GAME CLEAR No. 26 -- Judgment

Judgment (2019, Multiplatform)

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA
Clear Date: 5/20/2021
Clear Platform: PS5

As a (quite lucky, apparently) PS5 early adopter, I grabbed Judgment partially because I enjoy RGG Studio’s work and partially because SEGA put out a shiny new PS5 version, and I wanted some more justification for my early console upgrade. It took some time, but I finally finished the game. It’s really good! I think it probably has the best story of any of the RGG games I’ve played so far. With RGG’s recent announcement that the Judgment series will be their action game series with Yakuza: Like a Dragon marking a permanent shift to turn-based battles for Yakuza, I’m very pleased to know the great RGG action gameplay will not only remain extant going forward, but also drive a series with a great first entry.

Judgment plays it relatively safe in terms of scope. I suppose SEGA was hedging in case it flopped. It takes place entirely within the extremely familiar Kamurocho of Yakuza renown, and the combat that drives it isn’t dramatically different from Yakuza 6 and Yakuza Kiwami 2, with which it shares an engine. Protagonist Takayumi Yagami fights in two styles (the game indicates that one is for crowd control and one for 1v1 combat), and the only major change is that the game adds some fancy moves you can do off of walls. Interesting but not dramatic. The good news is the combat was already very solid, so there’s no real problem with reusing it.

The big departure instead is that Yagami is a disgraced lawyer turned private investigator/detective, putting him on the “right” side of the law in contrast to the often crime-adjacent protagonists of the Yakuza series. The game opens with Yagami investigating a recent yakuza-involved murder. As the chapters go on, the game examines Yagami’s past, and the small-time murder case he initially thought he was investigating (naturally) escalates into a conspiracy of considerable magnitude. The story is well-paced and executed and is definitely the highlight of the game. It shines in a slightly different way than Yakuza. While I find the Yakuza stories fine or even good, I think what really makes them shine is their endearing returning characters and personalities. Judgment is surprisingly a considerably moodier and darker game, so I didn’t find myself loving the characters quite as much as those in Yakuza. Nevertheless, the quality of the story makes up for that.

And that’s not to say Judgment lacks in the lightheartedness of Yakuza. Much like the latter, its side missions tend to be considerably lighter in tone and often quite funny. Making friends of the people of Kamurocho also works to Yagami’s advantage, as it raises his reputation around the city, which helps him get further side jobs. There are even a few romance options if the player is so inclined, but I didn’t find the one I completed particularly compelling. I understand such social options are popular these days, but I also found it to be an oddity in a game in which the main story already implies some pretty significant romantic tension between Yagami and another supporting character. Nevertheless, it’s there for those that like that sort of thing.

Judgment looks and sounds as good as any of its Yakuza predecessors, and on PS5 it’s certainly a little prettier (and more performant). The VA is well-performed, and while the game offers dual audio, I found myself using the Japanese VA. While English VA doesn’t bother me for something like Persona, for some reason English voices coming out of photorealistic characters in Japan just seems way less authentic. Obviously that’s a me problem. I did give the English VA a try for a little bit, though, and it seemed competently delivered for what it’s worth.

If I had to lodge any complaint against the game, it’s that the detective gameplay does at times feel a little rudimentary. It mostly involves looking around in first person and clicking on pretty obvious evidence/clues at a scene with heavy prompting. Frankly, the first Ace Attorney did it better nearly two decades ago. Far from a deal-breaker, though, and I trust RGG will improve in this regard going forward.

Anyway, game’s good! Probably gonna take a bit of a break from RGG games as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is on the horizon and I’m trying to beat the PS3 entries before that comes out. Nevertheless, I’m glad to report that Judgment is real good. Oh, and it doesn’t spoil Yakuza in the least! If you wanna jump into Kamurocho without the daunting task of catching up on Yakuza, this would be a fine place to start.