Previously known as "Project Judge", the spin-off of the Yakuza series is now available on PlayStation 4. Judgment is the name given to it in the West, it takes the formula of Yakuza games (part of the gameplay ) on the background of investigations and spinning in the fictional district of Kamurocho which is a representation of the red light districts of Tokyo and in particular that of Kabukichō which is located in Shinjuku.
Fun fact, unlike the Yakuza license which has not had the right to a French translation since the end of the first opus on PS2, Judgment has been fully translated into French, which therefore makes the game more accessible for a large number of players. and at the same time allows those who have shunned the license so far because of localization to have an overview of the work of the teams of the Japanese studio Ryu Ga Gotoku.
We had the opportunity to follow the adventures of Takayuki Yagami, the hero of this story which takes place in the heart of Kamurocho, we give you our verdict on this new license while waiting to know more about Yakuza 7 and its new hero who will take up the torch of the Dragon of Dojima (Kazuma Kiryu the hero of the previous opuses).
A point on the history of Judgment:
The player therefore controls a certain Takayuki Yagami who is a former lawyer disbarred from the bar and who has since converted into a private detective. After a case that went wrong, Yagami decided to leave the Genda law firm where he worked. Thinking that he was working for a good cause at the time, Yagami managed to get one of his clients acquitted who was being tried for murder. A certain Shinpei Okubo who was actually a real criminal who should have stayed behind bars, since just out of his cell he finds himself again accused of the murder of his girlfriend… Which has tarnished the reputation of the Genda firm and in particular that of Takayuki Yagami who was then perceived as the lawyer who helped criminals to escape the Japanese judicial system.
Three years later, this event has completely shaken up the daily life of Yagami, who now lives on investigations and shadowing in the streets of Kamurocho. To make his business work, he does not hesitate to undertake all kinds of cases ranging from adultery to murder as long as he can fill the coffers of his agency. Nevertheless, Yagami will soon be caught up in his past, especially when he undertakes to investigate Kyohei Hamura, captain of the Matsugane family who is part of the Tojo clan, a well-known mafia group of the Yakuza license.
If at first sight Judgment wants to show us behind the scenes with the Japanese judicial system, it is indeed a conflict between Yakuzas that will be played out before the eyes of the player. 12 chapters punctuated by numerous sequences featuring actors still involved and a cast of 5-star characters that always leaves us thinking that Ryu Ga Gotoku is certainly one of the most talented Japanese studios of the last decade. And this talent does not stop only at the scenario since the gameplay has also received special care.
Takayuki Yagami, an excellent fighter:
Yakuza games are known for featuring a street fighting system where the player beats up groups of delinquents and other mobsters with kicks and punches. In Judgment, it's always the same principle, since Yagami, in addition to having studied law, trained all his life to work on his martial arts, which allowed him to master two distinct styles, the tiger and the the crane that the player can use as he sees fit during a confrontation.
One of the styles is characterized by a blue aura that surrounds Yagami and the other by a red aura. The crane is more useful when fighting groups while the tiger style will be more useful in a 1v1 fight against a boss for example. The player has access to a very wide range of moves which are reinforced by a system of skills to be unlocked by the dozen and which allow Yagami to swing very powerful "EX" attacks in combat depending on the situation. Our hero also has the possibility of leaning on the various walls which surround him in the decorations to take out certain additional blows.
If the clashes are close to what we know in the Yakuza license, Yagami's fighting style is ultimately quite different from that of the Dragon of Dojima (Kazuma Kiryu), exhilarating, nervous and always so spectacular, the fights of Judgment (powered by the Dragon Engine) will have enough to make your jaw drop behind your screen and controller in hand, especially during certain boss clashes whose staging commands respect.
An adventure that takes its time to really start...
That's the whole problem with this Judgment, the story and the gameplay are taking a beating to set themselves up... From our point of view, the first chapter is far too long and does not do the rest of the game justice at all. adventure that gains in intensity in the following chapters with a plot that fascinates and captivates the player over time. The more you advance in Judgment, the more you will unlock new facets of gameplay.
The fights will get richer, you will have access to new game mechanics and more and more side cases which in the long term gives real depth to Judgment. But we are sure that some players could be repelled by the lengthy first chapter... However, this is a mistake since it is as you progress that Judgment will completely take off and fly away never to disappoint you again. or almost…
Kamurocho the most exploited fictional district in the history of video games?
The least we can say is that Ryu Ga Gotoku's teams are very attached to Kamurocho… So much so that we walk its streets in almost all Yakuza games and now in Judgment. If you are new to the Yakuza universe, you will have no trouble taking pleasure in browsing the places... If you are a regular at Ryu Ga Gotoku games and you play Judgment, you feel a kind of weariness with this feeling of always replaying the same game with a different story and additional or transformed gameplay mechanics. It's a shame that for a new license or a spin-off, the developers didn't plan to show places other than Kamurocho… Let's hope that Yakuza 7 will be a real turning point in the series at this level.
Tons of activities and mini-games:
Yakuza games are known for being generous with content and this is always the case in Judgment. The more you advance in the chapters, the more you have access to a multitude of activities. Drone racing, virtual reality mini-games, pinball, arcades with in-game games (Virtua Fighter, Kamuro of the Dead, Space Harrier and others), girlfriend/romance system, chase racing, picking locks, just as many activities that diversify and intersect Yagami's investigations. While it takes you around 25 hours of gameplay to complete the main story in a straight line, that's over 60 hours of your time that you'll need to invest in the game to complete its many activities.
★ In conclusion, what does Judgment look like?
There is no doubt that Judgment is an excellent game in the line of the Yakuza license which has enough to convince and fully satisfy players accustomed to Ryu Ga Gotoku studio productions and newcomers who until then had remained distant because of the barrier of the language. Remember that Judgment benefits from full subtitles in French. The variety of game mechanics, the combat system, the scenario of great maturity and depth, all the know-how of the Ryu Ga Gotoku teams is found condensed in the same game, Judgment does not have to blush in the face of the main Yakuza license, the two games can coexist without any problem.
Judgment
Excellent!
9 
