Lost Judgment (2021)

Let's get straight to the point: Lost Judgment is the best video game of the year 2021! It's the sequel to Judgment, released two years ago, which itself is a spin-off of the popular Yakuza video game series. This action adventure video game combines investigative techniques as a detective, intense martial arts combats and persuasive strategies used as a lawyer. The story follows Yagami Takayuki, a lawyer who has decided to become a detective after winning a trial with unexpected tragic consequences in the past. He is based in Kamurocho, a fictitious suburb of downtown Tokyo, but large parts of the story take place in Isezaki Ijincho, a fictitious suburb of downtown Yokohama. The charismatic protagonist in his late thirties investigates the case of a police officer accused of sexual battery who seems to be somehow connected to the brutal murder of a trainee teacher. Yagami Takayuki investigates among Kamurocho's criminal gangs but also at a school in Isezaki Ijincho to connect the two cases as he soon uncovers an incredible conspiracy of national dimension. He is supported by a set of interesting characters such as reserved lawyer Shirosaki Saori, quirky high school student Amasawa Kyoko and flashy former gangster Kaito Masaharu.

This game convinces on multiple levels. First of all, the atmosphere is authentic, gripping and variable as the game shifts from sinister stories of murder and suicide to funny and quirky side missions involving distracted elementary school students or clumsy doppelgänger.

Up next, the challenge level is quite diversified as the game has different degrees of difficulty that can be modified quite fluidly to help you not being stuck with overtly powerful opponents for an extended period of time.

The controls are fluid as it's easier to move around in this game than in its immediate predecessor since Yagami Takayuki can now use a skateboard to navigate through the two cities.

The game flow is excellent as I have played the main story and most of the side stories for a total of seventy-three hours in just a few weeks since the game is incredibly immersive and filled with stunning details.

The graphics are outstanding as the different characters all have unique facial features and the buildings vary from clean apartments to shady casinos hidden under public toilets.

The game's length offers lots of value for money. Even if you strictly focus on playing the main plot, it will offer you thirty to forty hours of excellent entertainment. If you want to play all the side stories, you might be in for about one hundred hours of entertainment and that still doesn't stop you from revisiting the game to play virtual reality games, motorcycle races or drone challenges.

The long-term fun factor associated to the game is quite elevated for these very same reasons. However, some players have complained to be stuck at certain points which can lead to some frustration. Especially the side story about the Robotics Club can be quite challenging but is also very rewarding. For each completed side quest, you can earn badges, money and skills.

The game's sound is intense and realistic without being too flashy or memorable. The excellent voice actors need to be pointed out however. I have played the game in its original Japanese version with German subtitles and would certainly recommend other players to choose the original voice acting over the English one that sounds a little bit stiff at times.

The soundtrack is decent with a few pop songs that can also be used for dance choreographies in the Dance Club side story but the tunes aren't quite memorable on their own.

The story is obviously the heart piece of this video game. The main story is an intriguing conspiracy with many twists and turns but overall maybe a little bit too similar to the first game. The numerous quirky side stories are however there to save the day. Especially the ten different school stories are very intriguing, from rivalries between overtly competitive esports groups over an enthusiastic but naive photographer admiring her former club leader to skateboard groups with artistic and territorial conflicts.

As you can see, Lost Judgment truly offers something for every taste and even though it is slightly less impressive than its immediate predecessor Judgment was two years ago, it easily outperforms the strong releases of the main series Yakuza that share several plots, locations and characters. This game, this series and this whole video game universe deserve much more attention than they have gotten so far. If you have never played any of these video games, start right now and you will have months or even years of splendid entertainment, no matter if you are a newcomer, an occasional player or video game expert.

Detailed rating:

Atmosphere: 9 /10 

Challenge level: 8 /10

Controls: 9 /10

Game flow: 10 /10

Graphics: 9 /10

Length: 10 /10

Long-term fun factor: 9 /10  

Sound: 8 /10

Soundtrack: 7 /10

Story: 9 /10

Total score: 88 / 100