Lost Judgment The Kaito Files DLC Review for PlayStation

Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files is an action-fighting game DLC expansion for Lost Judgement that was developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. Masaharu Kaito, ex-Yakuza and Detective sidekick at the Yagami Detective Agency, finally gets his well-deserved chance in the spotlight in this new DLC and it delivers with its engaging storyline, satisfying combat, and a brand-new style of investigative methods. (You can check out my original Lost Judgment review here)

The Kaito Files kicks off with the man himself tackling a case on his own in the dangerous streets of Kamurocho. After it’s resolved, he finds himself at a loss of what to do with himself as his closest friends are too busy to get a drink with him, including Takayuki Yagami, the main protagonist of Lost Judgement, who’s out of town solving a different case. Then, he hears a rumor about a wealthy CEO of a tech company named Kyoya Sadamoto, who requires a good detective. After arranging a meeting, Sadamoto reveals to Kaito that he needs his help to track the whereabouts of his supposedly deceased wife, Mikiko Sadamoto, a strong-willed woman that Kaito once held close to his heart during his Yakuza days. Kaito is immediately shocked by this new information and wonders if there’s any truth to Mikikio’s fate.

This story truly gives us better insight into Kaito’s past and fully takes advantage of his ex-Yakuza with a heart of gold personality. During both Judgement games, I enjoyed Katio as a character due to his friendship with Yagami but wasn’t attached to any other of his defining traits as he was just the lovable sidekick who was always ready for a fight. Now, he’s a well-rounded character that’s able to stand on his own two feet and it was thanks to the backstory that he was given. It also helps that, spoiler alert, Yagami doesn’t appear in this story at all. Whether it was a creative choice or because of the behind-the-scenes drama with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and the agency representing Yagami’s actor, it was a good decision to make because reminds the player that this is Kaito’s story. That being said, there are a few fan-favorite characters in the franchise that do make a cameo, which was a nice little surprise.

The only major flaw in the story is that it was too predictable. If you compare it to the main game, which did have its fair share of twists, in the Kaito Files it’s pretty easy to see where the plot is going in the earlier chapters. Many story beats seemed to feel like it was taken straight from Yakuza 1/ Yakuza Kiwami, too. While this is an issue, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment and the story ends on a nice note as well.

Anyone who’s a fan of Yakuza’s beat ‘em up gameplay can get their fix with this expansion because there’s no shortage of punks prowling the streets of Kamurocho. Kaito also has two new fighting styles: Bruiser and Tank. The best way to sum up these two styles is if you’re familiar with Kiryu’s Brawler and Beast style from Yakuza 0 then you’ve already mastered playing as Kaito in this DLC. Okay, that’s not technically true as there are a few key differences. For starters, Kaito’s Bruiser style comes with an OP counter move that makes some bosses a joke if you spam it and his Tank style is better at absorbing/countering damage than Beast. Kaito also comes with an arsenal of his own EX Actions that are always satisfying to execute. Unfortunately, Kaito can’t leap off walls and jump over an enemy’s head like Yagami but he can hit them with a motorcycle.

Another gameplay mechanic that this DLC highlights is Kaito’s unique style of investigating. Instead of fancy gadgets and a cute police dog, Kaito can use his Primal abilities that heightens his hearing, sense of smell, and observation skills. Using these abilities, Kaito can not only piece together a crime scene in his own way, it also helps in finding collectibles, equipment, and hidden cats around town. Again, this helps separate Kaito from the brutish, thick-headed personality that the other games portrayed him as and reminds us that he’s a great detective like Yagami, he’s just never given a chance to shine.

Aside from the main story and searching for a few collectibles, there are not many side ventures that you can get lost in like the main game. There are a few challenging enemies that you can fight early on which unlocks a secret boss later on, however it’s completely optional. Like any other Yakuza/Judgement, there are a few minigames that you can play, but these only held my attention for a minute or so. As this is just a DLC, there wasn’t an expectation of a massive amount of side content compared to Yagami’s incredibly long School Stories adventures, however a few side cases could help flush out Kaito as a character and his relationships with other members of the game’s main cast.

As a huge fan of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s previous installments, Kaito Files didn’t fail to get me hooked and reminded me why I love these games. Even though it had its issues with the combat and plot being too similar to other notable Yakuza games, it’s easy to say that this was probably the best story-based DLC expansion they’ve ever made so far. So, if you’re like me, it’s worth downloading just for Lost Judgement. Personally, after playing this game I’m hoping for one thing and that’s Kaito is playable in the sequel game. Because he truly showed through this story that he can be a great protagonist.

9/10

For more information, visit: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0177-PPSA03774_00-KAITOFILES000001

Jake Labay

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I've loved playing video games ever since I first played Battletoads on the NES when I was a kid. Since then, I've played a wide variety of games on different systems, including Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and have mostly gravitated towards open-world RPGs and action-adventure games with amazing storylines and character arcs. I'm passionate when comes to writing and interested in working as a narrative designer.