The Yakuza series has gained momentum as a mainstream hit, with Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon achieving critical and commercial accolades in recent years. That success has extended to the spin-off entries Judgment and Lost Judgment. As the mainline series segued into a Dragon Quest-inspired traditional JRPG, Judgment and its sequel maintained Yakuza’s beat-em-up style combat system.
The sequel Lost Judgment continues to follow Takayuki Yagami’s exploits as a former lawyer-turned private detective. It serves as another milestone for the Yakuza series as it leaves behind Kiryu Kazama, giving fans a more sympathetic hero. It’s an undoubted improvement over its predecessor, but there are a couple issues that need to be addressed if fans are lucky enough to get a third entry in the Judgment series.
10 Loved: Excellent Storytelling
Even though the Yakuza are still present in Lost Judgment, a clear effort has been made to move away from the gangster stories that were so prevalent in its sister series. Still, the storytelling is some of the best in the entire series.
As with its predecessor, there’s a deliberate effort made in its execution to feel like a boxset series. Even though there is a lot of action and a variety of things to do, Lost Judgment often feels like a visual novel or interactive movie due to the strength of the story.
9 Loved: Its Approach To Real-World Issues
In addition to an excellent script, Lost Judgment’s story is thematically darker and impactful than any of its predecessors. It still has elements of humor and the wacky side stories that the series has become known for, but there’s a more serious underlying tone.
The game deserves commendation for the way it handles difficult subjects like bullying, sexual assault, and suicide. The victims and those suffering — as well as the perpetrators of cruel deeds — are incredibly well-written. It shows a level of maturity that so many other modern games lack.
8 Loved: Impressive Voice Acting
It has to be said that many translated Japanese games can miss the mark in their execution. This is often true with JRPGs, with many scenes coming off as overly melodramatic or downright cheesy when they are trying to be thoughtful.
Thankfully, this is not the case in Lost Judgment, as it features some of the best voice acting in this generation. A powerful script that deals with real-world issues needs a great voice cast, complete with a lead that appears sympathetic towards Yagami and his colleagues. Unsurprisingly, the Japanese voice acting is superb as well, if one would prefer playing the game in its original dub.
7 Loved: The School Environment
One of the best story arcs in the Lost Judgment is when Yagami and co are tasked with going undercover at the Seiryo High school. They are asked to investigate allegations of bullying, leading to a 21 Jump Street-style story that’s entertaining from start to finish.
Lost Judgment manages to expertly craft a believable environment that captures the culture of a modern-day Japanese school in a far more effective way than even Persona 5. Again, this is thanks to the engaging script and the tremendous voice acting on display throughout.
6 Didn't Love: The Linear
The story and script of Lost Judgment may be the most compelling piece of drama in the Yakuza series. Unfortunately, a focused story is often a linear one and that’s where the game draws another parallel with visual novels: there’s no deviating from the script in any way, no way for the player to impact the story through their decisions.
It’s not a deal-breaker at all, but it would have added some replayability if gamers were able to make different choices during some of the cases. This was an idea that was executed surprisingly well in Frogware’s Sherlock Holmes series, and it would fit well into the Judgment series too.
5 Loved: The School Activities
In addition to creating excellent scenarios within the Seiryo High School, there is a School Stories System. Yagami sets up the school’s Mystery Research Club to investigate the goings-on at the school, which leads to some of the most memorable moments in the game.
In addition to the investigations, there are school activities to take part in. These include the Robotics Club, the Skating Club, eSports, boxing, and more, making the world of Lost Judgment feel deeper and more fleshed out.
4 Loved: The Combat System
Those that have kept up with the Yakuza series will already know that the latest mainline entry, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, has transitioned to a turn-based combat system. It’s likely that the series will keep this system for the foreseeable future.
However, that miss the Streets of Rage-style combat system of the past will be glad to know that like its predecessor, Lost Judgment maintains the old school mechanics of Kiryu’s adventures. Yagami is definitely faster than Kiryu, but the combat is more fluid than ever before. Lost Judgment adds the Snake stance, a more defensive style that caters to parrying, disarming, and countering moves. In turn, this makes it a more approachable way to deal with violent students at the school.
3 Loved: Impressive Graphics
It has always been a joy to explore Kamurocho in the Yakuza games, and that extends to Lost Judgment too. The recent titles, Yakuza: Like a Dragon and the Judgment series, are the most visually impressive in the series by far.
They aren’t the most photo-realistic games on the market, but the attention to detail is almost second to none. Everything from the wide-open city streets to the back alleyways looks distinct and detailed. It’s one of the few games that get exploring at night absolutely just right. So many open-world games are too dark when the night falls, but Lost Judgment looks amazing day or night.
2 Loved: The Mini-Games
What would a Yakuza game be without the mini-games? Lost Judgment seems to have upped their game even more with a world where one can lose hours of their time just messing around at the Sega arcade.
For a healthy dose of nostalgia, there is a console-perfect Sega Master system to play at Yagami's detective office. In addition, there are mini-games and activities at the school, as well as bar games like darts and billiards. It’s also worth mentioning that to mark Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary, the developers have included Sonic Fighters in the arcade.
1 Didn't Love: Possibly Too Familiar For Some
The fans of the Yakuza series are devoted, and Kamurocho is an amazing location to explore. So for the hardcore fans, it will be like slipping back into a comfy pair of slippers. However, there’s no escaping the feeling that Lost Judgment will feel like a sizeable expansion rather than a brand new game.
There’s certainly enough to keep everyone happy. The storytelling is a massive step forward, as the spin-off series is moving away from gangster-centric stories. That said, for anyone that has been playing the Yakuza games since it launched on the PS2 the sights and sounds of Kamurocho may feel all too familiar.