Lost Judgment takes that interesting approach to social commentary that was used effectively in its first game.

For the most part, Lost Judgment does a wonderful job of balancing narrative progression with just the right amount of twists that make you want to steamroll through the story and worry about the side distractions later. If you’re looking to pick this game up with no prior knowledge of the first Judgment, then you may get lost with some of the plot’s finer details. Lost Judgmentįor those of us familiar with RGGS’ work, narratives like this are the nature of the beast. There’s also the vested interests of the Yokohama Liumang and Kamurocho based RK gangs that give all characters involved constant setbacks as they try to uncover the truth. This includes Yoko Sawa, a teacher with a dark secret, curious investigative teenager Kyoko Amasawa, who quickly becomes Yagami’s protege, and local “handyman” Jin Kuwana, a mysterious figure who’s always at the right place at the wrong time. Yagami and others investigate the connections, making uneasy alliances with the staff and students of Seiryo High. How can a suspect from one case know about an entirely different case, not yet known to the public, and how is he connected?Īll of these elements come into play, making two seemingly isolated cases of bullying and sexual assault turn into a cohesive tapestry of mystery, intrigue and many a twist along the way. The victim in question, Hiro Mikoshiba, was a former trainee teacher for Seiryo High but also a former bully to Ehara-san’s son, Toshiro. Things are looking fairly cut and dry, with strong evidence proving Ehara-san’s guilt, however, in the trial, Ehara boldly proclaims about the discovery of the body in Ijincho. Meanwhile, back in Kamurocho, Genda Law Firm, which still comprises Saori Shirsaki, Issei Hoshino and Ryuzo Genda, are defending disgraced police officer and suspected sexual predator Akihiro Ehara. This is somewhat counterproductive, with Yagami investigating student bullying by beating down the school students, yet it’s on-brand for RGGS to have such silliness in their games. It isn’t long before you’re running into trouble with the academy’s students, who, in typical RGGS fashion, you have to fight. Yagami and Kaito are invited to Ijincho, Yokohama to help the two rookie gumshoes on a case that involves school bullying and the suicide of a student at the prestigious academy Seiryo High. Lost JudgmentĪfter the bust, Yagami receives a phone call from his former allies – tech savant and figurine enthusiast, Makoto Tsukumo and former Guy Fawkes pretty boy, Fumiya Sugiura, who since the events of the last game have set up their own detective agency in Yokohama, the aptly titled Yokohama 99. This portion of the game serves as a basic tutorial, showcasing some of the game’s more noticeable changes.

Following a brief refresher of Judgment’s main plot, we are soon back in the familiar sights and sounds of Kamurocho with protagonists Yagami-san and his ever-faithful ex-Yakuza sidekick Masaharu Kaito, who are investigating a human trafficking/gambling ring. Lost Judgment’s story doesn’t pull any punches, immediately starting with a grisly murder scene after firefighters are called to investigate smoke from a disused building. Add the usual narrative hijinks and mini-games galore and Lost Judgment is yet another impressive title for Ryu Ga Gotoku’s portfolio. Hopefully, this isn’t the case, as Lost Judgment takes everything that worked in the first title, tweaks and changes a few things, and creates something that seems new and fresh, a true sequel worth its name. It’s not looking great and if there isn’t a resolution on the cards, this sequel could very well already be the last game in the franchise. Though we have kept these references brief, discretion is advised.įollowing the franchise’s successful debut in 2018, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Lost Judgment is the second and possibly final Judgment game, as recent reports suggest that talent agency Johnny, who handle the likeness for the main character’s actor, are opposed to bringing the franchise to PC. Content Warning: The following review contains references to suicide and sexual assault as those themes are prominent throughout Lost Judgment.

Lost judgment review