I'm not a big fan of the Yakuza series, but I did have a surprisingly great time with Lost Judgment, a side series which follows a small detective agency in Kamurocho run by crazed worm collecting lunatic Takayuki Yagami and his muscle, Masaharu "drop kick you from off-screen" Kaito. It suffered from some of the same problems I usually assign to the larger Yakuza franchise, and it steeps itself deeply in subject matter that it doesn't always handle with grace, but by shifting away from the series' Yakuza pulp cinema roots to something closer to Japanese noir (which I generally prefer), it more than made up for its shortcomings.

But, like, Yagami is kind of a creep, right? I didn't get into this much before, but the way he interacts with other characters is needlessly abrasive and outright results in more death and violence. He's not a great protagonist, and although I too like shoving bugs and screws into my pockets and going on adventures with stray dogs I meet, I don't find him especially relatable. Thankfully (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), issues between actor Takuya Kimura's agency and Sega have put Yagami's future in jeopardy, which essentially leaves Ryu Ga Gotoku two options: put Judgment on ice or make Kaito the protagonist.

I'm not sure if The Kaito Files was always planned or if it is actually Ryu Ga Gotoku doing a dry run with the character before determining whether to move forward with a third Judgment, but given Yagami's comical lack of presence in this expansion (he occasionally sends you texts saying he's in the woods looking for a divorcee) it certainly feels like the latter, and hey, you'll get no complaints from me there. I've always found him to be a more affable character, one who comfortably fits into that "dumbass with a heart of gold" archetype, but The Kaito Files puts in a respectable amount of work building this meathead up into someone who can lead a damn game. By the end of the expansion's ~8 hour runtime, I found that I was rooting for Kaito far more than I did Yagami after his own whopping 23 hour campaign, and was far more invested in his story and where it might possibly go. So if they are teeing him up, then hey, mission accomplished.

The case Kaito takes on is also a lot more compelling to me than that of the base game. While covering Yagami's desk, Kaito is approached by a wealthy businessman named Kyoya Sadamoto, who offers Kaito a ridiculous sum of money to look into the disappearance of his wife, Mikiko, who presumably died two years prior. Kaito turns down the money and attempts to wash his hands of the case, having been Mikiko's lover eight years earlier. However, after meeting her son, Jun, who insists that Kaito is actually his father, he's drawn into the search for Mikiko and uncovers a larger conspiracy involving the serial murders of Crimson Lotus gang members, who Mikiko appears to have some connection with. Kaito's personal ties to the case - his regret for choosing obligation to his criminal family over Mikiko, and grappling with the possibility of having a teenaged son - requires him to consider what kind of man he is, in turn building depth and forcing him into situations where he must hone his skills as a detective.

Not that he becomes some Hercule Poirot by the end of the game (he's much closer to Jacques Clouseau on the Detective Spectrum™), in fact when it comes time to piece the mystery together and reveal the culprit, he can posit that he committed the murders like some kind of sleeper agent. However, he's convincing enough as a sleuth that I never felt the same disparity I did with Yagami as a fighter, and it's also funny to me how he has far more composure when presenting incorrect evidence during cross examination-- like damn Yagami, sorry you're so bad at your job. Kaito is the full package and I wish he were my dad.

I also enjoyed all the side characters, with Jun being a standout. He's a bit dim but has a strong sense of justice and a good heart, which goes a long way towards convincing the player that he might actually be Kaito's kid. It's clear he looks up to him too, and Kaito assumes a fatherly role as though it were second nature, even if he is initially hesitant. If Jun didn't work, none of this would work. I also like that he is afraid of knives and passes out on the spot if he sees one, and sometimes just jumps out windows. Good kid. Mikiko's relationship to Kaito is equally as important, and her own willingness to protect others at personal cost really sold me on her being perfect for Kaito. Saving her isn't just about setting right a past wrong, but protecting someone Kaito still loves as passionately as he did eight years ago. Ryu Ga Gotoku doesn't fumble here the same way they did with Lost Judgment. It's starts as a smaller, more personal story that still blows up and goes in some wacky directions, but which remains tightly focused and consistently good throughout.

Gameplay is a known quantity, just more of the same from Lost Judgment. Combat is, was, and probably always will be my least favorite part of the Yakuza series. I just don't click with it, I don't think it feels good, and The Kaito Files is arguably a bit weaker here as it reduces the amount of available fighting styles to just two: brawler and tank. I mostly stuck with tank because the trade-off in speed makes you damn near unkillable, and being able to pick up weapons mid-attack has clear advantages when most areas are full of bikes, signs, and baseball bats. You still look for clues in first person, though Kaito - who is described as being an animal, a feral beast of a man - is able to employ his sense of hearing and smell to aide him in his search for evidence without the assistance of gadgets. Sometimes you'll be walking around and Kaito's sniffer picks up on something, so you just like, go smell a bag of garbage and get experience points.

A sore point for Yakuza fans might be the lack of side cases, which is a bummer, but given the intended scope of The Kaito Files as an expansion, I suppose it would be unreasonable to expect a large amount of side content. However, a smattering of additional cases would've been nice, at least in the sense that I like watching Kaito interact with the world around him. I enjoy observing him like a gorilla in its enclosure, and I want to introduce more variables to see what he'll do. Yet, despite these grievances, I still had more fun with this than the base game, and it makes me wish Yagami would be expunged from the series so we can just get more Kaito.

Hey, RGG, you can easily patch in a quick text exchange to explain it too. Look, you can have this free of charge:

Yagami: "Hey, my investigation is taking longer than I thought."

Kaito: "Oh yeah?"

Yagami: "I fell in a lake and got passed away, you're the star of Judgment now."

Kaito: "thank yuo ,bro"

Please just make it happen, and give Kaito a skateboard and bring back Ranpo.

After 2 years of playing this series, i'm finally caught up.

Not really much to say man, i always loved Kaito's character and even more his dynamic with Yagami made me smile but this DLC just speaks Kaito just really deserve to be happy after all the stuff he has been going through his life, not running from the mistakes that he made from the past, if it was the right thing, even the rash decisions can really make someone and himself happy in a way.

Hidenori Shoji once again cooked one of my favorite final bosses in Yakuza, so much to respect in a man who has been working with RGG since Yakuza 1, it really feels fit for him to make which could've been Yakuza 1 final boss. Both characters has a deep love about Mikoko and the last thing both of them agree on is a duel.

Im being very honest, this is what I expected from Gaiden before it came out: a short but immensely character focused experience that doesnt meander around for too long while remaining true to the series' humanity. While I believe there's definitely room for side content here to improve its replayability, I cant help but admire how focused it is to bringing humanity to my favourite himbo in the series: Masaharu Kaito.
The DLC feels like RGG coming back and exploring the ideas and themes set in stone all the way back in Yakuza 1 with the writing experience theyve had for over a decade now. Kaito more or less goes through the same struggles as Kiryu minus the ten year joint: running away from those he loves, weighing how much being bound by blood affects the bonds we have and the strength we posess to fight for the ones we love. Its a clean slate to Kaito compared to the jumbled predicament that Kiryu is currently in and it really invites a breath of fresh air for Kaito to get a well deserved happy ending.
Plot wise Im happy to say that the quality of writing within the plot is just as good as the first Judgment, which I hold in high regard!
Twists are kept to a minimum this time around, I think I can only remember 3 or so and most of them are very minor. It also has probably the most heartwarming ending in the series and with everything Kaito, Jun and Mikiko have been through, I couldnt be more happy.
Combat is just recycled Beast and Brawler from o but with minor tweaks to suit LJ's playstyle and they work so well here. Like Yagami, Kaito is all about the flow and starts off slow before becoming a lightning bruiser once you get the speed boosts. One problem I have is thst juggling is alot harder this time but the weight of the combat more than makes up for that fluidity.
All in all, A throughly engaging DLC that wastes no time in relishing in the humanity of its characters by using the plot as a vehicle for character development rather than the other way around, suceeding with flying colours. Ill definitely get on the PS2 Yakuza games before Infinite Wealth, which I might cop during the holidays. Nobody does it like them man

Por ser a primeira DLC de história da RGG, eles tinham total liberdade pra fazer muito bem oq eles quisessem, sem qualquer comparação com alguma possível expansão passada, logo, Kaito Files acabou se tornando uma curta, porém muito doce aventura.

Como esperado pelo nome, nós jogamos com Masaharu Kaito, o sidekick do Yagami nos dois jogos principais da franquia. Ele possui dois estilos de luta, Bruiser e Tank que são basicamente os estilos Brawler e Beast do Kiryu de Yakuza 0. Porém, eu estava esperando um ctrl c + ctrl v, sendo que é mais uma base pra criação do que qualquer coisa, pois os grabs, heat actions e alguns golpes são diferentes dos utilizados pela RGG no Yakuza.

A DLC tem uma duração de, em média, 7 a 8 horas, já que ela não tem um conteúdo secundário expressivo (apenas alguns coletáveis) e não possui nem um New Game + ou uma Premium Adventure, o que é uma pena, eu aposto que muitos adorariam esses modos pra poderem aproveitar mais do combate do Kaito, que é completamente diferente do combate do Yagami. A narrativa dela é dividida em 4 capítulos, que não são nenhum primor narrativo, mas que são bem agradáveis, principalmente quando se lembra que não é um jogo independente, mas uma DLC. Os personagens novos são bem escritos, a grande maioria dos players acaba amando os personagens feitos para serem gostados e odiando os personagens feitos para serem odiados, o que é ótimo, ter um antagonista que não foi feito para ter sua compaixão, mas que mesmo assim você não sente algo negativo por ele é algo muito preocupante, vilões principais tem que tirar emoções fortes do player, não importa quais, e o desse jogo definitivamente vai te fazer sentir coisas.

O capítulo final é sem sombra de dúvidas o ponto alto da DLC, com ele sendo consideravelmente tenso, mas tendo também uma resolução atraente, com ações tomadas pela equipe de direção que até estranham os fãs de longa data da franquia, de forma positiva claro. As duas boss fights finais são muito boas por motivos completamente opostos, que eu não posso entrar em detalhes sem spoilar, mas garanto que ambas são sensacionais.

No geral, uma expansão bem sólida, que deixa a esperança que a RGG poderá fazer isso com mais personagens no futuro. Eu, pessoalmente, imagino que ninguém reclamaria de uma expansão de um Watase da vida, ou até mesmo ficando no Judgment, jogar com o Higashi ou o Suguira são coisas que imagino que boa parte dos fãs adoraria. Um acerto tremendo da RGG.

I don't like the return of massive stun after attacking a blocking enemy and Kaito's styles just being two from Yakuza 0 disappoints. These are my only issues with what's otherwise basically a perfect RGG Studio game. This final boss goes so fucking hard it's unbelievable. Really hope that they have more short, focused expansions like this that share a similarly sharp grasp on character writing and fill out side characters. I'd pay $30 or $40 for a standalone with this little bullshit very easily. I love that this DLC is an echo of Yakuza 1, except Kaito is willing to live for other people instead of dying for them and thus has a very, very different approach to things. He's such a great character.

I really appreciate that Legend is unlocked from the get go (at least if you beat the main game I guess?).

I really loved the story, I hope they give Kaito the spotlight again sometime. Or hell, make Jun get his chance in a few years or something. Kid's cool, he can do it.

My only issues with this DLC are mostly due to combat and pricing. I feel like $30 (without sale, I got it for $17 which is its current historical low on PC) is a tad steep when considering that there's very little to do besides the story. I knew that going in, though, but still... feels a tad steep when compared to the price:content ratio of the main game, I guess?

My other gripe is the combat. Mind you, the combat's still fun as fuck to me but...

Kaito getting Kiryu's Brawler and Beast styles is kinda uninteresting, even if there are enough changes to make them feel distinct enough to me. It's especially fun when you land Bruiser's counter and get the speed boost, then use EX Boost! Plus, they play so differently from Yagami that it's nice. I just wish they had given Kaito a unique style (even if it's a singular style) or tweaked the styles more.

Which, on that note, Kaito's lack of juggle options makes playing as him feel less fun than Yagami. Most of his launchers are hard to land, as enemies will either block them or dodge them with ease. Regular mooks get hit easily by them, but most likely die before you get to have your juggling fun. Bruiser feels fun as fuck to brutalize enemies with once you DO get a juggle going, though, so there's that! I just wish Kaito had more/better launchers...

Bosses, though, are honestly pretty peak! No complaints there, I greatly enjoyed every fight. Even the optional challenge bosses which are (mostly) reusing certain movesets from the base game, they were a pretty fun challenge on Legend.

The long battles were great too, giving Kaito actual hordes of morons to wreck.

Overall, I guess I really loved this DLC but think it should've been cheaper or had some side-content besides collectible hunting. Took me about 9 hours to beat having basically 100%'d it, though, and I enjoyed it all the way so I can't complain.

This DLC managed to make me realize how shitty Like a Dragon Gaiden is as a standalone game (where the only redeemable think is the last chapter).
Who would have guessed that if you scale down the plot, don't make everything about big conspiracies and plots to rule the underground/politics and make it personal it to the characters, it will turn out to be a solid story.
If you use any healing/boost items during the last boss, you don't have an ounce of honor in your body.
My body craves Judgment 3 but knowing Nagoshi is not around anymore and how greedy Sega is, I don't know if I want it anymore.

"Good evening, I'm Mikiko Sadamoto. I'm the most interesting character RGG studios has ever conceived."

I would really love more of these short stories. They don't even need to feature established characters (although feel free to make an exception for, say, Mikiko Sadamoto). The narrative gets streamlined, the character moments get more purpose and polish. While the Majima storyline of Kiwami 2 didn't do a lot for me, Kaito's adventure here really does excel as a deeper look into one of its leads.

Still, $30 is a pretty hefty price for a seven hour experience. The building blocks of Lost Judgment itself helps make a huge game around it, but I would love to implement a few substories to really expand on these shorter tales. Not anything crazy like the mainline games, a solid 5-10 side adventures at most. Maybe something featuring more from the game's other central character, Mikiko Sadamoto.

I also have to admit that I'm not sure Judgment's gameplay works in Kaito's hands all the time. Judgment excels in fluid combat, and Kaito's a slow beast. I already find the way characters maneuver in the Dragon engine to just feel off and Kaito's giant frame doesn't help much. Maybe if we were playing a more dexterous figure, perhaps in some kind of iconic long black trenchcoat, it wouldn't feel as finnicky.

But its hard to complain. I got it on sale and never felt a dull moment. I just find the flow of Yakuza games relaxing. It always works for me.

Oh, don't think I mentioned it, but Mikiko Sadamoto is pretty cool

A rather obvious attempt at testing the waters for Kaito to take over for Yagami if they couldn’t get the latter’s actor back but which works well because Kaito is a neat character who can definitely carry his own. Kaito himself is an interesting character in that he obviously has a bunch of similarities to Kiryu including their fighting styles, but one major thing that separates the two is that Kaito has an actual healthy sense of self-awareness to him. Kiryu has a massive martyr complex, he is always willing to throw himself into the fire time and again with very little thought of how it would affect his loved ones and it looks like he will never change. (Which is not a bad thing mind you, it’s a unique character flaw amongst video game protags.). Kaito, on the other hand, is able to recognize his hang-ups and to grow from them. The plot of the Kaito Files itself is a clear echo to the plot of Yakuza 1; just like Kiryu Kaito is dragged into investigating the disappearance of an old flame all the while protecting her kid. But it’s interesting how they play with it, mainly with how as I mentioned, Kaito, despite being a gorilla of a man, is more emotionally mature than Kiryu and ultimately the game’s conclusion eschews the usual denouements of Like a Dragon games and especially the rather bleak ending of Yakuza 1 for something quite cathartic. Kaito Files is overall just a really well done story focused DLC campaign and a great conclusion to the Judgment sub-series if that ends up being the case. Also an additional half-star for that final boss, holy shit.

Now, how do you turn Yagami's already really cool sidekick into one of my favorite video game protags?
Give him an absolutely amazing storyline that gives Kaito some much-needed additional depth and backstory and a splendid cast of supportive characters and antagonists that all have great chemistry with Kaito; with Jun, Mikiko, Kenmochi, and Kyoya being the highlights, and the first two particularly being some of my RGGverse favorites, as Jun is one of the very few well-written kid characters and Mikiko is one of the very very few well-written women in the RGG series who actually has some agency, actually does something, has a personality, can kick ass, and is relevant and active in the story at hand instead of barely doing anything (Saeko and Seonhee in Yakuza 7 lmao) and is an absolute baddie to boot, and you got yourself a real winner amongst the RGG Studios pantheon.

The only caveats here are the DLC's lack of side-content like sidecases, the fact that Kaito gets a recycled Brawler and Beast, which is pretty much just a pretty basic and janky moveset port with very minimal additions to make it stand out (hopefully that gets fixed in the sequels by giving him a new moveset which by god he deserves) but again the fantastic story more than makes up for it, Higashi getting shafted AGAIN, and Mikiko and Kyoya not getting enough screentime, with a lot of it being show-don't-tell, but I'm willing to give RGG the benefit of the doubt, as this was their first character DLC (no, Majima saga does NOT count) which was pretty short, running at 6 hours, but hey, the lack of Mikiko screentime will most definitely 100% be fixed in future sequels, which I am very hyped to see. And let's not forget its pretty overexaggerated 30$ pricetag, which is still pretty fair when compared to Gaiden's absolutely ridiculous 50$ pricetag lol

Overall, please do check this one out when you're done with the base game if you haven't already; it is so worth it.

Kaito's very own personal adventure

If Judgment was about Yagami as a character, The Kaito Files is about Kaito.

I had the feeling this DLC throw us back to the classic Yakuza games. The very first Yakuza game to be specific, going around Kamurocho searching the mom of a abandoned child? Sounds pretty much like it.

If you ever played Yakuza 0 or Yakuza Kiwami you will know Kiryu has 3 main styles of combat, 4 counting Dragon Style. Kaito uses two fighting styles in this DLC: Buiser and Tank.

Well, Bruiser is pretty much Brawler from Yakuza 0 and Kiwami. A fast and reliable source of dealing damage to a small group of enemies. Tank is Beast focused on crowd control and damage.

What's really interesting is that most of it's moveset is directly taken from Kiryu's and that's not bad by any means. Because it works and it's the first implementation of it in the new Dragon Engine. Without mentioning is just a DLC expansion.

The story in my opinion was better than in the base game, simple and to the point. It felt more personal to Kaito and that sells it to me, not just another case or adventure totally unrelated to the character.

Finally, after two full length titles, I got to play as my favorite Judgment character, which made me super happy. The Kaito Files is an excellent DLC campaign and a great small-scale RGG story that really delves into Kaito’s character.

The story is a bit predictable, but it’s still quite strong, with excellent characters. I loved watching Kaito bond with Jun, and I loved the deeper insight we get into Kaito’s backstory and thought processes. I thought the primary antagonist was a tad generic, and it was easy to see the primary twist of the campaign coming. However, the finale of the game was excellent and makes up for the rest of the game’s lack of surprise.

Combat’s also really solid as well. Kaito only has two fighting styles in comparison to Yagami’s four, and Bruiser and Tank feel a lot like Kiryu’s Brawler and Beast styles from Yakuza 0/Kiwami in terms of utility. However, Kaito brings his own personal sense of flair to these styles, with unique combo timings and grabs that really makes these styles his own. He’s immensely satisfying to play as.

The detective mechanics have been retooled to suit Kaito. I like how they take an animalistic approach to them by giving Kaito an increased sense of smell and hearing. I do think that the game has a bit too many sections where you need to observe and find things in order to progress. They probably added so many of those in order to give you ways to earn SP, since the game is as short as it is. You earn a lot of SP during these segments, so they were probably necessary in order to maintain the game’s balance.

All in all, The Kaito Files is a really fun time. If you like Kaito and you enjoyed the main game, the expansion only offers more to enjoy. I really, really hope that The Kaito Files means future games will include a playable Kaito during the main campaign. Kaito’s quickly become up there among my favorite RGG characters, despite him being a part of the supporting cast in both Judgment games. I like this guy a lot, and I really want to see more of him.

Oh, Kaito da !

Kaito files e uma histórinha muito gostosinha de se ver e dando um desenvolvimento muito bom para o kaito que eu nem imaginava que estava querendo para o meu personagem favoria da serie de games judgment, e não parece que foi feito de qualquer jeito so para fã service como "alguns extras" em jogos anteriores, cof cof majima saga cof cof.
A gameplay tbm achei estranhamente gostosinha de se jogar com o moveset do kaito sendo 2 estilos , e um copiado do yakuza 0, mas que ate combina bastante para o kaito.
O jogo e bem curto zerei ele em menos de 10 horas e pelo fato de ser uma dlc "rapida" de se zerar praticamente se não todas as falas da dlc são dubladas e o saudades de ter todos os diálogos com voice como o yakuza 6, da um certo charme para a DLC
E sobre trilha sonora ela e otima, não tão boa como do jogo base mas compreensível, mas com alguns banger exclusivos incríveis.
A dlc kaito files e um otima sobremesa que temos depois de zerar, no meu caso, a main history do LJ, com uma gameplay gostosinha, história bem bonita falando sobre amor essa dlc da um otimo fechamento para esse jogo incrível que e lost judgment.

Como sempre RGG Studios lancando mais uma pedrada !!!!