The Yakuza franchise has been growing in popularity recently, mostly due to many gamers finally experiencing these legendary games. This is likely due to the games coming to services like Game Pass hat provides every major installment, being sold for cheap, being available on so many platforms, and more gamers speaking up about these titles creating more interest. Judgment was a spin-off franchise that succeeded in delivering the same experience many loved from Yakuza but with a new foundation separate from the Yakuza series. Allowing players to experience this world from the eyes of a new protagonist, Tak Yagami, who took on the role of a lawyer turned Private Investigator. The first game was alright but its sequel Lost Judgment took the criticism of the first game and improved on everything for the sequel. Creating a vastly improved sequel that dives into sensitive topics and goes above and beyond with every aspect of the game and it deserves so much praise than it's getting.

Lost Judgment doesn't sugarcoat the topics it goes into, with the story using elements of bullying and suicide as major points within the narrative. It does the classic Yakuza twist where the story starts off small but grows into something massive, usually involving Japan as a whole. Despite this the game never lets go of what this narrative started off on, the consequences bullying can have. On paper, this seems like a weak foundation as bullying is a fickle topic but Lost Judgment really highlights how the effects of bullying can lead to massive emotional damage, suicidal actions, and the aftershocks parents of these victims suffer. Persona 5 also did this with Shiho but Lost Judgment takes it further by showing how the parents of bullying victims suffer as well.

This coupled with fantastic acting and voice work really captures the profound nature of the narrative. Whereas the franchise decided to stay clear from English VOs due to the extremely terrible job of the original Yakuza since Yakuza Like a Dragon the developers took the time to ensure both JP and English voice work had the same level of care. In an industry where players are nickel and dimed for everything, even experience boosters and blue skins, this level of dedication are almost rare.

Not only is the narrative absolutely brilliant but the side content in Lost Judgment is made with the most absolute care. Each mini-game is taken as a serious task with intricate elements that make it feel like a full game. Whether it's motorcycle racing, DDR, or the many side tasks available to Yagami. They didn't just hit Control C and Control V for these tasks and place them all over the map, the developers took the time to flesh out every little mini-game like it was an entire indie title within this AAA game.

In terms of soundtrack, the Yakuza franchise has some amazing scores. The series is notorious for its music that can rival music found in legendary games such as Halo, Persona, and Final Fantasy. The music in Lost Judgment is no different with the music encapsulating the tone, especially in boss fights. Viper immediately highlights that the Kazuki Soma, despite showing to be calm and docile, is a merciless killer who has no problem murdering innocence for the greater good. And Unwavering Belief captures the duality of Yagami and Kuwana's lawful and chaotic ideals of justice. So when you fight using the already incredible combat system it always feels like a cinematic experience when you get into a boss fight. Complete with that classic Yakuza graphic but in gold dust Judgment style.

So why am I bringing this up? Well if you watched The Game Awards it seems that Lost Judgment was constantly pushed aside. Now everyone's opinion on entertainment varies from person to person but it seems strange that something is that widely praised by both critics and fans was largely missing from almost every category. This goes for a lot of Japanese developed games which only found themselves on very specific lists such as Scarlet Nexus and Tales of Arise. Both games saw massive popularity among fans and critics.

It seems with so many complaints with games being broken, isolating content for live services to create the illusion of adding new things, and lackluster experiences that Lost Judgment wouldn't be the prime example of the opposite. Battlefield 2042 launched in a broken state that it didn't even have a scoreboard. Back 4 Blood launched without single-player progression then added it in later like it a feature. GTA Definitive Edition was just broken with milk rain at launch and if we go even further back the list grows bigger. Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077, Watch Dogs Legion, Outriders, all had issues that Lost Judgment doesn't have or goes against. Whether it's technical stability, insidious microtransactions, or quality content. Granted Lost Judgment has the benefit of reusing the same map from every past game in the Yakuza franchise but the developers took those same areas and created something new from it that makes it feel distinct; that's creativity and passion.

Lost Judgment should serve as an example of how games should be made, especially single-player experiences. It incorporates real-life issues but in a tasteful way that highlights the consequences of these actions. At the same time, it provides a uniquely profound story as you beat your way through hordes of people using your fists, chairs, and sometimes doggos. Lost Judgment deserves a lot more praise than it's getting and you should give it a try.

Adam Siddiqui,
Managing Editor, NoobFeed