Judgment Reviews
Despite the fantastic story, Judgment stops short of being a must-play thanks to its shallow and unfulfilling crime-solving gameplay.
Regardless some flaws, Judgment holds up even when compared to the best entries in the Yakuza series, on both narrative and gameplay side.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Judgment is a superficial detective experience, but an extremely good Yakuza one.
Judgment is another winner for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and provides dozens of hours of mysteries, hijinks, and flying fists to keep you entertained.
Judgment tinkers with the Yakuza template enough that it provides something for fans, as well as those who have always thought about visiting Kamurocho.
Sega's spin-off has a few ideas of its own as it takes a detective's perspective on Kamurocho, though it all ends up feeling a little flat.
Judgment is very much a Yakuza game in detective clothing, but with some clever twists and a killer mystery at the center, it ends up feeling surprisingly distinct. While some of the detective-specific mechanical additions are a drag, everything else vibes really well with the familiar Kamurocho setting. It's easily the best of the recent line of Dragon Engine-developed games in the series—even without Kiryu Kazuma at the center, and even without a karaoke minigame.
Judgment is another great Japanese crime drama that will grab your attention as the stakes get bigger and bigger, but it's not quite on par with the Yakuza series. Some of the private detective busywork could make way for more of RGG Studio's trademark goofiness to cut through the seriousness of the main story, but anyone who has any interest in Far East crime dramas or the Yakuza series should pick Judgment up. Judgment has been judged and has been found worth playing.
I appreciate that the Yakuza studio wanted to try something different with Judgment, even if the biggest deviations are the absence of the bankable character Kazuma Kiryu and the addition of some detective busywork. Given that said work is typically brief, this is an easy one to recommend to Ryu Ga Gotoku acolytes and folks with patience.
This is the Yakuza experience, but with a refreshing change of character, tone, and voice. Judgment has a familiar skeleton, but the flesh and blood housing it is new. Longtime Yakuza fans have a lot to look forward to here. But, admittedly, having a new setting, new characters, and new mechanics laid over top of the same framework dulls some of that “fresh” feeling.
Judgement is a great addition to the Yakuza universe, and an incredible cast of characters make up for some easy combat and touchy controls.
Simultaneously fresh and familiar, Judgment is an excellent first step forward for the Yakuza universe after the conclusion of Kazuma Kiryu's story.
A sizeably riotous spin-off to Sega's Yakuza franchise, Judgment combines the series penchant for balancing seriousness and absurdity with a hyper-engaging central protagonist whose deeply charismatic persona freshens the whole affair up massively. Judgment is a toweringly good offering then, and one that we hope leads to its own series with leading man Yagami at the forefront.
Varied action adventure with an incredibly exciting thriller story and a lovingly staged Japanese neighborhood
Review in German | Read full review
Judgment is a brave departure for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, temporarily leaving Yakuza behind to craft an engaging detective thriller that not only stands on its own, but introduces a breadth of new ideas I'd love to see expanded going forward.
Curious players who’ve never touched a Yakuza game now have the perfect entry point to enjoy.
Judgment is the best entry to the Yakuza series for new players. Introducing new characters and storylines, detective mechanics, an amazing minigame selection (including classics such as Virtua Fighter 5, Space Harrier or Fantasy Zone) and, for the first time, spanish subtitles.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
With its strengths and weaknesses, Judgment confirmed to us that it is certainly worth taking the umpteenth journey to Kamurocho
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.