The Yakuza series will remain turn-based RPGs, so if you want to look for the classic combat system, you will have to focus on the spinoffs.
SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (this name is the original title of Yakuza in the East) announced the sequel of Judgment called Lost Judgment. Here’s SEGA’s overview: „Seize the truth. December 2021, Tokyo district court. Akihiro Ehara stands accused of groping a woman on a crowded train. A bystander’s video footage of his attempt to flee the scene and subsequent apprehension is all over the news, and public outcry demands a maximum sentence. “Three days ago, a dead body was found in an abandoned building in Yokohama. Have you identified it yet?” he proclaims as confusion cuts through the courtroom.
His defence lawyer, Saori Shirosaki, does not doubt that crucial details of the situation have been overlooked, as Ehara was not even tried for the murder. She contacts detective Takayuki Yagami to investigate this further. How could Ehara have committed two crimes at once? Was the sexual battery just a cover-up? Has Ehara gamed the entire justice system? As victims surface and Yagami digs farther into the truth, he is faced with a question: Defend the law, or enact justice? From just a single stumble, one can become a monster…
[…] Lost Judgment once again puts players in the sneakers of a lawyer turned street-fighting detective Takayuki Yagami. Joined by his partner, ex-yakuza Masaharu Kaito, the crime-fighting duo is called on to investigate a seemingly perfect crime whose lead suspect has an airtight alibi. What starts as a tale of revenge reveals a tangled web of conspiracy involving several unlikely factions taking advantage of a broken law system. But as victims pile up and Yagami unravels the truth, he must choose between defending the law or exacting justice.
[…] Yagami’s mastery of martial arts allows him to stylishly overcome any situation from group ambushes to single-target takedowns. Harness Crane, Tiger, and the new Snake style, a graceful style that can deflect and return an opponent’s strikes, using their energy against them. […] Yagami’s arsenal of detective tricks grows with new gadgets, crafty methods of infiltration and ways to stealthily track suspects. Leave no stone unturned in pursuit of the truth. […] Immerse yourself in the bustling downtowns of Tokyo and Yokohama at your own pace within an authentic setting that only the RGG Studio can deliver. Game at Club SEGA, find your next favourite hangout, take on cases from locals need, and beyond.”
A few people from SEGA has also commented about the game. „In this sequel, Lost Judgment, we sought to overcome the many walls we created for ourselves in the first game. The scriptwriting required countless hours to get right and we recorded over 1,000 minutes of voiced dialogue for the cutscenes. Not to mention the pressure to create something even greater than the original. However, we heard from fans around the world who wanted a sequel. And our desire to give the fans what they wanted only grew from there. This time around, the story came about after a lot of heated debate. So I’m confident we’ve created a game, unlike anything you’ve seen before. We’ve superseded the original in a lot of ways, and I hope the result is something you enjoy,” Toshihiro Nagoshi, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s executive producer said.
„[…] In the previous game, Yagami flexed his powers of deduction and his action-packed skills to solve cases. But for the sequel, he’s stepped up his game. Yagami is still working as a humble detective in his corner of Kamurocho when he gets caught up in a huge mystery caused by a guilty verdict handed down in court. As in the previous game, the story is deep and suspenseful, but this time the story also concerns a high school, which allows for a variety of new stories, including lighter, comedic elements, too […],” Takuya Kimura, Takayuki Yagami’s actor said.
„For the next Judgment instalment, in addition to Kamurocho, we’ve added Yokohama as a new location in the game. Yokohama is Japan’s foremost port city. With its mix of big city attractions and dark underground areas, the city reveals different sides of itself depending on the time of day. Additionally, one of the most important new locations in Yokohama is a high school. And it’s not just the exterior. We’ve modelled classrooms, hallways, faculty rooms, and the gym in great detail. For those of you that might consider your school days a distant memory, maybe this will take you back to what it was like to be a young student.
The first game’s combat was well-received, so we’ve powered it up for the sequel. When faced with multiple opponents, you’ve got a perfect multi-directional and acrobatic style. ‘Crane.’ While in this style, you can send entire groups of enemies flying in a single move. Or you can use a style built for power. Showing its real potential in one-on-one fights is the ‘Tiger’ style. Rain down lightning-fast blows against your foes, leaving them no opportunity to counter and overwhelming them with raw fury. Finally, in addition to the two returning styles, we’re introducing a new style: ‘Snake.’ Lie in wait for your opponent to strike and turn their attacks back against them. It’s a graceful and easy to use style.
Investigations, which are unique to this series, have also received an upgrade. Tail, chase down and use disguises against suspects to solve the mysteries that only get deeper as they unfold. The sequel has new actions, showing off Yagami’s athleticism, stealth, and wiretapping skills. We hope players enjoy taking advantage of new ways to approach investigations. Scramble up buildings, sneak by enemies, and seek out valuable information as you travel between Tokyo and Yokohama.
Yagami will also be going undercover at the high school to discover essential information to solve the case. In this capacity, Yagami interacts with students from all walks of life to help them out and unlocks optional side content called School Stories. In contrast to the serious main story, School Stories are full of laughs, tears, struggles, and maybe even a little suspense, too. As you take on the action-packed challenges of the main story, we hope you’ll enjoy the unique side of Yagami revealed through his school interactions,” Kazuki Hosokawa, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s producer said.
Nagoshi and Hosokawa confirmed to IGN that Judgment is the continuation of the classic Yakuza gameplay style, while the mainline Yakuza series transitions into a turn-based RPG. „The Yakuza series has been transformed into a turn-based RPG. On the other hand, over the year, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has accumulated resources and know-how of making flashy and exhilarating action games that are effortless to enjoy. We decided that we should let our signature action gameplay live on through Lost Judgment,” the pair said.
Lost Judgment will launch worldwide on September 24 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. (The PC port will arrive later.) As the leaks mentioned that the Digital Deluxe Edition will have three-day early access in Japan, we should expect the same in the West, too.
Leave a Reply