Unbelievably great followup to an amazing "first" outing with Judgment. I think Lost Judgment's iterations on the foundational aspects of its predecessor are MASSIVELY improved, from its combat having much more defined roles (and an added third form for defensive play) to the myriad detective tools that lead character Yagami utilizes in the course of his investigations.
The best thing about all this? I think it takes a backseat to LJ's narrative, a much more focused affair than 2019's Judgment that sees the Yagami Detective Agency investigating a Yokohama high school after the body of one of its teachers is discovered by police. Not that I ever found Judgment to be massively unbelievable, but the narrowed scope of the plot really allows for a lot more intricate character work between its major players. There are still some fairly large-scale implications on the game's world at-large, but the drama and pacing massively benefit from a lack of eleventh-hour revelations from out of nowhere. Players are rewarded for following along in ways that I don't think RGG Studio had quite nailed for the first game.
It's a great sequel that I think surpasses its foundation on just about every level, with very little in the way of my own criticisms. (The game's "parkour" and sneaking segments are okay additions but don't feel especially robust, there are some boss encounters that can be a little frustrating or punish you extremely heavily for one missed QTE) Nothing really worth docking an entire star for personally, but I fully recommend this to anyone who likes modern-day crime dramas or some really fun combat courtesy of Sega's proprietary Dragon Engine.
The best thing about all this? I think it takes a backseat to LJ's narrative, a much more focused affair than 2019's Judgment that sees the Yagami Detective Agency investigating a Yokohama high school after the body of one of its teachers is discovered by police. Not that I ever found Judgment to be massively unbelievable, but the narrowed scope of the plot really allows for a lot more intricate character work between its major players. There are still some fairly large-scale implications on the game's world at-large, but the drama and pacing massively benefit from a lack of eleventh-hour revelations from out of nowhere. Players are rewarded for following along in ways that I don't think RGG Studio had quite nailed for the first game.
It's a great sequel that I think surpasses its foundation on just about every level, with very little in the way of my own criticisms. (The game's "parkour" and sneaking segments are okay additions but don't feel especially robust, there are some boss encounters that can be a little frustrating or punish you extremely heavily for one missed QTE) Nothing really worth docking an entire star for personally, but I fully recommend this to anyone who likes modern-day crime dramas or some really fun combat courtesy of Sega's proprietary Dragon Engine.