Lost Judgment PC review - An incredible second outing for RGG Studio’s detective series

Out of nowhere, SEGA dropped Lost Judgment on PC, putting an end to concerns that the gritty detective drama might never grace the platform. Instead of being confined to Kamurocho like its predecessor, Judgement, the story takes place in Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama. This game originally came out in 2021, around the same time as Yakuza: Like a Dragon, so it was a smart move to reuse those assets.

It’s a beautiful city, but it offers characters, moments, and stories that are not at all connected to Ichiban Kasuga’s story in Yakuza. And while I enjoyed Judgement's story more, its sequel has better mechanics, visuals, and a story that more people are likely to identify with, making it a much better game overall.

So, how does Lost Judgment feel on PC?

Note: Lost Judgment contains mentions of suicide and sexual assault, and viewer and player discretion is advised.

Lost Judgment addressed every flaw its predecessor had

The first game that Takayuki Yagami starred in was enjoyable, but it was deeply flawed as well, with the story carrying most of the weight. With that in mind, virtually every major flaw the original had was addressed in this sequel.

While tailing is still a thing, it shows up far less often. The whole “tail and chase” gimmick isn’t done in every case/side-case, much to the game’s credit. The Friendship system is gone, so players don’t have to arbitrarily befriend 50 people in the city to progress.

The detective mode, where you’re scanning for clues, is much faster, and you can ask for a hint if you’re stumped. Unlike in the first game, looking for a hint doesn’t penalize you on SP accrued. Plus, we even receive a crime-solving dog to help out, and you can take him on walks. That in and of itself is an amazing addition.

Movement was improved, enhancing Yagami’s existing parkour skills. Now he can climb pipes along the sides of buildings, something which is very important in the game. Stealth mechanics were improved, giving him coins to throw and distract people, and smoke bombs to hit people in the face with. Not to mention that wiring doorknobs open is completely gone.

This made the experience so much better. The addition of skateboard travel was also nice, but not being able to skate on the sidewalk did slow it down occasionally.

It’s also worth noting that this comes with all of the DLC, except The Kaito Files. There is a bundle that comes with it, though. It comes with all of the other DLC, including high school items, the fourth combat style (boxing), dog cosmetics, and more.

A dark high-school story awaits Lost Judgment players

One of the things that works as both a blessing and a curse is its story; it will resonate with many players. It targets high-school bullying but also discusses suicide and tragedies such as s*xual assault.

The game doesn’t handle these stories exceptionally well in all cases, but overall, I enjoy this story for what it is - a tragedy. Takayuki Yagami winds up getting embroiled in this high school case that starts off as just another bullying story. It won’t take long before things spiral wildly out of control.

Yagami will have to insert himself into the school as a counselor, while also doing his detective work, which can be a little overwhelming. This is where the game starts to feel a bit like Persona. He has a series of stats that are improved by playing the game, and by taking part in various school activities. It felt like it was partially ripped from Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

The part that frustrated me was that there were 10 activities/clubs to join, and some of them were way more fun than others. Dance club? An awesome rhythm game. Gaming/esports club? You play a fighting game, and it’s great. Robotics Club? Not the best mini-game RGG Studio ever came up with.

It starts off easily enough but then spikes wildly out of control. During my PS5 playthrough of Lost Judgment, I was not able to finish it. It’s the one part of the game I have not completed, and it still frustrates me.

It is a very dark story though, and not everyone will appreciate how it’s handled. On a personal level, I was satisfied, but I can understand why not everyone might agree.

Combat was improved with a third style

In Lost Judgment, Crane and Tiger style are back, and they feel more fluid than ever. A new style — Snake style — was also added, which made sense given that he was going to be interacting with high school students.

Snake style features a new system known as EX Surrender - instead of pounding someone into a custard, he pats them on the cheek or makes them tap out with a submission hold.

Combat also felt so much better. The status ailments from Yakuza: Like a Dragon also come into play, like bleeding, stunned, and more. Thankfully, Mortal Wounds are gone forever. It was an awful, expensive system that I loathed in the first game.

It’s less frustrating to grind for Skill Points (SP) as well. Rewards are better, and it felt less pertinent to be a millionaire and farm Hug Bomb items to increase SP. Additionally, the built-in DLC added a more straightforward boxing style, but I didn’t use it quite as much as I Snake or Tiger.

While I didn't spend a ton of time playing on keyboard and mouse, given this is a PC release, I owed it to readers to invest some time into that system. Keyboard and mouse worked just fine, as it did in the previous game. I still prefer playing with a controller, but keyboard and mouse users won't be disappointed.

Visuals and music continued to impress in Lost Judgment

Quite a lot of visuals were recycled from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and that was a very smart decision. It was already a beautiful city, and some of the areas simply had to be opened up and designed for Yagami and Kaito to explore.

Visually, the town is stunning. Lost Judgment also has one of my favorite combat themes from the RGG Studio catalog. The voice cast was excellent in both JP and ENG, and it felt like SEGA pulled in some seriously big names to lend their voices here.

Again, I primarily played in English, since I was impressed with Judgment’s English voice cast. I typically only play Yakuza games in Japanese, because it just feels right. But in this PC port, I did not notice any glaring issues visually or with the audio.

Conclusion

Most of the game mechanics players were familiar with are back in Lost Judgment, and have been improved overall. The sheer number of mini-games and side-cases on offer can be overwhelming.

But I love Lost Judgment, even with its story flaws. The gameplay is excellent, and doing things like racing motorcycles and grinding the rails at a skatepark is so much fun. The boxing mini-game is fantastic, and the only real flaw in the side content was the Robotics Club. It’s still the worst, and you can’t change my mind.

I don’t know if there’s going to be another Judgment game, but given the way it ended, there’s a wealth of possibilities. Unfortunately, the franchise's progenitor Toshihiro Nagoshi has left RGG Studio, but fans will still be hoping for another entry in this franchise.

I am so glad that Lost Judgment came to PC, though. Takayuki Yagami’s story is an excellent one, and it was a sincere step up from the previous game. It’s simply a great game and story, and I hope more people can now experience it. Lost Judgment definitely did not disappoint.