SEGA has released an exciting new trailer for the upcoming Yakuza spin-off, Lost Judgment. It is a sequel to 2018’s Judgment, which was recently remastered for next-generation consoles and Stadia, but strangely did not launch on Steam unlike the Yakuza games.
Lost Judgment builds upon the original by adding a new fighting style called Snake, which features several abilities that help counter attacks from armed enemies. Snake will be joining the existing Tiger and Crane styles, that are useful in fighting single and multiple enemies respectively. It will primarily be set in Yokohama, the same city that was used in Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon. A recent trailer for Lost Judgment has confirmed that existing features from the original, such as trailing missions and crime scene investigations, will be making a return.
The latest story trailer for Lost Judgment shares footage with the original announcement trailer that was released in May. The almost 7-minute-long video reveals a lot about the game’s plot and characters, and those sensitive to spoilers may consider not watching it. The trailer opens up with the trial of Akihiro Ehara, who goes on to share the name and background of a dead body from a seemingly unrelated case. It then follows the main character, Takayuki Yagami, in his desperate attempt to find the truth behind Ehara’s involvement. Along with setting up the plot, it also shows some over-the-top action sequences in true Yakuza fashion.
Judgment is often considered as a perfect entry point to get into this series. It features a brand-new cast of characters, and tells an arguably more realistic and believable story. Lost Judgment is shaping up to be an exciting sequel that seems to have rectified some of the annoyances of the original, while also adding new gameplay mechanics to keep the action fresh.
While the original did eventually release on Xbox consoles and Stadia after its debut on PS4, Lost Judgment is not scheduled to release on PC at all. Conflict of interests with a talent agency in Japan is rumored to be at the heart of this issue.
The bad news doesn’t end there, as it is rumored that Lost Judgment may be the last game in the series due to the above-mentioned issue. With future Yakuza games confirmed to have a turn-based combat system, it will be a shame if Judgment is not allowed to continue and build upon the action battle-system that often served as a selling point for this series.
Lost Judgment releases on September 24 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.