Judgment

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 143 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 104 out of 143
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 143
  3. Negative: 25 out of 143
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  1. SplitMind
    Jul 22, 2021
    7
    Judgement follows on from the Yakuza series where we saw Kiryu retire and the mainline series diverge into RPG with Like A Dragon. Judgement tries to stay true to the Kiryu days of Yakuza games. It achieve this fairly well, for better or worse.

    The graphics I don't think have ever looked better. The PS5 can give Kamurocho the depth and gloss it needs as well as the smooth textures and    Judgement follows on from the Yakuza series where we saw Kiryu retire and the mainline series diverge into RPG with Like A Dragon. Judgement tries to stay true to the Kiryu days of Yakuza games. It achieve this fairly well, for better or worse.

    The graphics I don't think have ever looked better. The PS5 can give Kamurocho the depth and gloss it needs as well as the smooth textures and FPS. The problem I have is that I don't think Kamurocho is as vibrant as previous games - the neon-strewn Tenkaichi Street isn't quite the same. I also experienced quite a bit of pop in with enemies when I was running around, making combat tricky to avoid but fortunately I rarely wanted to avoid it. Overall there is definitely a step-up with graphics, but as a PS4 upgrade this isn't really pushing the envelope like I would expect.

    I want to comment on the sound in this game as I was playing the English dubs and found the English voices sounded a lot like Japanese actors trying to convey an American accent, which is unintentionally humorous.

    The gameplay of Yakuza is what deflated my enthusiasm quite a bit. All the familiar tropes are there, so if you are playing in the hopes of 'more Yakuza' then you likely won't be disappointed. However, the combat I found lacking and one-dimensional since there were only two styles. The thing that irritated me most about combat was how easy it is to get stun-locked or knocked over, making me put the difficulty down to easy just to make combat more enjoyable as enemy health bars also become notoriously huge in Yakuza games.

    What also really grinded my gears about Judgement unlike mainline Yakuza games is that they added a tailing mission mechanic here. This is a dreadfully tedious mission design where you literally walk slowly behind a character and hide when they look over their shoulder for you. This is on the same level as escort missions and both belong in the archives of game design that should never be used, or at least used as a one-off. There are quite a few of these missions and they are so horrendously monotonous that they irritated me to no end when I enjoyed the fast-paced combat.

    The gameplay and the story merge in the next few things I want to talk about. Judgement can be a game with pacing issues. It suffers from arbitrary design between cut-scenes progressing automatically and others where I need to constantly press X like that device in The Simpsons where Homer gets really fat. I like conversations flowing smoothly and being able sit back and take it all in.

    This brings me to my other issue with Judgement - I found the story just too bloody long. I was on chapter five thinking I was doing well, only to look online and see that there were 11 chapters. I was already bored of most of the mechanics an tropes, so this really put me off going any further, which is a shame as the story did interest me but was littered with filler too. Some of the side quests were as usual quirky and humorous, but padded out the game too much for my liking. Having said that, again if you want more Yakuza and appreciate a longer story then you might absolutely love Judgement.

    Overall, Judgement gets off to a very strong start and feels familiar but modern, however the familiar tropes and mini-games have long worn off their novelty for me and the story just isn't concise enough for my impatient tastebuds. The combat isn't quite as satisfying as previous games and the main protagonist seems to have the least personality. Having said that, if you love the Yakuza series and simply want more, this could be right up your Tenkaichi Street.    … Expand
  2. Neotanshuk
    Apr 27, 2021
    10
    really amazing..............................................................................................................................
  3. marvsfontanilla
    May 29, 2021
    9
    Story: 9
    Graphics: 9
    Sound: 9
    Gameplay: 8
    Game Time: 60 Hours (Main Story + Extra)
  4. kings1985
    Apr 27, 2021
    10
    finalmente con la traduzione in italiano posso gustarmi questi giochi, GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  5. ihearthawthats
    Nov 10, 2021
    7
    Hours Played: 40 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 23/47 (34%)
    Worth My Time: Yes, to roll credits. Worth My Money: Yes, wait for sale. What I Like: Fighting seamlessly integrates with both exploration and story. Characters are likeable and story is interesting. What I Dislike: Detective gameplay is underwhelming. Side content is a bit lackluster. How It Stacks Up: Not as good as    Hours Played: 40 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 23/47 (34%)

    Worth My Time: Yes, to roll credits.
    Worth My Money: Yes, wait for sale.

    What I Like: Fighting seamlessly integrates with both exploration and story. Characters are likeable and story is interesting.

    What I Dislike: Detective gameplay is underwhelming. Side content is a bit lackluster.

    How It Stacks Up: Not as good as Yakuza, but still a great game. PS5 port is mediocre at best.    … Expand
  6. iMustang
    Dec 13, 2022
    9
    Judgment was an experience unlike any game I ever played. Combining elements of Action-RPGs and traditional Beat 'em Up games, this game drops you in a red light district city filled with so much detail it feels alive as you travel through it. With an insane amount of content to do, I almost enjoyed the adventurous side quests more than the main narrative. Your main character is a lawyerJudgment was an experience unlike any game I ever played. Combining elements of Action-RPGs and traditional Beat 'em Up games, this game drops you in a red light district city filled with so much detail it feels alive as you travel through it. With an insane amount of content to do, I almost enjoyed the adventurous side quests more than the main narrative. Your main character is a lawyer turned detective, so helping people on various cases adds a fun and usually light hearted experience to an otherwise heavy plot. I sometimes just found simple joy in walking around town, hitting up the arcade, checking out the scenery, and of course making allies with the large cast of characters hidden throughout the game. That's not to downplay the best element of this adventure however; the story is the best part. I'm a sucker for murder mysteries, big plots that slowly connect throughout the narrative, characters changing sides, and buildup to something big. I was blown away at every twist and turn, completely invested in the cast and the struggles they went through. The story alone makes this adventure a must play.

    While the combat is fantastic with flashy visuals and intense combos (especially during boss fights) with fantastic music, one element I wasn't crazy about was how often combat happens in the game. While running through town it's hard to go more than two minutes without being attacked often leading me to just want to run away instead. I would have preferred encounters be optional so I could enjoy the battles on my own terms. Also I'm all for a challenge for being a completionist, but locking story driven side quests behind mini-games was often discouraging.

    Despite the occasional gripe here or there, Judgment was an addictive experience that I loved every second of playing. I can't think of many Playstation games I went the extra mile to grind without a Platinum trophy in sight, but the compelling quests of Judgment pushed me to play for nearly 80 hours just to see them through. An incredible story, a vibrant world that always felt alive, fulfilling exploration and characters to meet, fun gameplay, an incredible soundtrack, and a lovable cast of characters made Judgement one of the best games I played all year.    … Expand
  7. framptHERO
    Oct 17, 2021
    9
    Превосходная игра. Одна из лучших для пс4 и пс5. Боевка ни чуть не уступает оригинальной серии, а иногда даже и превосходит. Простая графика, но благодаря художникам всё выглядит предельно красиво. В сюжетном плане игра интригует до самого конца.

    Make Russian Subtitles please    Превосходная игра. Одна из лучших для пс4 и пс5. Боевка ни чуть не уступает оригинальной серии, а иногда даже и превосходит. Простая графика, но благодаря художникам всё выглядит предельно красиво. В сюжетном плане игра интригует до самого конца.

    Make Russian Subtitles please
  8. RolandOG
    Dec 28, 2022
    10
    One of the most underrated games in recent memory. Nearing 2023, the graphics may be just good enough to pass for a truly modern game, but what it lacks in beauty is more than made up for in gameplay. A great detective story combined with fantastic marshal arts fighting, as well as a world packed with immersive content, surprises and impresses you at every turn. The English dubbing is muchOne of the most underrated games in recent memory. Nearing 2023, the graphics may be just good enough to pass for a truly modern game, but what it lacks in beauty is more than made up for in gameplay. A great detective story combined with fantastic marshal arts fighting, as well as a world packed with immersive content, surprises and impresses you at every turn. The English dubbing is much better than most- often you expect to cringe, but not here. Characters are interesting, funny and charismatic. Being able to experience Japanese culture in a game at this level of quality is a real treat.… Expand
  9. Tomicsavo
    Jul 14, 2023
    10
    Really well written story, a lot of side cases, mini games, and opportunities are in the game, it's phenomenal. Characters are lovable. Very very good game
  10. GiomarQ
    Sep 7, 2021
    9
    Love this game!! The story is super interesting and the side quest make it even better.
  11. ehtaco
    Feb 26, 2023
    7
    Mostly a pretty great game.

    I wish there was a bit more mystery and detective work, but what is there really is pretty fantastic. For sure, one of the most "alive" open worlds in these "Yakuza" games, the PS5 surely helps with that even though I am positive they aren't scratching the surface of what can truly be done on this more modern hardware. Still, it looks really good. Yagami    Mostly a pretty great game.

    I wish there was a bit more mystery and detective work, but what is there really is pretty fantastic. For sure, one of the most "alive" open worlds in these "Yakuza" games, the PS5 surely helps with that even though I am positive they aren't scratching the surface of what can truly be done on this more modern hardware. Still, it looks really good.

    Yagami is, for the most part, a layered and enjoyable protagonist. Not close to topping Kiryu, but who can, really?

    It doesn't come without its issues. Tons of irritating enemy pop in with the random gang encounters. It becomes a bit much late in the game. There are a lot of bugs I encountered. POIs not loading in when they should, being stuck on the screen you get briefly after winning a fight, missions not loading, etc.

    My biggest issues with the game? Pretty big ones. First and foremost; it is too long. Straight-up, too long. Around Chapter 6 or so this game feels like it's coming to an end, but no, you're only halfway done with the game at that point. I don't necessarily have a problem spending 50+ hours on a game. But this game lacks the depth to make that interesting and the story slows down to a slog at that point. It doesn't feel like it warrants the playtime.

    This brings me to my second big complaint. Yakuza games have long had combat that does get a bit old and boring over time, but it's usually far more layered. It's not here. This is the most shallow combat I've ever played in these games. On one hand, maybe it makes sense. You're a detective, not a super-hardened martial arts dude. But still. It hurts the overall gameplay. Two combat styles that visually look a bit different, but feel identical to play. One is more kick-heavy and focused on taking on groups, the other is more punch-focused for taking on a single, stronger enemy. But you can use the styles interchangeably without many hindrances at all. One style may be better in every scenario even. It just misses the mark and lacks depth or any thinking-on-the-fly re: fights. Just button mashing -- and not even typical Yakuza button mashing. Way worse.

    Last half of this game I avoided every single street encounter because the fights became very boring. Worth a playthrough, just know what you're getting into.    … Expand
  12. samurai07
    May 5, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. amazing game and i am glad because i played on xbox it that’s was awesome … Expand
  13. Toshi_inu
    May 12, 2023
    10
    Uno de los mejores videojuegos que he jugado, espectacular historia que te atrapa y logras sentirte interpretado, Solamente superado por su secuela Lost Judgment,

    100% recomendado
  14. Manziflex
    Jan 1, 2023
    10
    Still playing It. Found It very fun and entertaining. Love the story, seems Shenmue in Yakuza world. Love It.
    Great graphics, facial are really good even if Is old generation style.
    Good sound, nothing special but good.
    Longevity Is the real deal of this game.
    Remembers me Shenmue 1 on Dreamcast.
    One of the best title of Sega played since now.
    I really appreciated. A must play
  15. wasayq5
    Jun 15, 2021
    8
    Gripping story and engaging combat. Side missions suck and structure isn't all too interesting, however.
  16. danilogan7
    Jun 20, 2023
    8
    Combate fluído, divertido. Os dois estilos de luta e o Ex Gauge trazem dinâmica para o Combate.
    Bons Gráficos, destaque para os Personagens nas cutscenes, ailuminação e reflexos do cenário.
    Trilha sonora impecável, trazem mais empolgação nos combates. Personagens brilhantes. História muito bem contada e envolvente, porém há algumas incogruências. As missões secundárias apesar de não    Combate fluído, divertido. Os dois estilos de luta e o Ex Gauge trazem dinâmica para o Combate.
    Bons Gráficos, destaque para os Personagens nas cutscenes, ailuminação e reflexos do cenário.
    Trilha sonora impecável, trazem mais empolgação nos combates.
    Personagens brilhantes. História muito bem contada e envolvente, porém há algumas incogruências.
    As missões secundárias apesar de não serem dubladas valem muito a pena de serem jogadas, enriquece as histórias com os amigos e namoradas do protagonista, amplia o contato com os divertidos mini games de Kamurocho, Além de apresentar algumas histórias engraçadas e algumas mais dramáticas, quase todas excelentes.

    Pra quem já é fã da série Yakuza/Like a Dragon é um prato cheio.    … Expand
  17. Skitto85
    Jun 10, 2021
    3
    Omission: I did not finish this game. In fact I barely played a few hours.
    I had wanted it for a while after reading PS4 reviews and bought when it was re-released for PS5. Honestly, I have no idea what the hype is about....
    For me, there is very little to enjoy about this game. The graphics are OK for a PS4 game upgraded for PS5 but everything else just feels amateurish. The gameplay    Omission: I did not finish this game. In fact I barely played a few hours.
    I had wanted it for a while after reading PS4 reviews and bought when it was re-released for PS5. Honestly, I have no idea what the hype is about....
    For me, there is very little to enjoy about this game.
    The graphics are OK for a PS4 game upgraded for PS5 but everything else just feels amateurish.
    The gameplay feels so dated and repetitive. You wander round the small, uninteresting area and continuously meet groups of thugs on basically every street corner who want to have a fight with you for no apparent reason and the fight mechanics themselves are very basic and repetitive. Then there's the story which I'm sure gets more intersting and you progress but it revolves around you just going from one place to another which all looks basically the same and clicking the buttons you're told to which completes the task and sends you off to another identical looking place to do the same again. It just isn't interesting or pretty to look at. I traded it in for Ghost of Tsushima and was instantly glad I did.    … Expand
  18. ChelseazazSwe
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    just amazing. story, combat, soundtrack everything in this game. After you played Judgment you don't want to miss Lost Judgment. this series is amazing!
  19. kiryu6666666666
    Jun 25, 2021
    10
    this is the best ive ever played in my entire life. thanks you for everything
  20. Dany4k
    Feb 9, 2022
    9
    Amazing game. If you played the Yakuza games (until 6) and liked them, there is not much that could go wrong here. The story is pretty engaging and there is loads of contents like side missions, friendships, minigames, etc.

    Recommended!
  21. Sly_Soviet
    Sep 16, 2021
    9
    Personally, my favorite game from the yakuza series as I enjoyed the story and liked pretty much everything about the game. I liked Yagami as a character and I did enjoy a few other characters in the game too. The side stories and music were pretty good too.
  22. Zakai77
    Sep 24, 2021
    9
    Graphics:9/10
    Music:7/10
    Story :8/10
    Game length: sooooo long (30 hours is too much for me)
  23. cavendish
    Jan 4, 2022
    9
    La narrativa de Judgment es senzillamente maravillosa, sus personajes tienen carisma i credibilidad, y su historia se sostiene durante todo el juego. Solo por este motivo ya justifica, y de largo, su compra.
    La mecánica de juego es bastante senzilla, peleas a lo beat'em-up bastante espectaculares, nada de peleas por turnos.
    Los gráficos en ps5 son espectaculares. Y corre a 60fps, así que    La narrativa de Judgment es senzillamente maravillosa, sus personajes tienen carisma i credibilidad, y su historia se sostiene durante todo el juego. Solo por este motivo ya justifica, y de largo, su compra.
    La mecánica de juego es bastante senzilla, peleas a lo beat'em-up bastante espectaculares, nada de peleas por turnos.
    Los gráficos en ps5 son espectaculares. Y corre a 60fps, así que todo ok.
    La ciudad se siente viva, aunque echamos de menos ir algun otra ciudad durante el juego.
    Como puntos a mejorar, las misiones secundarias, algunas son pobres, y mejorar la bild del personaje.
    En definitiva este juego es de los mas subestimados del sistema. Para mi ha empezado una franquicia que con el tiempo será de culto.    … Expand
  24. Syed27
    Jun 23, 2022
    10
    Masterpiece, You gotta play it, to know it. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  25. edgyusername
    Dec 21, 2022
    10
    This is probably the best detective game I’ve ever played. Asian developers are just amazing at this type of game, better than the rest of the world. PS5 version especially is the best, as expected. Playing an Asian game on Xbox would be insulting.
  26. Vujica
    May 8, 2022
    7
    How all these people find this to be one of the greatest games ever is beyond me. I suggest everyone looks at gameplay video's before deciding on purchasing the game since for this game there is quite some discrepancy in opinion. For me it was an okay game (bought it for €15). The graphics are great and the main story is awesome.

    But the repetition is very high. Thugs keep appearing and    How all these people find this to be one of the greatest games ever is beyond me. I suggest everyone looks at gameplay video's before deciding on purchasing the game since for this game there is quite some discrepancy in opinion. For me it was an okay game (bought it for €15). The graphics are great and the main story is awesome.

    But the repetition is very high. Thugs keep appearing and appearing when you are walking around, and this is especially annoying when you are moving around town during main story missions. But also dialogs keep repeating (when purchasing something, when playing VR on every square, after every fight where you have to acknowledge a friend when they help, with the girlfriend missions, etc.) So much that I found it annoying an frustrating and would start pushing the X button on all dialogs just to get rid of them.

    If you're going for the platinum trophy this game is insane. You not only have to finish the game twice (the second time on legendary difficulty) but you have to play poker, mahjong, blackjack, shogi, virtual fighter 5, virtua fighter 2, do drone racing and many more games. The difficulty on some of these is ridiculously high. Also you have to farm quite some money. I guess it is a matter of preference again, but I HATE to have to play games of luck (poker, blackjack, mahjong, vr dice game) to conquer a trophy in an action game. I don't mind insane difficulty levels, but if I wanna play poker I will do it somewhere else.

    So the game is not bad in any way, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the main story a lot. But there are quite a few things that keep it from being great.    … Expand
  27. vicwolk
    Feb 11, 2023
    7
    Game is good. The sound FX is what bugs me. It's so annoying, it constantly makes you put the volume down and screw the experience. How hard can it be to simply make an FX volume controller, guys? Who the hell digs this mega drive bright sound at this day and age anyways???
  28. OriginalMan
    Nov 17, 2022
    9
    This is the first game I’ve played by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and the first time I’ve seen the dragon engine. I’m very impressed with the way judgment looks and feels. I bought it on sale in 2022 but also played it previously in 2019. It was definitely worth the price.

    Gameplay: It plays amazing. The fighting is fluid and simple to get down and fun to use EX. The city feels alive and    This is the first game I’ve played by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and the first time I’ve seen the dragon engine. I’m very impressed with the way judgment looks and feels. I bought it on sale in 2022 but also played it previously in 2019. It was definitely worth the price.

    Gameplay: It plays amazing. The fighting is fluid and simple to get down and fun to use EX. The city feels alive and immersive. The different types of things to do are a blast and the different ways you interact and be a detective are interesting and innovative. Story: It is a memorable and engaging story. It dragged on a little at the end but it had a lot of stuff to explain and tie up. I think there are some parts in early chapters that could have been moved to side quests and spread the back half of the game more into the earlier chapters.

    Sound: The music is fun and has a diverse few tracks that I enjoyed. The sound in the world and fighting were top notch. The sound really takes this game to the next level. The voice acting was fitting and professional in English. There were some parts of the game that weren’t voiced and it seemed strange to have to read but that was just side content. Visuals: I’m really impressed with what the dragon engine is capable of. The lighting and surfaces were all ridiculous and detailed. It feels polished and like it wasn’t rushed. Time: I felt like there was some padding in the story. I finished around 22 hours and thought to myself some of the main story could have been put into the side missions and it could have ended around the 18 hour mark and that would have been the sweet spot for me. There is a ton to do in this game and a lot of side content to get lost in. Overall they didn’t waste my time with nonsense and padding. The new game plus adds to the replay ability and the fact that you might not upgrade all the way by the end is incentive to replay the game. Difficulty: I payed the game on normal and died twice because the boss did so much damage I didn’t even have a chance to use my healing items. The difficulty spikes at the bosses and at the end of the game. The mortal wounds are way more prominent and make it expensive and a necessity to go to the doctor in the later chapters. Judgment is a polished game. The size of the map is perfect in my opinion and the story is top tier. The side content and city make it a treat to run around and explore and get to know. The chasing sequences are a blast and variety of gameplay sets keep you on your toes and intrigued with what will happen next.    … Expand
  29. JrDouble
    Aug 19, 2023
    8
    I really enjoy this game. It has great acting, story, gameplay, and variety of activities to undertake. This game definitely doesn't take itself too seriously which is really fun and refreshing too.
  30. Tintler
    Jun 25, 2023
    7
    Ryu Ga Gotoku stüdyosunu ne yapsa oynarım. Kamurocho geri dönmek güzel oldu. Hikaye, karakterler, seslendirme animasyonlar başarılıydı. AAA bütçesine sahip olsa ve 2. 3. seviye sinematikler de ana hikayedeki gibi kaliteli olsaydı keşke.
  31. Killerpummkin
    Aug 8, 2023
    10
    One of the best video games I've ever played, a spectacular story that grabs you and makes you feel like you're being interpreted.
  32. Vagrantglass
    Sep 8, 2023
    7
    Judgement - PS5

    Gameplay - 7
    Story - 8.5
    Sound - 8
    Music - 6
    Graphics - 8

    Total - 7.5

    Enjoyed playing through Judgement, the main plot was quite interesting and for the most part the gameplay was alright. Meaningless side quests and tailing missions bring thr score down.

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
57
#57 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Cubed3
    Nov 2, 2022
    90
    The definitive version of Judgment is here! It is an almost perfect blend of incredible details and mechanics reinforced by a huge technical upgrade. A long and impressive title that takes the Ryu Ga Gotoku game design and maxes it out for a new side story while their main game goes in another direction. Heartily recommended!
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 15, 2022
    100
    An excursion into the Japanese universe, with charismatic characters, an elaborate story, emotions and humor. One also forgives the game for the fact that the hero is not a member of the yakuza this time.
  3. CD-Action
    Dec 7, 2021
    90
    Despite being a spin-off, Judgment firmly stands on its own two feet, offering a great story, immensely fun combat and the usual truckload of cool side stories and engaging activities scattered around Kamurocho. The main plot line has some pacing issues and the detective mechanics are shallow, but you should definitely give this game a try, even if you don’t care much for the Yakuza series. [07/2021, p.68]
See all critic reviews »