Late to the Party: Lost Judgment

eing a Spin-Off from a popular series is hard because you’re either as beloved as Family Matters, or as forgettable as The Cleveland Show—the reception to these ventures is rarely in-between.

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s first foray into the Yakuza Universe outside of Kiryu’s story continuity, Judgment, fringes between both ends of that measuring stick. The crux of this weakness fell upon its failure to carve a meaningful identity of its own from the rich source material it pulls from, well, aside from a fickle protagonist who was charming one second and irritatingly cringe-worthy the next at the very least.

Inconsistent delivery aside though, the premise of an Ex-Lawyer turned Private Eye in the world of Kamurcho still carries plenty of merits to re-visit in its own right, especially with mainline Yakuza series shifting into the Turn-Based RPG Genre for the indefinite future. This is where the follow-up sequel to Takayuki Yagami crime-solving caper, Lost Judgement, comes into the grand picture.

The Private Eye’s latest case leads him to the rough streets of Ijincho, and the setting isn’t the only thing that’s new as Lost Judgment is a sequel that boldly builds upon its formula instead of trying to deliver a familiar formula with some forced twists, making for an immensely better experience this time around.

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PPR Presents Late to the Party: Judgement

f I were to liken Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s Yakuza series to a mixed drink, I would compare it to the sweet, yet effectively potent combination of Rum and Coke. It has all the thrills, and action you could ever want, while maintaining an accessible sense of pacing that can synchronize with just about anyone’s rhythm.

I can’t say the same thing out of the studio’s newest release, however; Judgment is more like Whiskey and Coke—a mixture that commands time and patience the moment you press your lips to the glass. Toting itself as a spiritual successor to Yakuza, Judgement throws a twist on the crime-drama formula from Toshihiro Nagoshi that empathizes new Detective-focused dynamics, encouraging observational skills and deduction from players instead of relying on the trademark brute-force that the world of Kamurcho is famous for offering.

While the novelty of the concept is admittedly hampered by strict pacing that drags on the early hours of Judgment through an annoying slog, the game eventually opens up into one of the most fulfilling experiences from the developer yet, consistently rewarding the commitment it demands a slower-than-usual pace that Ryu ga Gotoku design is known for.

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QCF: Yakuza Kiwami

t’s been speculated that Grand Theft Auto III would have never gone in the direction that it did had it not been for Shenmue on the Dreamcast, and personally, I always found that contrast a bit misleading. Grand theft Auto attempted to give as much player freedom as they could, while Shenmue was aimed more at the player agency, albeit through the scope of a law-abiding protagonist who still had to adhere to things like a curfew.

Fast forward six years later, and we’re treated to a new game from SEGA titled Yakuza, an adventure that pays homage to both Shenmue and Grand Theft Auto through its unique RPG mechanics that offer a balanced blend of agency and freedom, and was successful enough to launch a new franchise for SEGA into the next decade.

A franchise that’s gone so strong that SEGA decided to release a remaster of the classic that started it all, Yakuza Kiwami for the PS4. To gauge the success of a remaster is to determine how well it can deliver the experience to both fans of the original, and new players who’re coming in fresh—Yakuza Kiwami nails both out of the park (or this case, batting cages), as the trip back to Kazama Kiryu’s misadventures in this epic crime-drama feels just as fresh as it did before.

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