I can't believe it finally happened. I finally found a RGG Studio game that can stand toe-to-toe with Yakuza 0, I never thought I'd see the day.
Lost Judgment easily has the best combat in the series, I cannot tell you how much I loved using the snake style and just obliterating enemy after enemy standing in front of me. Plus, switching between styles has never felt so natural and cathartic before, they've basically mastered what combat should be like for this series going forward.
I also adored the story. It's another dumb, overly-complicated conspiracy story as every RGG game is, but just like with its predecessor, having the protagonist be a smart detective instead of a strong yakuza man who just punches everything helps make the story feel so much more believable and engaging. This is also the first time since Yakuza 2 where I've actually felt something for the main antagonist, to the point that I kind of wanted to be on his side instead. And the way everything unfolds is just so amazing, this is easily in my top three RGG plots.
What most surprised me though was the implementation of side content. I find side content in these gamed to be pretty overwhelming after a while, and I end up just ignoring everything at some point. But the choice to have the majority of side content intertwined into one big plot about "the professor" was genius, it made me feel like I was constantly pushing forward with a main goal, instead of just doing random activities. I hope every game made by RGG does something like this in the future.
I have pretty much nothing but positive things to say about Lost Judgment, though I do have one big criticism: the DLC. It sucks that several side missions, girlfriends, and a whole fighting style are locked behind a paywall. The game is till great without this content, but it's still extremely annoying.
Still though, despite that one big grip, I love Lost Judgment. I think it's so close to topping Yakuza 0 in terms of overall quality, but 0 still wins out just because of how consistently fun that game is. But now I'm very excited to see what else is in store for the Judgment series, if this game is any indication to go by, the next game may be the best one in RGG's entire catalogue.
Lost Judgment easily has the best combat in the series, I cannot tell you how much I loved using the snake style and just obliterating enemy after enemy standing in front of me. Plus, switching between styles has never felt so natural and cathartic before, they've basically mastered what combat should be like for this series going forward.
I also adored the story. It's another dumb, overly-complicated conspiracy story as every RGG game is, but just like with its predecessor, having the protagonist be a smart detective instead of a strong yakuza man who just punches everything helps make the story feel so much more believable and engaging. This is also the first time since Yakuza 2 where I've actually felt something for the main antagonist, to the point that I kind of wanted to be on his side instead. And the way everything unfolds is just so amazing, this is easily in my top three RGG plots.
What most surprised me though was the implementation of side content. I find side content in these gamed to be pretty overwhelming after a while, and I end up just ignoring everything at some point. But the choice to have the majority of side content intertwined into one big plot about "the professor" was genius, it made me feel like I was constantly pushing forward with a main goal, instead of just doing random activities. I hope every game made by RGG does something like this in the future.
I have pretty much nothing but positive things to say about Lost Judgment, though I do have one big criticism: the DLC. It sucks that several side missions, girlfriends, and a whole fighting style are locked behind a paywall. The game is till great without this content, but it's still extremely annoying.
Still though, despite that one big grip, I love Lost Judgment. I think it's so close to topping Yakuza 0 in terms of overall quality, but 0 still wins out just because of how consistently fun that game is. But now I'm very excited to see what else is in store for the Judgment series, if this game is any indication to go by, the next game may be the best one in RGG's entire catalogue.
Reviewed on May 15, 2023