Every part of the game has taken on feedback, it seems - even Chases have been made more interesting with health mechanics and alternate paths. The tedium of tailing a target is still present, but it has been stripped back considerably thanks to the ability to ‘Act Casual’ when they turn on you. My other major bugbear was how dull some of the detective activities felt in a game that is primarily about investigation. This was one of the few problems I had with Judgment, so it’s terrific to see that rectified. Activities that may have occurred out of reach in cutscenes in the past are now actions that the player can engage with. Now you can find and return lost items around the map, parkour up the side of buildings, and participate in meaningful stealth encounters with smoke bombs and coin toss distractions. Where you may find dull spots in the original, Lost Judgment fills in the cracks by making the most boring parts of the game more fun. Instead of sticking to just Kamurocho, the sequel adds an entirely new location to explore, which meaningfully fleshes out the amount of content and capers. I can still head to Yoshinoya for a tasty beef bowl with extra toppings, but this time I can walk my cute dog or take my skateboard, grinding and kick flipping my way through the gigantic new Yokohama area. Lost Judgment is very similar to the original in many respects, but it expands the scope of many of its best ideas, resulting in a confident sequel that easily supersedes the original. Judgment was my first introduction to the Yakuza series, and the main thing that hooked me was the simple pleasures of exploring its detailed modern world. The fun part is that there are also skills to unlock that help him with his detective work and open-world shenanigans, so it creates the feeling that you’re nurturing a build based on your playstyle. This is because Lost Judgment has a bustling skill tree for players to dig into, helping Yagami become more fluid in combat by activating absurd EX Attacks and improving the power of his punches and kicks. It means that even when you run into a trio of thugs on the street for the thousandth time, you don’t mind the battle, as it’s always an opportunity to show off new skills and earn some precious Skill Points. It’s easy to have fun with but tricky to master and rewards players who learn the combos and choose the right skills to augment their favourite approach. Yagami dances around enemies with his complex Crane and Tiger fighting styles, leaping and pummelling his way through hordes of goons while carefully dispatching rowdy students with his new Snake-style ground pounds and counters. The Judgment series, or whatever spin-offs are to come from Ryu Ga Gotoku, will likely be the home for real-time action going forward, and the good news is that the system only seems to be getting better. Lost Judgment retains the 3D-brawler fighting gameplay that helped to popularise the Yakuza games, and given that the mainline series has permanently switched to turn-based JRPG combat with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, this creates a unique situation for newcomers and veterans. He’s a very different character than Yakuza’s Kazuma Kiryu, but he’s typically loveable, effortlessly cool, and can – of course – whoop a lot of ass when necessary. In Lost Judgment, you play as Takayuki Yagami a former attorney turned private eye who leverages his skillset and charisma to track killers and crack civilian cases. Sure, the Yakuza series is as good as everyone says, but this is an excellent accessible option if you find the number of games in the parent series daunting and just want to test the waters without getting your whole body wet. The first game has somewhat established the stakes, but Lost Judgment does a great job of welcoming new players while offering a fascinating, contained mystery to dig into. If you’ve never played any of the action-packed Yakuza games but have been intrigued by the meticulous open worlds and strong characters that fans famously fawn over, I think this is a great place to start.
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