Developer: Ryu ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA of America
Rated: M for Mature
Released: June 21, 2019
Completed: January 22, 2020
After completing the exquisite Yakuza 0 in January of 2019, I didn't think it could get any better - but then along comes Judgment. Taking the basic gameplay loop of the Yakuza franchise, as well as the two disparate tones that somehow work in perfect harmony, Judgment is a compelling excuse to dive back into the seedy underbelly of Kamurocho.
As Takayuki Yagami - Tak, for short, in the English subtitles and Tabou in the Japanese language track - you'll uncover a conspiracy that reaches extreme heights, and confront your past in a gripping story that absolutely runs rings around other games.
Make no mistake, the writing and overall plot of Judgment is so good it rivals the best Hollywood films. The brilliant motion capture work, highly detailed environments, and outstanding voice performances bring the technical package together. Whether you're tracking down leads and reviewing evidence for the main story, running errands for fellow citizens, or fighting a gang of street thugs, the game takes hold and never lets go.
I'll admit, there are certain tasks in Judgment that are less enjoyable than others. The game's tailing missions become a slightly monotonous chore by the end of the 40+ hour adventure, particularly one in the game's closing chapters where the target literally walks around the same block three times. You can also assist the local locksmith's customers who've lost their keys for a couple thousand yen, but the reward is barely worth the effort. Thankfully, it's entirely optional, and that's the beauty of a game like this.
Much like Yakuza, Judgment offers a ton of freedom to the player. You can spend hours on Kamurocho's many side activities such as gambling (poker, blackjack), playing darts, mahjong, or shogi, hit the batting cages, customize and race your drone, try your luck at the UFO Catcher claw machines, or enjoy a half-dozen classic SEGA arcade games, lovingly emulated. Those are just the time-wasters. The game also offers loads of side missions that range from the mundane to the bizarre to the hilariously perverted. You'll chase down a Japanese idol's hairpiece (that he insists is a hat), help a budding sushi chef learn the lingo, have drinking competitions, help local restaurants expand their business, build relationships with up to four lovely ladies (all of whom are the "only one," if you're a terrible person like me), and track down no less than four perverts with incredible names like Ass Catchem and Judge Creep 'n' Peep.
How much you get out of the game is entirely up to you. You can focus solely on the main quest if you want, but you'd only be robbing yourself. Missing out on the side missions is like skipping half the game, and they offer a lighthearted distraction from the game's deadly serious story. You might think the two different tones would be at odds with one another, but the developers have struck a perfect balance of humor and weighty storytelling.
The combat is the last piece of the puzzle, and while it does get repetitive after a while, you'll also discover that it's mostly optional too. Common street gangs and cold-blooded yakuza will frequently accost you as you wander the town, but you can always outrun them if you don't feel like bothering. When you are forced into it, the combat is flashy yet simple enough to be fun, allowing you to take out a hoard of enemies quickly, stylishly, and often violently. Nevermind that you just smashed a person's face into that car's bumper with your knee, they're fine. They'll run off after combat is over with a few bruises, maybe a bloody lip, but alive no matter how brutal the beating.
In addition to the grunts, there are four gang leaders that pose a much larger threat. This is perhaps the game's biggest annoyance as they will periodically return to town, which raises the encounter rate with their goons significantly. Defeating the leader helps reduce it, but it's more hassle than it's worth unless you're super into crafting some of the game's power-up potions (called extracts). To make matters worse, every time the gang leaders return and exit the city, you'll get a text warning, and if you choose to ignore them until they leave of their own accord, admonishing you for not helping.
One last thing of note: the game features a full English voice dub, which includes some anime and video game mainstays like Crispin Freeman, Steve Blum, Michael Gough, and Greg Chun, but if you opt to play the game with anything other than the original Japanese voice track and English subtitles, you are a monster and you should have your eyes gouged out. However good the English voice cast might be, it just doesn't feel right and the only way to play is in native Japanese.
Judgment is a brilliant side entry into what is arguably the best franchise of the modern era. The Yakuza Universe never fails to impress, and Judgment just may be the best trip to Kamurocho yet. It's also a good starting point for those who've always been somewhat curious about the series, but feel overwhelmed by the multitude of games it has spawned. Judgment takes place in the same universe, but apart from geographical locations and commonalities involving yakuza clans, there are no references to the franchise that spawned this spin-off and no prior knowledge required. As many others have pointed out, these games feel like the logical extension of the groundbreaking Shenmue series because of their bustling but small open world environments and the freedom they give players. They also showcase some of the best writing and coolest characters in the industry. The flaws are so minor in the grand scheme of things, they hardly seem worth mentioning. As you can tell from my review score, they certainly didn't sway my opinion in any meaningful way. Since I cannot legally end this review without some sort of legal pun, I sentence everyone to playing it. You'll thank me later.
Judgment was completed on a PS4 Pro with no cheats.
Comments