When my wife and I started to play Lost Judgment, we were faced with a question: Which one of us was going to start the game? While we knew that we’d be trading off from time to time, we came to the conclusion that it didn’t really matter who started, because the first chapter would basically be a wash, consisting of the standard cutscenes and sparse tutorial gameplay that Ryu Ga Gotoku games always start with.
Turns out, we were wrong.
Much to our surprise, Lost Judgment starts far snappier than any other entry in the franchise. It presents a much more confident tone in an introductory sequence that keeps you active as it walks you through the game’s various mechanics, as though it’s proud of just how much it’s expanded on the groundwork set by the first Judgment.
And, honestly, the RGG team has every right to be proud. Judgment was no slouch, and it’s a game I’ve only looked back on more fondly, but it was clear pretty early on that Lost Judgment would have to do something immensely wrong to not be my favorite in the RGG franchise.
It didn’t.
Honestly, there’s very little I can bring up to the game’s detriment. I can say that the game’s economy isn’t as tight as the first game or Yakuza: Like a Dragon, but that’s more of a matter of preference, and any aspects of the game that do wear thin thankfully don’t overstay their welcome. What stands out way more is everything the game gets right, which is just a laundry list of me gushing about the characters, the combat, the main story, the extensive school stories, and everything in between.
It’s easily my favorite game in the RGG franchise, and I’m very excited to see what comes next, whether it’s with Yagami Takayuki or one of the other pairs of characters that Lost Judgment sets up as potential new protagonists, should appeasing Takuya Kimura’s representation ever prove to be too much.
Turns out, we were wrong.
Much to our surprise, Lost Judgment starts far snappier than any other entry in the franchise. It presents a much more confident tone in an introductory sequence that keeps you active as it walks you through the game’s various mechanics, as though it’s proud of just how much it’s expanded on the groundwork set by the first Judgment.
And, honestly, the RGG team has every right to be proud. Judgment was no slouch, and it’s a game I’ve only looked back on more fondly, but it was clear pretty early on that Lost Judgment would have to do something immensely wrong to not be my favorite in the RGG franchise.
It didn’t.
Honestly, there’s very little I can bring up to the game’s detriment. I can say that the game’s economy isn’t as tight as the first game or Yakuza: Like a Dragon, but that’s more of a matter of preference, and any aspects of the game that do wear thin thankfully don’t overstay their welcome. What stands out way more is everything the game gets right, which is just a laundry list of me gushing about the characters, the combat, the main story, the extensive school stories, and everything in between.
It’s easily my favorite game in the RGG franchise, and I’m very excited to see what comes next, whether it’s with Yagami Takayuki or one of the other pairs of characters that Lost Judgment sets up as potential new protagonists, should appeasing Takuya Kimura’s representation ever prove to be too much.