Can RGG do the impossible and make the same type of game that they'd been making for thirteen years with a different cast, but still be good? The answer is unsurpsingly yes.
You return to the familiar site of modern day Kamurocho with an entierly new cast of characters. Gone is the familiar cast of Kazuma Kiryu, Date, Daigo Dojima, Goro Majima, Akiyama and the like and in is a completely new crew of friends and foes that you'll fall in love with all the same. Takayuki Yagami is an instantly loveable private detective with an extensive history in litigation. His trials and tribulations as a lawyer are a direct lead in to this game's story and set a picture perfect narrative that will seep its way into the story of Judgment, dripping piece by piece into the player's memory bank while they pick up along the mystery of the Mole. Kaito is a phenomenal sidekick, something RGG has nailed since the first Yakuza title, not a dumb himbo to be comedic relief, but a good friend and reliable muscle when Yagami is in a pinch. The young Sugiura was a fresh addition as well, making an unlikely friend group in a grim situation which complimented the story at hand extremely well. These three coupled with the friends at the Genda Law Office and Matsugane Family of Yakuza are more of what the Like a Dragon series has done best; create a recognizable and enjoyable cast of characters to surround the protagonist. RGG titles play out like a movie, introducing allies and enemies at optimal pacing, and Judgment is another rock in that pond.
As not much of a shock, the plot of Judgment starts out with something as simple as investigating a serial murder case as part of Yagami's detective agency, yet morphs into something much more sinister. This was the case with all Yakuza games before it, a spiraling story that sucks you in and keeps you invested even if the games run long. I don't want to go into detail as to avoid spoilers but if you found the initial few chapters to be a little slow pacing wise, just trust that this one will play out... it really does.
Detractions from a five star rating into a four star boil down into the same issues I've had since Y0, and that's the combat and mandatory side missions. Combat again is pretty poor, I had to turn it way down to avoid face-to-desk slamming monotony as the Blockuza came out and I didn't find combat to be diverse enough (I miss you Goro "Bat Wielder" Majima) to warrant playing the hard way. Per the latter issue, there were plenty of times until about chapter ten where you'd start embarking on your quest to find the serial killing culprit only to be phoned and interrupted with a side quest that had absolutely nothing to do with the story. I appreciate how fun these can be in LAD/Yakuza games but eventually it feels like a slog, especially when forced upon the player. Consider this a plea to RGG to keep these as SIDE quests down the line. Additionally, I found the constant inclusion of tailing/chase missions to be quite annoying as it just drew out the time of play and didn't add much to my immersion.
I'm excited to play Lost Judgment eventually, but I think I'm going to take an extended break from RGG after Isshin comes out as to keep myself not burnt out. I would recommend Judgment to anybody who was a fan of Kiryu's Yakuza saga.
You return to the familiar site of modern day Kamurocho with an entierly new cast of characters. Gone is the familiar cast of Kazuma Kiryu, Date, Daigo Dojima, Goro Majima, Akiyama and the like and in is a completely new crew of friends and foes that you'll fall in love with all the same. Takayuki Yagami is an instantly loveable private detective with an extensive history in litigation. His trials and tribulations as a lawyer are a direct lead in to this game's story and set a picture perfect narrative that will seep its way into the story of Judgment, dripping piece by piece into the player's memory bank while they pick up along the mystery of the Mole. Kaito is a phenomenal sidekick, something RGG has nailed since the first Yakuza title, not a dumb himbo to be comedic relief, but a good friend and reliable muscle when Yagami is in a pinch. The young Sugiura was a fresh addition as well, making an unlikely friend group in a grim situation which complimented the story at hand extremely well. These three coupled with the friends at the Genda Law Office and Matsugane Family of Yakuza are more of what the Like a Dragon series has done best; create a recognizable and enjoyable cast of characters to surround the protagonist. RGG titles play out like a movie, introducing allies and enemies at optimal pacing, and Judgment is another rock in that pond.
As not much of a shock, the plot of Judgment starts out with something as simple as investigating a serial murder case as part of Yagami's detective agency, yet morphs into something much more sinister. This was the case with all Yakuza games before it, a spiraling story that sucks you in and keeps you invested even if the games run long. I don't want to go into detail as to avoid spoilers but if you found the initial few chapters to be a little slow pacing wise, just trust that this one will play out... it really does.
Detractions from a five star rating into a four star boil down into the same issues I've had since Y0, and that's the combat and mandatory side missions. Combat again is pretty poor, I had to turn it way down to avoid face-to-desk slamming monotony as the Blockuza came out and I didn't find combat to be diverse enough (I miss you Goro "Bat Wielder" Majima) to warrant playing the hard way. Per the latter issue, there were plenty of times until about chapter ten where you'd start embarking on your quest to find the serial killing culprit only to be phoned and interrupted with a side quest that had absolutely nothing to do with the story. I appreciate how fun these can be in LAD/Yakuza games but eventually it feels like a slog, especially when forced upon the player. Consider this a plea to RGG to keep these as SIDE quests down the line. Additionally, I found the constant inclusion of tailing/chase missions to be quite annoying as it just drew out the time of play and didn't add much to my immersion.
I'm excited to play Lost Judgment eventually, but I think I'm going to take an extended break from RGG after Isshin comes out as to keep myself not burnt out. I would recommend Judgment to anybody who was a fan of Kiryu's Yakuza saga.