A spinoff from the niche-yet-beloved Yakuza franchise, Judgment adds some new flavours to the classic franchise whilst never steering too far away from the series roots. Releasing some time ago in its native Japan, this PS4 exclusive quietly launched recently in the West and has been picking up traction below the radar ever since. Fans of the core series will be on-board for the familiar action and gameplay, however the new story, mechanics and design choices mean that this may be the most accessible entry into the series for newcomers. So if you’re looking to dip your toe into the franchise for the first time, or you’re just looking to add a side of sleuthing to some good old-fashioned street fights, Judgment‘s take on the mean streets of Japan may be just the thing you’re looking for.
You’ll take the role of Takayuki Yagami, a disgraced former lawyer who gets by as a private investigator in the fictional Japanese district of Kamurocho. Alongside his outcast Yakuza partner Kazuma Kiryu, Takayuki picks up small cases around town and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty in the process. When a huge case falls into his lap involving a serial killing spree, the local warring Yakuza families and some grand conspiracies, Takayuki ends up buried deep in twists and turns. Set in the same location as the core Yakuza series, the plot of Judgment is where it begins to set itself apart from the franchise. While the former’s franchise has always had a flair for some outrageous characters, scenes and drama, Takayuki’s story feels far more grounded and intimate by comparison. It still has its crazy moments, but the narrow focus on the endearing lead character – as well as how he sees and impacts the world around him – really helps to deliver a story that keeps you invested throughout. The shorter and snappier cutscenes found here also keep things moving with a bit of pace, resulting in a shorter, tighter and more fluid overall experience than what can usually be found in the Yakuza universe.
In saying this, you’ll still find a ridiculous amount of things to do on the streets of Kamurocho. True to its roots, Judgment aims to give players a living and breathing taste of Japanese life – right down to the most monotonous and everyday experiences. When you’re not chipping away at the game’s main story, feel free to hit up the local batting cages, streetside convenience stores or alleyway bars. There’s fully realised and playable video game arcades, remote-controlled drone races and a whole friendship/relationship system waiting in the wings to keep you busy while exploring the city at any time. While the district itself is quite small compared to the open world behemoths we’re used to exploring in other recent gaming releases, Judgment‘s level of detail and sheer number of side activities mean there’s always something to do in Kamurocho. You’ll quickly become familiar with the streets and locals, with rewards awaiting those who put time and effort into cleaning up the riff-raff or otherwise lending a hand to those having a hard time.
These little side acts present a pretty wide spectrum of things for you to do – with some better than many of the others. Takayuki can sometimes find himself wrapped up in a nice little optional mystery, often with some larger-than-life characters and interesting paths to each solution. However you’ll find that many simply need you to pick an item up from somewhere or speak to a couple of people scattered across the city. These basic side offerings are fairly common, however they don’t blur together too much thanks to some interesting personalities and creative dialogue – even when said dialogue in one exchange is just the critique of a rather underwhelming cheesecake. Outside of this, many side acts, main story missions and even just casual strolls through the street will all generally lead to an all out brawl with the local thugs. You’ll quickly find that, despite Judgment‘s lead being an educated former lawyer and kindhearted investigator for the most part, he’s not opposed to straight up knocking the teeth out of a dozen armed goons at the drop of a hat.
It’s here in the brutal combat that you’ll find most of the game’s similarities to the long running Yakuza franchise. Takayuki will spend majority of his crime-solving time going hand to hand with groups of enemies, and he’s no slouch when it comes to throwing a few punches. You have access to two main fighting styles while playing, each changeable on the fly at the press of a button. The Crane style features some real acrobatic moves such as flips and spinning kicks, with its use being good for crowd control when surrounded by multiple foes. On the other hand, the Tiger style is designed more for on-on-one encounters with hard hitting combos and charged attacks. The latter option is often the go-to when you’re up against the tougher boss enemies, most of whom will be coming to the table with powerful moves that are able to semi-permanently break down your maximum health.
The action is quite often over the top, with just about everything within reach a potential weapon to break over someone’s head – plus there’s also a series of unlockable skills and moves designed to crush your enemies even harder. While still a spectacle, the combat is just about identical to the aging system used throughout the Yakuza games for many years. It’s well put together and great when you get to grips with it, but it feels less fluid and responsive when compared to games that follow the combat style introduced in Rocksteady’s genre-defining Arkham series.
When the fairly unassuming Takayuki isn’t clubbing local gang members over the head with the nearest available traffic cone, he’s making a name for himself as the district’s top private eye. The game’s detective and investigation elements are where Judgment really attempts to break away from the series that created it, and it’s also the area in which it comes up relatively short. While it does have its merits, the sleuthing angle tends to become a bit repetitive throughout the game as you perform the same segments time and again. You’ll generally have to tail a suspect or do some light eavesdropping quite often, and these will have you hiding in the shadows of conveniently placed lamp posts and road signs for some time. There are some interesting investigation sections where you’ll scan a crime scene or location for evidence and information, however these are fairly basic and can feel a bit like a speedbump between cutscenes or action segments at times. You’re offered extra experience and skill points when taking your job seriously in these areas, yet there’s never really any wrong answers or choices to be made in coming to each pre-defined solution.
The better pieces of detective work are to be found when donning disguises and talking your way through seedy areas, stopping to pick a lock or twist a few arms in order to get to the bottom of a case. Given that such a large portion of the game is spent in outrageous fights and action, it makes sense that the latter tense and dynamic detective sections feel better suited than the more monotonous and slow investigative portions. This divide will probably be the biggest hurdle for players, especially those new to the wider Yakuza series. Where the core franchise had revelled in its outrageous storylines, characters and combat, Judgment attempts to marry this approach with a grounded and measured setting. Takayuki can spend half an hour speaking with suspects and developing case files only to spend the next thirty minutes taking selfies with fast food employees or chasing down stray cats. Similarly, your dramatic courtroom argument can lose a bit of weight when you can be found beating a thug to a pulp with a steel bat outside less than five minutes later. Some may find the difference between these styles too much to get around, however those open to this dynamic will get a real kick out of the highly detailed and well-crafted experience on offer.
It should also be noted that the story and characters involved here have almost no ties to any previous Yakuza games, and thus the pre-requisite knowledge that is usually required for other entries in the complex series is gone. As an added bonus, Judgment is also the first game of its kind in many years to feature a fully voiced English dialogue option. While purists will most likely stick to the native Japanese option to better fit the characters and surroundings, the English track has been put together with a great cast and a deep level of care in translation – presenting a strong incentive for those who were still on the fence about taking a chance on the franchise.
Putting an interesting twist on a long-running formula, Judgment presents an adventure quite unlike pretty much anything else around at the moment. What other game allows you to spend the morning scanning security footage for possible suspects, the afternoon knocking teeth out of thugs on the streets, and the night hitting up a local diner for some cheap gyoza? While the detective work can grow a bit stale at times, the tight and gripping tale of crime and retribution underlying the game’s events help to keep you invested in each new chapter. Add to this a fully detailed slice of Japanese city-living, a huge number of side activities as well as a fantastic English dub and the evidence on this one is clear – Judgment is a finely crafted courtroom and you are its judge, jury and executioner.
Judgment is available now on PS4.
