style, Snake, I admit that it was the one i least used, but it was more due to the preference for the other two than the usefulness of the style itself, it is focused on dealing with armed enemies and is the most difficult to learn how to use well, but it is still a good play style, changing styles is also very fluid, so you find yourself using all of them often. The secondary content is impeccable, I already liked the side cases from the first one, but the exaggeration of tailing missions severely harmed the game, in the sequel the side cases are much more fun and diverse, and we also have the School Stories, which by themselves are better written than most games i've played, and I don't recommend playing this game without doing them all. The main story is impeccable, there isn't a part that I found uninteresting or worse than the rest, it's all very well written and directed and the villains are the best in the franchise, facing the final boss to the sound of Unwavering Belief is one of the best moments of gaming. It's really difficult to find anything to criticize about this game and nothing detracts from the overall experience, this is the definition of a 10/10, and knowing that it's RGG's most recent game gives me even more hope for this franchise.
gameplay wise, this is easily the perfect rgg studio game. im glad the team learned from their mistakes and gave the dragon engine the treatment it deserves, albeit 4 games late.
wish i could say the game itself was perfect. it's got killer substories (thanks to the school kids) and does a lot to spice up the formula, however the story is a lot more disappointing this time around. it starts off pretty strong, with interesting mysteries tackling some pretty deep themes, but at the end the plot just gets too confusing for its own good, and ultimately isn't as good as the first game.
apart from that? yeah this might be the greatest game ever made
wish i could say the game itself was perfect. it's got killer substories (thanks to the school kids) and does a lot to spice up the formula, however the story is a lot more disappointing this time around. it starts off pretty strong, with interesting mysteries tackling some pretty deep themes, but at the end the plot just gets too confusing for its own good, and ultimately isn't as good as the first game.
apart from that? yeah this might be the greatest game ever made
This review contains spoilers
Don't you love a sequel that improves in actually everything the original was going for
In terms of gameplay it’s easily a contender for the best one so far, years and years of refinement are crazy noticeable so being unbalanced is nothing compared to how fun and broken every fighting style is. Same goes for every other mechanic here though! Chases, climbing, stealth and investigations don’t feel wonky anymore, gotta love seeing how many of these ideas are finally realized properly after so much ngl. Lastly even the game progression is great too! Barely felt slow and the side content never felt like a chore
Writing was peak! And I can’t really conceive thinking otherwise. Extremely weak to character focused plots like these, especially in a setting that constantly gives them something to do and highlights how much they’ve grown and can bring to the table. None of this was perfect of course, and rrg still has a lot of work to do with how they handle these serious topics, this is their best handling of them yet but the bar is so low that I don’t feel like praising them for at their worst getting my eyes rolling.
Overall it's really up there as one of their best tho, if i went on about every aspect of its storytelling that would be a whole other movie so trust me when i say it's peak yagami-sensei itsumo arigato gosaimasu and all that
In terms of gameplay it’s easily a contender for the best one so far, years and years of refinement are crazy noticeable so being unbalanced is nothing compared to how fun and broken every fighting style is. Same goes for every other mechanic here though! Chases, climbing, stealth and investigations don’t feel wonky anymore, gotta love seeing how many of these ideas are finally realized properly after so much ngl. Lastly even the game progression is great too! Barely felt slow and the side content never felt like a chore
Writing was peak! And I can’t really conceive thinking otherwise. Extremely weak to character focused plots like these, especially in a setting that constantly gives them something to do and highlights how much they’ve grown and can bring to the table. None of this was perfect of course, and rrg still has a lot of work to do with how they handle these serious topics, this is their best handling of them yet but the bar is so low that I don’t feel like praising them for at their worst getting my eyes rolling.
Overall it's really up there as one of their best tho, if i went on about every aspect of its storytelling that would be a whole other movie so trust me when i say it's peak yagami-sensei itsumo arigato gosaimasu and all that
This shit is actually peak. The combat is probably the best or atleast my favorite that theyve ever done. The villain is peak, the side content is amazing, and the final boss theme is just goated. They should call this Lost Peakment
RIP Nagoshi bozo you done produced your last great game
ALERTA DE REVIEW ENORME PELA FRENTE
Tentei poucas vezes jogar a saga Yakuza. A primeira, lá na época do PlayStation 2, não foi muito boa. Achei um jogo muito esquisito e muito chato, aos 12 anos minha opinião era "é muito mais filminho que jogo". Pouco menos de um ano atrás, tentei jogar Yakuza 0, quando tava de graça na PS Plus. Joguei menos de 4 horas e desisti, falando que não era meu tipo de jogo. Eis que surge Lost Judgment de graça na PS Plus. Eu sabia que era um spin-off de Yakuza (hoje chamado Like a Dragon) e fiquei com o pé atrás, mas a temática de detetive acabou me chamando muita atenção e resolvi dar uma chance, se não fosse dessa vez com certeza não ia mais... E não é que foi?
Lost Judgment é um dos melhores jogos que já joguei na vida. Eu acho que quando tentei Yakuza 0, eu fui com a mesma cabeça de 12 anos, não querendo gostar, no automático. Aqui a temática me fez engajar e eu fiquei muito surpreso com tudo que experimentei.
Primeiro de tudo eu preciso falar do como eu achei essa gameplay de combate maravilhosa. Os variados estilos de luta, como cada um deles impacta durante o combate e a maneira que eles fluem em meio aquela porradaria frenética em que o jogo te coloca quase que constantemente é de encher os olhos. Eu simplesmente ficava ansioso pra ter um encontro de luta novo só pra poder fazer aqueles ataques de artes marciais com mortais, voadoras, chutes twist duplo carpado e por aí vai. Mas isso não significa que o resto da gameplay seja ruim, muito pelo contrário. Eu também gostei muito das partes de investigação e stealth, de como tu precisa examinar ambientes, passar despercebido, descobrir rotas alternativas, toda a questão policial da parada. O jogo também tem elementos de parkour que são muito, muito simples, mas que cumprem o propósito deles e, nesse caso, acho que é o que importa.
Outro ponto que queria tocar são os gráficos. Muita gente pode até falar que hoje em dia, ao lado de games do mercado norte americano, eles são até fracos. E, de fato, eles são bem simples, principalmente se comparados aos lançamentos recentes como, por exemplo, Baldur's Gate III, RE4 Remake, Alan Wake II e por aí vai. Eu já acho eles muito bem feitos e bonitos. Gosto de como os personagens são bem trabalhados e são extremamente semelhantes às contrapartes live-action e eu amo a recriação digital de Kabukicho (usada pra representar Kamurocho) e Isezakicho (aqui representando Ijincho). Desde as entradas de cada distrito ao clima de cada um deles, sendo Kabukicho chamada de "A Cidade Que Nunca Dorme" devido ao alto número de restaurantes, clubes noturnos e lojas e Isezakicho, que é um enorme centro comercial. Eu achei delicioso ficar caminhando pelos mapas, até porque eu sou um grande apaixonado pelo Japão. Então, pra mim, foi como estar caminhando por lá mesmo. Perdi várias horas só andando pelo mapa e observando os pequenos detalhes de cada loja, boate, restaurante, praças, prédios que captam com perfeição o estilo de vida japonês.
Eu também acho simplesmente impressionante a vastidão de gameplays misturadas que esse jogo tem. Desde os elementos de party games com a quantidade gigantesca de minigames que vão de mahjong, baralho, dardos e etc. Assim como também do nada tem um jogo de ritmo dentro do caso do clube escolar de dança, como tu também meio que brinca de boneca quando tem que disfarçar a Saori. Isso sem falar também na quantidade de games do Master System no escritório do Yagami e de arcade que tem quando tu visita os fliperamas da SEGA em Kamurocho ou Ijincho, é basicamente um emulador dentro de um jogo muito maior.
Os personagens são extremamente carismáticos e não demora muito pra que tu te afeiçoe a eles. Desde o Yagami, que é um puta protagonista, como o Kaito, o Sugiura, o Tsukumo. Sem falar na gama enorme de coadjuvantes, como a Saori, o Genta e outros personagens que vão surgindo ao longo do jogo. Eles são tão distintos e é tão fácil se afeiçoar que ao longo da história tu consegue sentir diversas emoções em relação a eles: raiva, tristeza, nojo, surpresa. É surreal.
E agora o ponto que foi o que me impactou de forma gigantesca: a história. Como eu falei, "muito mais filminho que jogo". Agora eu entendo que não só Lost como a franquia Yakuza são jogos que, embora tenham uma gameplay extremamente variada e extensa, tem um foco tão grande ou até maior na narrativa. E, meus amigos, que narrativa. A história é, talvez, uma das, se não a mais pesada que eu já vi em um videogame. Eu achei impressionante como conseguiram abordar tópicos controversos e pesados, como assédio sexual e bullying, de maneira séria e de modo que faça o jogador até mesmo refletir. Eu vi muita gente reclamando do pacing e eu realmente entendo, Lost Judgment é um jogo lento. Mas, nesse caso, eu acho que isso se faz necessário.
O roteiro desse jogo é uma parada muito bem feita, a história que, como eu já disse, é pesada, densa. E quanto mais ela se desenrola, mais ela pesa e mais eu fui me sentindo sujo, sendo exposto a tantas reviravoltas obscuras e situações pesadíssimas. Mas o jogo em nenhum momento coloca isso gratuitamente, ele traz diversos debates morais, políticos, sociais que devem sim serem discutidos e também fazem comentários extremamente relevantes sobre tudo que ele apresenta. O roteiro também coloca o jogador numa saia justa porque temos, de certa forma, dois vilões. Um deles é meio que o tempo todo taxado de vilão mesmo e o outro os escritores queriam que fosse de cada um que jogasse o game. Porque, embora as ações não justifiquem, as motivações do segundo "antagonista" são muito mais complexas e, para alguns, podem até ser sim justificáveis. E tenho certeza que era justamente isso que a RGG queria: botar uma pulga atrás da orelha de cada jogador e fazer com que ele entrasse num debate moral consigo mesmo ou com algum amigo que também tenha jogado ou esteja jogando. Cada capítulo que passa, a história vai se revelando e se abrindo mais pra culminar no apoteótico capítulo final, onde todas as pontas colocadas no enredo se amarram com maestria, elementos mostrados no primeiro capítulo são reinvocados conforme o contexto que a história se encontra e, embora seja uma história, como eu já disse, pesada, traz elementos de épico, comédia, drama, thriller, ação, aventura e policial. Inclusive, isso também é um ponto espetacular: como conseguem colocar elementos de diversos gêneros sem que nada pareça forçado, mas encaixado de forma natural e que se mistura com todos os outros, sem nunca pesar mais que a temática principal ou invalidar o drama/thriller. E, apesar de toda essa imundície que a história explora, eles ainda conseguem nos entregar um final esperançoso genuíno, que não parece uma forçada de barra melodramática de comercial de margarina.
Lost Judgment é um jogo com uma história extremamente bem escrita, com uma gameplay extensa, variada e envolvente e que suga o jogador pra dentro de si, fazendo com que a gente se envolva com o enredo e queira sempre descobrir o que está por vir e onde a história vai parar. Fico feliz de ter dado uma chance pra franquia Yakuza, que agora figura entre as minhas favoritas. Como fui meio pateta e joguei esse aqui antes do primeiro, Judgment já tá na minha lista de próximas jogatinas e a franquia principal também. Principalmente agora que parece que Like a Dragon tá tendo um boost em popularidade. Além disso, também vou ficar de olho em mais coisas que a RGG tenha pra me oferecer.
Tentei poucas vezes jogar a saga Yakuza. A primeira, lá na época do PlayStation 2, não foi muito boa. Achei um jogo muito esquisito e muito chato, aos 12 anos minha opinião era "é muito mais filminho que jogo". Pouco menos de um ano atrás, tentei jogar Yakuza 0, quando tava de graça na PS Plus. Joguei menos de 4 horas e desisti, falando que não era meu tipo de jogo. Eis que surge Lost Judgment de graça na PS Plus. Eu sabia que era um spin-off de Yakuza (hoje chamado Like a Dragon) e fiquei com o pé atrás, mas a temática de detetive acabou me chamando muita atenção e resolvi dar uma chance, se não fosse dessa vez com certeza não ia mais... E não é que foi?
Lost Judgment é um dos melhores jogos que já joguei na vida. Eu acho que quando tentei Yakuza 0, eu fui com a mesma cabeça de 12 anos, não querendo gostar, no automático. Aqui a temática me fez engajar e eu fiquei muito surpreso com tudo que experimentei.
Primeiro de tudo eu preciso falar do como eu achei essa gameplay de combate maravilhosa. Os variados estilos de luta, como cada um deles impacta durante o combate e a maneira que eles fluem em meio aquela porradaria frenética em que o jogo te coloca quase que constantemente é de encher os olhos. Eu simplesmente ficava ansioso pra ter um encontro de luta novo só pra poder fazer aqueles ataques de artes marciais com mortais, voadoras, chutes twist duplo carpado e por aí vai. Mas isso não significa que o resto da gameplay seja ruim, muito pelo contrário. Eu também gostei muito das partes de investigação e stealth, de como tu precisa examinar ambientes, passar despercebido, descobrir rotas alternativas, toda a questão policial da parada. O jogo também tem elementos de parkour que são muito, muito simples, mas que cumprem o propósito deles e, nesse caso, acho que é o que importa.
Outro ponto que queria tocar são os gráficos. Muita gente pode até falar que hoje em dia, ao lado de games do mercado norte americano, eles são até fracos. E, de fato, eles são bem simples, principalmente se comparados aos lançamentos recentes como, por exemplo, Baldur's Gate III, RE4 Remake, Alan Wake II e por aí vai. Eu já acho eles muito bem feitos e bonitos. Gosto de como os personagens são bem trabalhados e são extremamente semelhantes às contrapartes live-action e eu amo a recriação digital de Kabukicho (usada pra representar Kamurocho) e Isezakicho (aqui representando Ijincho). Desde as entradas de cada distrito ao clima de cada um deles, sendo Kabukicho chamada de "A Cidade Que Nunca Dorme" devido ao alto número de restaurantes, clubes noturnos e lojas e Isezakicho, que é um enorme centro comercial. Eu achei delicioso ficar caminhando pelos mapas, até porque eu sou um grande apaixonado pelo Japão. Então, pra mim, foi como estar caminhando por lá mesmo. Perdi várias horas só andando pelo mapa e observando os pequenos detalhes de cada loja, boate, restaurante, praças, prédios que captam com perfeição o estilo de vida japonês.
Eu também acho simplesmente impressionante a vastidão de gameplays misturadas que esse jogo tem. Desde os elementos de party games com a quantidade gigantesca de minigames que vão de mahjong, baralho, dardos e etc. Assim como também do nada tem um jogo de ritmo dentro do caso do clube escolar de dança, como tu também meio que brinca de boneca quando tem que disfarçar a Saori. Isso sem falar também na quantidade de games do Master System no escritório do Yagami e de arcade que tem quando tu visita os fliperamas da SEGA em Kamurocho ou Ijincho, é basicamente um emulador dentro de um jogo muito maior.
Os personagens são extremamente carismáticos e não demora muito pra que tu te afeiçoe a eles. Desde o Yagami, que é um puta protagonista, como o Kaito, o Sugiura, o Tsukumo. Sem falar na gama enorme de coadjuvantes, como a Saori, o Genta e outros personagens que vão surgindo ao longo do jogo. Eles são tão distintos e é tão fácil se afeiçoar que ao longo da história tu consegue sentir diversas emoções em relação a eles: raiva, tristeza, nojo, surpresa. É surreal.
E agora o ponto que foi o que me impactou de forma gigantesca: a história. Como eu falei, "muito mais filminho que jogo". Agora eu entendo que não só Lost como a franquia Yakuza são jogos que, embora tenham uma gameplay extremamente variada e extensa, tem um foco tão grande ou até maior na narrativa. E, meus amigos, que narrativa. A história é, talvez, uma das, se não a mais pesada que eu já vi em um videogame. Eu achei impressionante como conseguiram abordar tópicos controversos e pesados, como assédio sexual e bullying, de maneira séria e de modo que faça o jogador até mesmo refletir. Eu vi muita gente reclamando do pacing e eu realmente entendo, Lost Judgment é um jogo lento. Mas, nesse caso, eu acho que isso se faz necessário.
O roteiro desse jogo é uma parada muito bem feita, a história que, como eu já disse, é pesada, densa. E quanto mais ela se desenrola, mais ela pesa e mais eu fui me sentindo sujo, sendo exposto a tantas reviravoltas obscuras e situações pesadíssimas. Mas o jogo em nenhum momento coloca isso gratuitamente, ele traz diversos debates morais, políticos, sociais que devem sim serem discutidos e também fazem comentários extremamente relevantes sobre tudo que ele apresenta. O roteiro também coloca o jogador numa saia justa porque temos, de certa forma, dois vilões. Um deles é meio que o tempo todo taxado de vilão mesmo e o outro os escritores queriam que fosse de cada um que jogasse o game. Porque, embora as ações não justifiquem, as motivações do segundo "antagonista" são muito mais complexas e, para alguns, podem até ser sim justificáveis. E tenho certeza que era justamente isso que a RGG queria: botar uma pulga atrás da orelha de cada jogador e fazer com que ele entrasse num debate moral consigo mesmo ou com algum amigo que também tenha jogado ou esteja jogando. Cada capítulo que passa, a história vai se revelando e se abrindo mais pra culminar no apoteótico capítulo final, onde todas as pontas colocadas no enredo se amarram com maestria, elementos mostrados no primeiro capítulo são reinvocados conforme o contexto que a história se encontra e, embora seja uma história, como eu já disse, pesada, traz elementos de épico, comédia, drama, thriller, ação, aventura e policial. Inclusive, isso também é um ponto espetacular: como conseguem colocar elementos de diversos gêneros sem que nada pareça forçado, mas encaixado de forma natural e que se mistura com todos os outros, sem nunca pesar mais que a temática principal ou invalidar o drama/thriller. E, apesar de toda essa imundície que a história explora, eles ainda conseguem nos entregar um final esperançoso genuíno, que não parece uma forçada de barra melodramática de comercial de margarina.
Lost Judgment é um jogo com uma história extremamente bem escrita, com uma gameplay extensa, variada e envolvente e que suga o jogador pra dentro de si, fazendo com que a gente se envolva com o enredo e queira sempre descobrir o que está por vir e onde a história vai parar. Fico feliz de ter dado uma chance pra franquia Yakuza, que agora figura entre as minhas favoritas. Como fui meio pateta e joguei esse aqui antes do primeiro, Judgment já tá na minha lista de próximas jogatinas e a franquia principal também. Principalmente agora que parece que Like a Dragon tá tendo um boost em popularidade. Além disso, também vou ficar de olho em mais coisas que a RGG tenha pra me oferecer.
i thought i liked women
until i met takayuki yagami
fantastic game btw
until i met takayuki yagami
fantastic game btw