Judgment Reviews
Even if you've never touched a game in the Yakuza series, you'll find yourself having an absolute blast with this game.
By combining the legal proceedings of Ace Attorney with the visceral combat and open-world hijinks of Yakuza, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has turned in a new, but familiar property.
That Judgment drops the Yakuza moniker from the title is surprising, as the game feels like a Yakuza game through and through, with the signature sprawling open world of Kamurocho, combo-based brawling combat, and kooky sidequests. Yagami’s new detective abilities add some enjoyable variety into the mix, but the title would have comfortably fit into the main franchise. That being said, Judgment stands out as one of the very best in the series and serves as a perfect entry point for anyone curious about the Yakuza games.
Judgement is a great addition to the Yakuza universe, and an incredible cast of characters make up for some easy combat and touchy controls.
Judgement is fun, filled with suspense, drama and humour, and more then stands-up alone in its own right as a great alternative to the Yakuza series.
If you’re looking for a more accessible bar of entry to the Yakuza franchise, this is a strong entry with the studio stepping outside of its comfort zone a little bit. Thankfully, their experiment is a success.
Judgment is so much more than a simple spin-off of the Yakuza franchise. It is a stellar title that offers a ton of memorable gameplay, an amazing story, and fantastic characters.
Judgment is basically Yakuza crossed with Ace Attorney, the perfect combination of Power, Corruption, Crime and Mystery. Expanding upon everything we’ve seen the developer do previously, what we have here is a game which is so familiar yet different at the same time – familiar surroundings and places combined with new games, events and people to interact with. Although the game is heavy on the tried and tested mechanics of the Yakuza series, Judgment brings a lot of its own unique gameplay elements such as investigative segments as you stalk your prey, searching for evidence, and even dressing up in various disguises. Judgment has a deep and intriguing story encased within a multitude of separate narratives, not many games can pull that off yet Judgment did it flawlessly. I honestly can’t recommend this game enough to both Yakuza fans and people new to this style of game.
While mechanically flawed, Judgment bridges the gap between new and old Yakuza fans marvellously and points towards a confident future for a new franchise. Court adjourned.
Another fascinating entry for a series that masterfully blends the kind of drama you might expect from a soap opera with absurdist comedy and the fascinating exploration of Kamurocho, maybe the real protagonist of the Yakuza series.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Judgment may not be the next Yakuza game but it almost feels like one. Judgment definitely captures the sense of being a detective and whether it be dealing with an adultery case, a case of poltergeist, or even just taking photos of missing nekos, Judgment makes you feel like you're a bonafide private eye who answers the call of the helpless whether there's yen in it or not. So beware evil doers and lost items and pets for the time has come for Judgment!
Judgment brings a new coat of paint to a proven formula, and makes it shine even brighter.
It’s a bit rough around the edges, but Judgment is an overall worthy successor to the Yakuza game franchise. Yagami and Kaito are fantastic and entertaining main characters, and the detective-oriented story gives a unique new perspective to the usual Yakuza narrative. Some parts get old quick, but I’m hoping Yagami and co. will stick around for future Judgment games, as there’s plenty of potential.
Judgment is a great entry point for people looking to get into the Yakuza franchise. There's no need to play any of the previous games, the story is solid, and the gameplay offers a ton of variety. Even if it can get a little repetitive, there's a ton of time to kill in Kamurocho.
Judgment is one of my favourite games this year. I love the action and the way its mixed in with puzzle solving, throughout the main story it really does feel like a good split. Without a doubt, I want to see more from this franchise, but perhaps see it explore new boundaries and take more risks to carve out its own niche. As hard as it may be to believe, I think it has the chance to better than the Yakuza games if given the time, money, and resources to grow and shine.
Judgement is definitely on my game of the year list. The dialog, the gameplay and the visual representation are simply stellar. While it hasn’t been that long with something this heavy in narrative with plenty of gameplay, Judgement just feels like the whole package from the get go and holds on to what makes it so great even hours down the line.
Absolutely fun game. The Game has a stunning story
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Judgment won't change your mind about the output of the Ryu Ga Gotoku studio. However, if you're already a fan and you enjoy modern crime stories as well, you can't go wrong here.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
When you look back at the origins of the Yakuza series (the original was released way back in 2005). It’s a credit to think almost 15 years later we’re still seeing fresh content and looking to explore this world with new characters. Judgment definitely ticks all the boxes to be considered a top-quality ‘spin-off’ and hopefully with a few little tweaks we will see more of Yagami and perhaps other characters. Ryu ga Gotoku Studios have certainly found a formula to produce great games and it makes me very excited to see what the future holds, both for a potential Judgment sequel as well as the rumours we may be seeing some of the previously released spin-offs here in the west. My verdict is that Judgment truly deserves the Thumb Culture Gold Award and should be a part of any PS4 collection (especially if that collection contains Yakuza games).