Over the years, the Yakuza series has had a steady flow of releases
and made a name for itself thanks to its gripping narratives and over-the-top action.
2019's spin-off, Judgment, introduced a brand new cast of characters
while sticking closely to the Yakuza blueprint.
Now, its sequel Lost Judgment continues to follow Takayuki Yagami and friends
on a deadly journey to uncover the truth.
While it treads familiar ground,
it makes smart improvements over its predecessor
and tells an enthralling narrative.
The story picks up after the events of the first game
with Yagami still working as a detective with his friend Kaito in Kamurocho.
After receiving a call from some old friends,
the pair find themselves headed to Yokohama to help out on a case involving some bullies at a school.
Things seem pretty straightforward at first, but as they dive deeper into the case,
more dark and unsettling details begin to make their way to the surface.
As usual, the cast of characters is great,
and it’s easy to get invested in their individual stories and camaraderie.
Yagami once again is a standout, and watching him face challenges head-on
is deeply satisfying due to his confidence and determination to do what's right,
even if it means going against all odds.
Many of the other characters are also well-developed,
with the game taking its time to explore their struggles and motivations.
And while some naturally feel more sidelined,
Lost Judgment makes an effort to give even the most minor characters some depth.
It's worth mentioning that while the overall plot stands alone
and you can hop in without prior knowledge,
the game does reference past characters and events.
So if you're looking to get the most out of its narrative,
it's best to play the original Judgment first.
Along with the cramped bustling streets of Kamurocho, you also explore the seaside city of Yokohama.
While neither setting is new for Yakuza fans,
they're still captivating backdrops,
each with its own identity and charms.
As expected, there’s an impressive amount of side activities to engage in
like arcade games, batting cages, darts, drone racing,
and a VR board game.
Aside from being fun distractions, these also reward you with SP,
which can be used to unlock new abilities for Yagami,
giving you some incentive to explore and see what each area has to offer.
Aside from taxis you can use to quickly get around town,
you now also have a skateboard which lets you cruise the streets with ease.
There are additional skateboards to collect with unique properties
like increased speed or better handling,
and you can do tricks like kickflips and board slides,
making getting around town all the more enjoyable.
You can even go to a skate park and compete in races if you feel like shredding.
It's an unexpected but cool addition that fits in surprisingly well
with the game's playful spirit.
Since the primary case involves incidents at a high school,
Yagami spends a good amount of time on campus.
Aside from running through the halls,
there are several school clubs with their own quest chains called School Stories.
Among others, there’s the dance club where you train the dancers,
and the robotics club where you battle other robots on a grid-based board.
There's a decent amount of flexibility within each club, such as customizing your robot
or your dance moves and outfits.
School stories also reward you with stat increases
which are needed to progress in club activities,
adding an RPG element that's reminiscent of the Persona series.
They're a great addition and make the relationships Yagami has with students feel all the more personal.
Besides school activities, there are a healthy number of other side quests
that explore a wide range of topics, from bodies haunting the school grounds at night
to searching for UFOs.
The concepts for most of them are pretty wacky, but they have a lot of heart
and often tell emotional stories once you dig into them.
While Lost Judgment takes a lot from the Yakuza formula, a huge strength
is how much it emphasizes detective work.
Instead of kicking the door down like a Yakuza,
Yagami is often much more careful on how he approaches things.
Scanning for clues, scaling walls,
sneaking through areas, and chasing down suspects is all part of the job.
He makes use of spy-like gadgets including a drone and a listening device,
and even enlists a dog to help find some clues.
There are also times when you need to present evidence or select dialogue,
which plays in well with the detective fantasy,
but there doesn't seem to be any real penalty for getting something wrong,
which lowers the stakes of some encounters.
There are some noticeable gameplay improvements over the previous entry like
fewer tailing missions and better pacing for segments,
including stealth sections.
Chase sequences do eventually start to feel mundane, but thankfully
they don't go on for too long.
Combat once again plays out in real-time,
continuing the beat-em-up style more common to past games,
rather than the turn-based style of Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
This time around though, Yagami has three combat styles he can switch between on the fly.
Tiger style focuses on heavy charge hits and is good for single targets;
Crane is good for cleaving groups;
and Snake specializes in counter-attacks and disarming enemies.
Yagami can also unleash devastating EX Actions
which are essentially the same as Heat Actions from the Yakuza games.
Activating EX Boost puts you in a powered state,
and there’s a counter-attack you can use on boss-type enemies called Mortal Reversal.
Even though there are a few new tweaks to the combat, overall,
it feels very similar to past entries.
It's still fun duking it out, but things never evolve substantially nor
do enemies throw anything at you that will catch you by surprise.
Lost Judgment is a meaty game if you explore all it has to offer.
Along with the main story and side quests, there’s also a two player mini-game mode
where you and a friend can battle it out in Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown,
Fighting Vipers, and Sonic the Fighters.
Additionally, there’s New Game Plus,
as well as Premium Adventure, which lets you freely explore the cities
unencumbered by the main story,
and The Gauntlet, which offers additional challenges
such as defeating bosses or reaching an area within a set time limit.
Over the years, Sega has kept up a brisk pace with Yakuza and its spinoffs,
releasing games that share a lot of the same DNA.
However, despite the similarities between them, Lost Judgment still manages to stand out
and make a strong case for itself by tightening up a lot of the weaker aspects of the first game.
It introduces fun and addictive side activities like the school stories
and seamlessly immerses you into its world.
It may seem easy to write it off as just another Yakuza-type game at first glance,
but once you start to walk the streets with Yagami, you’ll want to see this case through to the end.
Final score: 8 out of 10.
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