Nothing could've prepared me for what this game delivered. Going into this I thought it would be a nice addition to the universe but get tiresome after the first few chapters. Having said that, I was absolutely blown away by everything this game delivered. I think the most important thing to know when playing this is that this is NOT a Yakuza game. Sure it has the same core gameplay loop but it's vastly different in terms of storytelling and actually tying the gameplay to the other aspects of the game. Instead of focusing on characters (which this game still does, just not to the extent of other RGG titles) it built an incredible story which just continues to get tighter and more thrilling as the chapters fly by. The side content is some of the best from the entire series and considering that I'm talking about RGG games, that means a lot to me. The side cases and friend quest thingies are mostly outstanding and just really add to the unique feel of Judgement's Kamurocho. Yagami and Kaito are incredibly loveable and special characters that quickly gained a place in my heart. I really believe they are some of the best main characters RGG has created thus far. My only actual nitpick are the minigames which felt a bit bland. Also there was no karaoke so that definitely hurt me. As for the mechanics which get quite a bit of critique online (especially mortal wounds and the tailing missions) I didn't mind too much. Sure they did bother me at points but not to the extent where it would lower my enjoyment of the game. Overall just a must play game for any RGG fan or just fans of games with thrilling, gripping and lengthy crime drama stories.

Yakuza but what if you were a law guy instead of a Yakuza guy?

The new detective angle allows for new methods of storytelling and a fresh cast of characters, all taking place in the same universe without relying on calling back to the games that came before it outside the main location and yakuza gang. And the story itself is a pretty solid mystery, with fantastic over the top action sequences that you just have to see for yourself.

The detective angle incorporates itself into gameplay too with varying degrees of success. The best of these are the chase sequences, brought back form Yakuza games but feel faster than ever. There's also lock picking which is a nice little distraction. This is the best of them though, the others tend to feel superfluous like selecting your keys to unlock a door, to drawn out and boring like tailing people which was tense at first but the further in the game they become too long.

You play as Yagami, not named Light, who in terms of combat I'd say is like Akiyama with a dash of Kiryu. He has the Crane and Tiger styles, which are best in mobs and 1v1 respectively, which generally makes it a simple choice which one to use at each given time but sometimes in mobs you can Tiger to focus on a specific one then back to Crane for the rest, so even in a simple system there's still strategy to be had.

This has nothing to do with anything, but I remember buying things at a Poppo, and I was given a record and the employee's thanks. Then I went into the office, put on that record to hear a jazzy rendition of Ave Maria. I just sat there and took it all in as the music played and Yagami healed, it was a moment that stuck with me.

All in all, Judgement is an interesting new storytelling spin with a fresh batch of characters in the Yakuza world. My Judgement? If you like any Yakuza game, you'll like this without a doubt.

Sem palavras, um jogo muito especial.
Apesar de saber que o jogo tem diversos defeitos, principalmente em suas sequencias de investigação, poucas vezes me diverti tanto com um jogo.
Jogo com muito coração, obra prima.