Ryu ga Gotoku/Yakuza has a new in-universe spinoff game titled Judge Eyes (Judgment in the West). Starring lead character Takayuki “Tak” Yagami; a former fast climbing lawyer known for famously getting a supposed murderer off of his charges. After his client is once again charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Tak enters semi-retirement as a lawyer and becomes a private investigator with former yakuza muscle Masaharu Kaito as his partner. Three years have passed since Tak’s last case as a lawyer and his detective work dives him even deeper into a dark truth related to that case which lies at the top of Japan’s criminal underbelly.

Judgment is a 2019 action-adventure game, it is developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku/Yakuza Studios and published by Sega. It is currently available exclusively on Playstation 4.

Editor’s Note: A review copy of Judgement was provided by Sega in support of this review. Medium to near complete spoilers for Judgment’s story may be present within this review. 

Takayuki Yagami & Masaharu Kaito in Judgment.

Judgment, while not necessarily a direct sequel to Sega’s Yakuza franchise it is based somewhat within the same universe of the series including series setting Kamurcho, restaurants, and arcade locations. The Tojo Clan also has a prominent appearance within the game. That being said, Judgment is very much it’s own game. For starters it’s the first in the series based on present day Japan with Yakuza 6 being set in 2016 Japan. In addition to it’s present day setting it also has more modern tech of current times such as drones, more advanced smart phones, even a crowdfunding app that helps Tak unlock new skills and abilities within his skill tree app.

Tak is a former high class lawyer turned detective taking odd jobs from big to small.

THE GOOD: After getting a supposed murderer off the hook Takayuki Yagami becomes a major player in Japan’s criminal law scene. Getting calls left and right from the small lawyer agency he works for with his some of co-workers admiring and envying him afar. When the same client gets hit with another murder charge, this time that of his girlfriend whom was one of the key character witnesses that got him off previously Tak is emotional broken over the news and decides to retire from law work. Though he still maintains his license and status as a professional lawyer he has since been working as a private eye taking on small jobs here and there like finding a client’s cat or finding proof of infidelity. One of his cases leads him back into Japan’s crime world and he follows the clues which leads him back to the very case that caused his semi-retirement. With Tak’s new career pulling him back into law he reluctantly retakes the case that shook his past to the very core and takes on Yakuza, former law colleagues, and even the Japanese police force as he learns just how far this mystery leads him into the dark.

Judgment continues to use the Dragon engine Sega created specifically for the franchise and it looks as beautiful as ever.

Judgment gameplay wise is a lot like Yakuza. You can use the surrounding environment as a weapon and you have two fighting styles to choose from. In this case it’d be Tiger & Crane; the former is mainly for doing huge damage to higher tier enemies, while the latter is more aimed at expelling large groups of enemies quickly. Also like Yakuza you can visit marque locations in Japan (some of which based on real life locations) such as arcades, restaurants, gambling parlors, and even arenas which host drone races. The cellphone returns as well which acts as your hub for your most basic needs such as character upgrades, the world map, save function, settings, and new to the franchise a Kickstarter like app known as Quickster that Tak can make donations to for new abilities to be unlocked in the skill tree. Substories return as “side cases” which act as small side quests to can extra money & SP for character upgrades. Some substories tie into the main story’s arc, but you have to have completed a certain number of side cases to unlock these stories. You can also go on dates and even get a girlfriend if you bond with a female companion enough. Arguably the best attribute to the Yakuza franchise that Judgment brings is that it doesn’t feel too different to where it alienates the Yakuza fan base. At the same time, however it still makes itself look very much like it’s own game and universe minus the hard to miss Yakuza easter eggs and such.

Judgment features more modern tech in comparison to it’s Yakuza counterpart.

THE BAD: Not everyone will dig the slight detour in direction, especially if you’re a brand new Yakuza fan but that’s also one of the game’s strongest elements. That slight detour makes it easier for beginner fans to get into though it will undoubtedly have critics. Perhaps my biggest complaint is that the world map feels a bit smaller compared to Yakuza’s, but considering that this is what’s very likely a first entry into what you could call a sub-series it can be forgiven.

Judgment has gameplay mechanics new to the franchise.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Judgment is a fantastic, albeit slight breather of fresh air from the main franchise and some won’t like it. That’s ok, but for the hardcore Yakuza fan it has all of the fundamentals and even some working experiments that opens the gates of potential for a proposed new action franchise of Sega. Like it’s predecessors it’s jam packed with content, side quests, and gives gamers a ton of tools to play around to see what the Yakuza brand has to offer if Sega allows it to spread it’s wings outside of the titular concept. Apparently the game was a commercial success enough to warrant a potential sequel and if there is a “Judgment 2” in development down the line I’m more than ready to see what other experiments Sega are willing to try out with the IP through the eyes of Takayuki Yagami and beyond.