Lost Judgment is a follow up effort from developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and publisher Sega on Yakuza spin-off Judgment. While the 2018 detective adventure was an enjoyable affair with some missteps along the way, the second story centered around Takayuki Yagami and friends is a clear upgrade, and one that will certainly cement interest in further narratives following the Yagami Detective Agency.
Lost Judgment is set three years after the events of the first game, with Yagami and partner Masaharu Kaito adapting to life after they exposed the perpetrators of a series of serial killings and coverups that rocked the Kamurocho district. That doesn't last long, as an investigation into a bullying problem in Seiryo High School soon spirals into another web of intrigue, behind-the-scenes machinations, and murder.
Lost Judgment is a game that effectively balances two narratives: the heavier story investigating bullying in Japanese high schools, and the lighter side narratives that see Yagami infiltrate Seiryo High School as a club advisor and help guide some of its students as they grow up and grapple with coming-of-age tales. While the stark tonal dissonance can sometimes be jarring, it's also welcome, as the main plot of Lost Judgment pulls no punches and depicts some unsettling truths about the brutality of adolescence. Thankfully, Lost Judgment handles everything with grace, delivering an unforgettable journey that should be experienced with as little prior information about it as possible.
Any concerns that the sequel would be unable to top the character and world-building of its predecessor are shed early into the game, as Lost Judgment reunites most of its cast quickly and doesn't ignore their development over the course of Judgment. Watching the motley crew of heroes assemble together - while adding a few more allies over the course of the game - and grow as people is immensely satisfying, and their interactions strike the right cinematic chords. Those charmed by Yakuza's depiction of the underground of Tokyo's criminal world will be similarly infatuated with Lost Judgment's spin on things, though in of accessibility, playing through Judgment first is certainly the best course of action to enjoy the more minute interactions and surprises peppered throughout the narrative.
Judgment wasn't lacking a great story either, however, and its biggest stumbles came in the way it attempted to blend the action combat of Yakuza with detective elements. Lost Judgment is a game that learned from these failings, and the result is a title that successfully delivers on the promise of Yagami's detective skills in a Yakuza spin-off setting. The detective gameplay has been improved immensely in Lost Judgment, with more ways to discover clues in crime scenes, more side quests that make drone flying, dog walking, and bug scanning enjoyable, and a better balance between all of these options being struck.
Tailing returns in Lost Judgment as well, but it's not as big an element as it used to be, with missions using it more sparingly and the option being more fun as a result. While it remains largely unchanged, better use of environmental obstructions to hide and a new option to "act natural" when caught out in the open are welcome additions. Chasing suspects has become more dynamic, with health pick-ups to help balance out some of the more challenging obstacle courses and interactable objects laid out that Yagami can kick at the head of his target to slow them down.
Lost Judgment also includes stealth missions, which are again used fairly sparingly but tend to be exciting when they show up. Yagami can infiltrate locations by distracting guards with coins or smoke bombs, either slipping past befuddled enemies or choking them out after they've wandered away from their post.
With so many improvements to the detective side of Lost Judgment, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio could have left the combat from the original Judgment alone, given how strong it was in that iteration. Instead, a new fighting style has been added in Lost Judgment, with the Snake style offering more counter-focused gameplay for those inclined. Snake style is also the most fun of the three, with more cinematic reversals and the best soundtrack during combat. That being said, Tiger and Crane are both needed in different areas of the game, which still tasks players with familiarizing themselves with all of Yagami's arsenal to defeat its toughest group and boss battles.
Perhaps the biggest breakthrough for Lost Judgment isn't its improvements to either of its gameplay modes, but rather the way it tackles side quests. Rather than building up friendship with various citizens and occasionally unlocking quests as a result, most of the game's side content comes in the form of school stories, which see Yagami use his position as outside counselor to infiltrate various high school clubs. It's very Persona-esque, right down to raising social skills like appeal, and it works well to provide even more variety in a game already bursting at the seams with it.
The school stories are also the fastest method to access much of Lost Judgment's mini-games, which range from rhythm dancing to a full-on Virtua Fighter 5 in-house tournament. Not only do these serve as excellent distractions in their own right, with each being well-made and engaging on their own, but the stories they're attached to are some of the most human and grounding experiences in Lost Judgment. As the game's main narrative begins to widen and the stakes get raised, coming back to school and helping a student re-discover their ion for a hobby or shed themselves of the negative influence of a parent is refreshing and reinvigorating.
Lost Judgment is nothing short of stunning. It's tightly-packed narrative never fails to enthrall, while its gameplay systems make navigating to each of its engrossing narrative beats an exciting experience in its own right. While Judgment felt a bit more like a proof of concept for how a Yakuza spin-off could be done, its sequel is evidence there needs to be more. Lost Judgment is a defining release from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, one of 2021's best games, and the rare sequel that preserves its series' identity while improving on nearly every element of its predecessor.
Lost Judgment releases on September 24 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant was provided with a PS5 code for the purpose of this review.
