Three years ago, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku took a different path down the streets of its infamous Kamurocho district with Judgment. While the studio had built its reputation with the Yakuza series of games, Judgment was a fresh take, with a brand new cast of characters and a perspective grounded in investigative work. A dark and thrilling tale of law, corruption, and busting heads open with gratuitously stylish violence, Judgment won veteran fans over to its side while providing a new entry-point to the world of Yakuza that wasn’t bogged down by two decades of continuity.

It’s 2021, and Judgment finally has a sequel in the shape of Lost Judgment. The game improves on the original’s template and delves into an even darker tale of revenge, redemption, and corruption at the highest possible level, set in the world of Japanese politics. Lost Judgment kicks off with a grim murder mystery as firefighters discover a strong contender for 2021’s best rotting corpse render, hidden away in a Yokohama building.

From that stomach-churning starting point, Lost Judgment kicks off a tale of supposedly unrelated events that eventually collide, as protagonist Takayuki Yagami finds himself caught up in a grand conspiracy that’ll require both brains and brawn to unravel. It’s a story that also has a unified theme at its roots: Bullying. Whether it’s psychological or physical, Lost Judgment deals with the ramifications of bullying and how individuals can be driven into a corner by their tormentors, unable to escape a cycle of abuse that claims far too many young lives every year.

Lost Judgment could have easily approached an incredibly delicate topic with the nuance of a dentist using a jackhammer to perform root canal surgery, but, to its credit, the game handles this sensitive subject matter with care and understanding, expertly weaving it into its overall narrative and asking some hard questions along the way. How Lost Judgment uses that topic as a concrete foundation to build on, makes for a story that takes its time to properly set up its major players, and eventually ends with an explosive climax that impressively leaves nary a single loose thread.

All of this hard work is, of course, handled by Lost Judgment’s cast, a motley collection of former lawyers, retired Yakuza, and sinister villains, all played to perfection by some of the finest actors in Japan. It’s one thing to see their likenesses uploaded into digital avatars, but RGG studio goes the extra mile with how well it translates subtle facial nuances and performances into each scene, amplifying them with dynamic set-piece moments and bone-crunching action.

If this is your first time in an RGG-developed title, it’s worth noting that these are games heavy into story. Lost Judgment doesn’t respect your time and it doesn’t give a damn either, as it luxuriates in how long it takes to set up its key plot points, chucking entire bibles of exposition and in-game cutscenes at players before you’re ready to even throw a punch. It’s all worth it in the end, though, when that carefully-plotted momentum delivers a satisfying conclusion.

To get to the meat of the plot though, players will have to use Yagami’s detective skills to unravel the mystery of a seemingly impossible murder case that threatens to destroy the very foundation of Japan’s legal system. Chase sequences and tailing sections are back, although thankfully there are far fewer of the latter gameplay segment. In addition to being able to observe his surroundings to gather vital information, Yagami can also make use of gadgets that include a listening device, an electronics detector–and most importantly–Ranpo the detective dog, a faithful hound that can sniff out leads.

When backed into a corner though, Yagami is still a force to be reckoned with thanks to his kung-fu skills. This time his arsenal has been expanded, as the heavy-hitting Tiger and room-clearing Crane techniques of foot-to-ass style combat have been augmented with Snake style Aikido. While Crane and Tiger styles are perfect for certain situations, Snake style functions as a versatile in-between system for dealing with enemies and disarming opponents with redirection and weapon-breaking moves.

Combat also feels far faster now, with moves connecting brutally and setting up enemies for vicious EX finishers, which end encounters with violent knees to the face or a hilarious fake-out that takes advantage of your foe’s stunned state. Mixing and matching the combat is an absolute joy, and when you start investing Skill Points into several trees of unlockable abilities, Yagami becomes a one-man ass-kicking army.

Gone are the Mortal Wounds from the first game, just one of several quality-of-life improvements that Lost Judgment has to offer. Yagami is now able to pull off a Mortal Reversal counter to avoid lethal damage from bosses on the rampage, and send their offense straight back into their surprised faces. Earning SP is easier now as well, while several accessibility modes mean that you can play the game with options that either give you an easy ride through the streets of Yokohama or turn up the intensity to 11 if you’re in the mood for a white-knuckle ride.

Like other Yakuza-verse games, you can expect Lost Judgment to be a lengthy experience. The main story will take at least 20 hours to complete, while the Kamarucho and Ijincho districts are filled with a number of other side activities that easily and impressively double the time spent inside those sandboxes. Yagami has free rein of a nearby high school that is filled with all manner of club activity mini-games, such as leading a dance club, creating a custom robot for bionic battles, sparring in the boxing gym, and even creating a custom motorcycle that can be used in races against local delinquents.

Bizarre side-cases flex your deductive grey matter, the sandboxes are filled with hidden squirrel-themed collectibles, and there’s even a mini-game revolving around befriending cats and raising your paw-pularity. That’s Game of the Year material right there. And that’s without mentioning the dozens of School stories, Sega Master System retro classics, and arcade game delights that you can engage in as well. Lost Judgment is packed with so much extra content, it’s obscene.

It’d be easy to write Lost Judgment off as just a Yakuza spin-off, but with the wealth of improvements that this sequel delivers, its mature storyline, and likable cast of private eye heroes, it feels more distinct than ever before from the mainline Yakuza series. Kiryu Kazama’s days as the trademark face of the series came to an end in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, paving the way for an RPG take on the series led by newcomer Ichiban Kasuga.

With Takayuki Yagami, Lost Judgment has earned its title as successor to the Dragon of Dojima’s beat ’em up throne, providing a fresh and fascinating perspective into the Japanese underworld while carving out its own unique path within the franchise. Worryingly, Lost Judgment might be the final game in the series due to some silliness from talent agencies and a refusal to allow it to be ported over to PC. That said, if this is the game that concludes Yagami’s gumshoe adventures, then this crime drama is going out with the biggest bang possible.

Lost Judgment is playable now for Deluxe Edition owners. The game’s general release is this Friday, September 24, solely for consoles PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.


Lost Judgment review

Taking the foundation of 2018’s Judgment and improving on it tremendously, Lost Judgment is an explosive game of murder, mystery, and mayhem that’s bulging with content, fascinating stories, and bone-crunching action.

 9
Lost Judgment was reviewed on PS5