There’s something about Kamurocho that makes every visit there feel like it’s your first time. After seven mainline entries in the Yakuza franchise and a few spinoffs in Japan, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio is back with a new entry in the series… kind of.
Anyone that has spent a serious amount of time with Yakuza will find it strange at first walking these familiar streets with someone other than Kiryu Kazuma, but don’t let that keep you from getting to know the new “hero” this time around, Takayuki Yagami.
Unlike Kiryu, Tak started out on the right side of the law. Quite literally, in fact. As the story begins, he is a hot shot lawyer who recently won his client’s freedom in an incredibly rare acquittal. They say that 99.9% of all trials in Japan lead to a guilty verdict so after his victory he was in high demand. This newfound fame would only last briefly as word spreads that the client that he helped get off had just committed another heinous crime for which he is soon sentenced to death. Feeling deep guilt over the part he played in the victim’s death, he leaves the law practice and starts his own private detective agency. Vowing to find the evidence to convict the real culprits in the many crimes that happen in the red-light district of Kamurocho.
For the most part, this consists of housewives accusing their husbands of cheating, petty theft, and other small crimes of that nature. That is until one day when a string of serial killings leads to the arrest of a Yakuza Captain who was seen with the last victim the night he was slain. Evidence seems to point at the Captain, but Tak is hired by his lawyer to follow the clues in order to prove his alibi. What happens from there is a fascinating story set in the Yakuza world from the other side of the law than we are used to.
While Kiryu was always a good man trying to help others, at his heart he was a Yakuza. Tag is a detective and, because of this, has more access to evidence, police, and lawyers than Kiryu ever did.
Fans old and new will be drawn to the story for multiple reasons. This is a great jumping on point for anyone unfamiliar with the Yakuza tale because, though it could be and basically is a spinoff, Judgment tells a new story. You can enjoy this riveting tale without any knowledge or ties to any of their other games.
Like most of Judgement the gameplay feels both old and new at the same time. That’s the brilliance with this game. Even though it’s a new title in a new franchise it feels familiar, yet they’ve added so many new elements to their tried and true formula that it feels completely fresh.
Combat is where the two franchises intersect the most. In Judgement you’ll have two distinct fighting styles to use. The Crane style is best suited for fighting multiple enemies and gangs at once while the Tiger style is best for one on one combat. Crane focuses on quick attacks that allows you to recover faster and fight off multiple enemies while Tiger deals heavier blows best suited for those man to man situations.
It’s shocking how much combat there is in Judgement considering you play as a detective, but without it the game wouldn’t be nearly as good. They even make fun of how much combat is in their games during a side mission. An immigrant working at a restaurant tells Tag that he’s new to Kamurocho and has heard it is dangerous. While the detective assures him that it’s as safe as anywhere else, he still warns him that people can be quite punchy here. This above all else is the truth of Kamurocho. Yakuza, detectives, and immigrants alike will all have to deal with the punchy citizens that inhabit the city.
Luckily combat is incredibly fun. Stringing together combos that include punches, kicks, weapons and even the newest feature in the series…..wall attacks. These are so much fun when executed correctly. Running at the wall during combat and hitting one of the attack buttons will perform an incredibly satisfying hardcore parkour attack that deals a ton of damage to your foe. You’ll find yourself using this frequently.
Be careful though, because fights that go on for too long will attract the authorities and you’ll have to get out of there in a hurry in order to evade the police.
When you’re not stuck in combat, you’ll be working to solve the case of the serial murderer that appears to be at large in Kamurocho. This can be where the game gets a little tedious and, though it’s great to see them evolve and try new things such as trailing people and searching for clues, this can be exhausting. When trailing someone you’ll need to stay far enough away and be on the lookout for cover in case you’re spotted – all while not letting them get so far away that you lose them. It can be fun at first but after a few of these missions they’ll start to feel like they are dragging on forever.
Searching for things to examine can be equally if not more annoying. With little to no direction as to where you should be looking you can spend way too long searching for surveillance cameras and other clues that could help to break the case wide open. While the does a nice job of breaking up the combat, the detective work can get tedious after a while.
Another addition to Judgment are chase sequences. From time to time you’ll find yourself needing to chase after someone. These are a hybrid of on the rails running and quick time events that aren’t terribly difficult, but nonetheless you’ll want to pay close attention during them. Once a target starts running, you’ll automatically start running in their direction. You’ll have to move a little side to side in order to avoid objects, but most of this is done through quick time events. The only time we saw “game over” during our playthrough was when we let someone we were chasing get away.
Side missions are completely revamped this time around for the better. Gone are the seemingly random encounters for the most part. Replacing them are friend missions and private cases. Throughout the city you’ll have places where you’ll meet people. Sometimes you will become friends just by visiting their establishment frequently and others will require you to do tasks for them. Becoming friends with people throughout the city can help you out quite a lot. Not only will they give you items, but they can help you in combat as well if a fight breaks out in their vicinity.
Private cases can be accepted at your office. Periodically the law firm that you used to work for will send cases your way. You can decide which ones to take on by going to your bulletin board and taking on whichever case sounds interesting to you. This is the best way to make money in Judgement since most of the thugs you fight in the street aren’t the lucrative Yakuza and gang members that Kiryu tends to fight.
There is so much to do in Judgment that you could spend as much time as you want just exploring the city. Batting cages, Club Sega, and other activities can eat up hours of your life and you won’t be upset about it. One of our favorite ways to waste time is by playing Kamura of the Dead at Club Sega. It’s a very House of the Dead feeling game that is a ton of fun and honestly could be a standalone title.
Recommendation: Judgement is a fresh take on an old series. Fans of Yakuza will absolutely eat this game up. Even if you’ve never touched a game in the Yakuza series, you’ll find yourself having an absolute blast with this game. Though not without faults, it’s a fun blend of Yakuza, Phoenix Wright and L.A. Noire. If any of those games interest you, even in the slightest, you need to play Judgment. Check the game out for yourself when it launches on June 25th in North America.
*Judgment was provided to the reviewer by the publishing company but this fact did not alter the reviewer’s opinion*
Check out our Review Guide to see what we criteria we use to score games.
