Judgment Reviews
Judgment is a great crime thriller and Kamurocho an amazing place for it to take place in. I enjoyed the story, but I had even more fun just going off and spending time with the wide variety of interesting characters and solving side cases. While there are parts that could be improved, overall I had a great time and feel that most people would.
This remastered version of Judgment is the definitive edition that all newcomers should go with first. The fluidity of the combats are very smooth and the loading times are basically completely gone. Its just too bad that this upgraded version doesn't really bring anything new to the table to entice returning players.
Review in French | Read full review
Judgment is an excellent spinoff, with an intriguing script, striking characters, a fun combat system and an immense amount of content, as traditional in the Yakuza series. In addition, it introduces new mechanics that, despite not shining as much, differentiate it from other games in the series. The game is fun and can provide you with hundreds of hours of entertainment, and my caveats are the lack of Brazilian Portuguese localization and some mechanics that could be revised. Technically the game is very well polished and the remastered version, despite being visually very similar to the original, is advantageous for the accompanying DLC.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Judgment is an easy game to recommend, especially with the sequel coming out in September, and I’ve had as much fun with it as any other mainline Yakuza title. Plus, it’s hard to argue with getting a full-fat, high quality Yakuza narrative experience in a $40 price point. This is a really promising start for a new franchise, and it’s only going to get better from here. Seeing RGG Studio stretching itself and finding new ways to apply and change the formula it’s already found so much success with is an exciting and welcome shift. Whether you’re racing drones, playing a Mario Party inspired VR board game for cash, tracking down cheating spouses, chasing a local parkour crime gang through the streets, or solving a really thorny murder mystery, you’re going to find yourself having a blast.
If you haven’t played the Yakuza games then I guess you may have been hiding under a rock. Either that or you simply haven’t stumbled upon the series just yet. Judgement is essentially a spin-off of the Yakuza series and an excellent place to start for newcomers to this genre of game. Judgement was originally released way back in 2019 for the Playstation 4 and has now found its way to other platforms.
The seedy underbelly version of Kamurocho they have created, is home to superbly written detective story you didn’t know you wanted.
For fans of the Yakuza series, Judgment is a must-have title. Those new to the genre can also slip into the role of detective Takayuki Yagami without any prior knowledge. The story develops great and is complemented quite well by the side missions. On the other hand, the title doesn't miss any action and even brawl fans will get their money's worth. Some activities are weird, crazy, strange or just entertaining. In any case, Judgment is fun. The drone races are unlocked relatively late, but then they are a great change from the daily routine as a martial arts detective. On Google Stadia, I liked the game even a bit better than on the initial release in 2019 on PlayStation 4, since the loading times are shorter and the game flow is more pleasant. Overall, you have so much to do that buying Judgment is worth it in any case. The potential playtime is quite high. I have just under 50 hours on Stadia now and am far from "done". In addition to the brilliant main story, Judgment offers almost endless content to keep buyers busy. Personally, I'm already looking forward to sequel "Lost Judgment" and will also play this one for many hours.
Review in German | Read full review
Judgment presented a beautiful mixture between investigating cases and a fun fighting style in the world of Yakuza, despite the varying level of cases, but it has a beautiful story and offers a distinctive experience, especially with the improved version, which only increased it beauty, the design of the city and regions in the game is one of the best Stuff we've seen from the studio before in the Yakuza series and it's no different than that in Judgment. If you are a fan of the series or investigation games, I recommend you try the game and have a good time.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
With how much there is to do in Judgment, this is a game that looks like it could easily turn into a 60- or 70-hour experience even if you don't see yourself as a completionist. It's a crime drama for people who don't just want to smash square and triangle for endless combos and it's an adventure-driven brawler for people who don't just want to spend all day cracking cases. Judgment might have ridden on Yakuza's success to get people's attention, but with everything this game accomplishes, here's hoping we get another game in order to see more of Judgment and Tak in the future.
Judgment may still feel a bit like its pulling too much from the Yakuza series but its brand new cast of characters, satisfying narrative that draws the player in, and just enough detective mechanics help it stand on its own merits.
Anyone who enjoys the Yakuza series should check out Judgment. While it doesn’t stand apart from the main series as much as I might have liked, with its most significant weaknesses being the places it tried to go its own way, the core gameplay from its parent series is as good as ever, and it features perhaps the best story in the entire saga.
Judgment is simply another great Yakuza game with a good enough PC port. No brainer if you're the one to enjoy a well-done detective story.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Judgment is the best Yakuza game ever...except for the fact that, formally, it is not a Yakuza game. Still, there are enough new gameplay elements to lure new players in, and enough old references for returning fans. Don't miss it.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Out of all the Yakuza games that I've played, Judgment offers the most amount of fun and variety while also containing a gripping story that'll keep you guessing until the end.
Despite being a spinoff game, Judgment does everything that merits it standing on its two feet. An engrossing narrative, great characters, and a wealth of side content make for a thrilling adventure - despite some niggling story beats and under-utilized mechanics.
Though there are some hiccups along the way, Judgment proves without a doubt that Ryu Ga Gotoku studio doesn't need Kazuma Kiryu to sell a great game.
Curious players who’ve never touched a Yakuza game now have the perfect entry point to enjoy.
Altogether, it’s a thoroughly delightful detective adventure.
Whether you a fan of the Yakuza franchise or jumping into this world for the very first time, Judgment shouldn’t be missed.