Judgment Review – A Spinoff Overwhelms The Mainline Series

Even though it is not a Like a Dragon title, Judgment’s world is filled with various references and design choices that are reminiscent of RGG’s mainline series. Ryu ga Gotoku’s take on the detective genre is new, but the developers have crafted such an amazing story that hooked me on Judgment for over 50 hours, aside from other exceptional factors, which I’ll talk about in detail in my review.

Story And Setting

Takayuki Yagami, an ex-lawyer and now detective, is the main character of the story alongside Kaito, who can be considered a deuteragonist as he plays an important role throughout the narrative. Yagami always worked hard as a lawyer to prove his clients innocent, but one traumatic incident in his career led to an eventual murder, which made him let go of his career, and he ended up starting a detective agency.

From the very beginning, the game had me indulged in the main story since it is a detective mystery and I found solving cases extremely fun.

Collecting clues and revealing a certain piece of the narrative was always fun, but Judgment would always make me hit a brick wall as the story would become more mysterious the closer I got to the truth. Very quickly, you get tied to solving a huge murder mystery that has been plaguing Kamurocho for a long time, and funnily enough, this case ends up having ties to Yagami’s career as a lawyer.

From the very beginning, the game had me indulged in the main story since it is a detective mystery, and I found solving cases extremely fun. Kamurocho is the main setting of Judgment, and long-time Yakuza series fans are already acquainted with this district. Yagami has ties to the Genda Law Agency, where he worked in the past, and the Yakuza as well since the Matsugane family took care of him.

A Strong Supporting Cast

Not only is the main character well-written, but RGG also pays enough attention to the side characters and villains. Kaito quickly became one of my favorite characters, and he helps Yagami throughout his journey since both of them are connected through the Matsugane Family. Genda, Saori, Shintani, and Hoshino from the Genda Law Agency also played a strong role in the story, which kept me interested in the narrative.

You know the villains are well-written when the player starts hating them with a passion and that is exactly what Judgment excels in doing. 

There are multiple villains in Judgment who are all tied together; it’s like a chain of bad guys, one working under the other, but nobody knows about their true identities. The reveals in this game are insane, so I’m trying my best not to spoil anything, especially regarding the main antagonist. You know the villains are well-written when the player starts hating them with a passion, and that is exactly how Judgment excels in that regard.

Gameplay

The brawling sections of Judgment are intermixed with puzzles where the player must look for clues like a detective to further progress the story. I really enjoyed the action here, and the detective segments added variety, even though there are certain mechanics that I didn’t like. The game’s overall combat system has a bit of jank, but things got smoother as I unlocked more of Yagami’s skills.

Yagami has two combat styles, including the Tiger Style and the Crane Style, which he can use to beat up thugs on the streets of Kamurocho.

Yagami has two combat styles, including the Tiger Style and the Crane Style, which he can use to beat up thugs on the streets of Kamurocho. There are multiple combos for each style that can be learned to deal even more damage. On top of these normal fighting styles, there’s the EX-Guage, which can be charged up by using certain items or beating enemies.

The EX-Guage allowed me to use special attacks that dealt with massive damage. Combine these attacks in basic combos, and you’ll eat away at health bars. These special attacks are called EX-Actions, and more of them can be unlocked through the skills app. The EX-Guage can also be used to go into EX Burst Mode, which basically allows Yagami to go into rage mode, where his combos get stronger, and enemy attacks almost deal no damage.

The Detective’s Smooth Intuition

I actually enjoy looking for clues in the first-person detective mode, as it feels really immersive. Looking for even a small piece of evidence to justify a theory that ends up being true is a different kind of satisfaction. An aspect of the detective job that I absolutely hate is the trailing missions.

I despise these sections as they try to force stealth into a game where it doesn’t belong, and the whole mission becomes irritating to complete. Basically, you have to follow certain characters from point A to point B without getting noticed, and the game could’ve been more fun without these missions breaking the pacing, thankfully in the sequel Lost Judgment, these trailing missions are little to none.

A Ton Of Mini-games And Side Cases

Kamurocho is filled with fun mini-games and side activities that allow you to relax or catch a break from the game’s main narrative. Yagami can even date up to four girls consisting of younger and older women; each relationship comes with an exciting side story. From playing baseball and racing drones to going into an arcade and booting up classics like Virtua Fighter 2, there’s a lot that you can do in Judgment.

From playing baseball and racing drones to going into an arcade and booting up classics like Virtua Fighter 2, there’s a lot that you can do in Judgment.

The side cases are also exciting to solve, and the random encounters around Kamurocho make for really funny moments. You gotta love how most of these side cases give a totally opposite vibe and perspective from the main story and are either filled with optimism or straight-up sarcasm/comedy, not to mention fully completing them all unlocks a series’ traditional secret boss fight that I won’t spoil for newcomers. 

Visuals And Performance

I played the remastered version of Judgment on the PS5, and visually, Kamurocho is a beautiful district to look at, especially at night. This game definitely showcases the power of the Dragon Engine both in terms of visual fidelity and performance.

The art direction also complements the photorealistic visuals in some of the set pieces. For the entirety of my playthrough, there were no bugs or FPS drops, even when the screen was filled with groups and groups of enemies.

Verdict

Takayuki Yagami’s journey in Judgment is packed with a stunning narrative that features some of the best-written side characters. The story alone is enough to keep anyone engaged, and the gameplay doesn’t get boring, even if it is a bit janky.

Then there are the mini-games to keep you engaged when the plot gets too to follow. Even with its faults, this game still ends up being a fun experience overall, and for me, it was better than any Like a Dragon title that I have played so far.

This has been my Judgment review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles. 

• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review 
• Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut Review
• Astor: Blade of the Monolith Review
• No Man’s Sky Review