Judgement review: Better Call Saul to Yakuza's Breaking Bad

Well, here's the good news. If you love the Yakuza series (as you should), Judgement - the western name give to the Japanese release Judge Eyes - will be right up your alley. It's set in the same universe (in the same fictional Japanese city, even), has the same tight combat (with some slight changes to freshen things up a bit), and is jammed packed with surprises and mini-games to keep your busy outside of the main story.

Here's even further good news: it's also a pretty fun game on its own. However, if those same Yakuza fans are hoping for something drastically different, they're going to be woefully disappointed.

Judgement takes place around the same time or a few years the events in Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life. Players fill the role of Takayuki Yagami, a former Yakuza-turned-former lawyer-turned- current private eye. When his old law firm is tasked with defending one Yagami's former Yakuza associates on a murder charge, the firm hires Yagami to help investigate.

Breaking Yakuza

Much like AMC's classic TV crime drama Breaking Bad and its spin-off, Better Call Saul, both Judgement and the Yakuza games are set in the same world - yet have distinct differences. While both explore the seedy Japanese underworld, Judgement is a detective story first more than it is a gangster tale. While Kazuma Kiryu often bounded into situations fists first, Yagami spends most his time in the game searching for clues, following suspects, and questioning witnesses.

That's not to say there isn't plenty of action to be had in Judgement. In fact, the battles here are even faster paced than those of the series it's based on. Yagami is a much more agile combatant and prone to acrobatic moves like wall flips and leap-frogging over his enemies. He has two different fighting styles to choose from, although they switch between a focus on one-on-one fighting and taking on a group of enemies. Still, it's as thrilling to watch the combat in this game as it is to perform it.

Storytime, children (don't let children play this game, though)

Searching for clues and tailing suspects are a major part of Judgement

The Yakuza games are famous for the way they blended serious drama (sometimes almost to the point of melodrama) with both over-the-top ridiculousness and graphic violence. While Judgement certainly has its lighter moments, it eschews the sillier aspects and focuses more on telling it's a detective story.

And it's a compelling story at that, right from the beginning - a serial killer has been stalking Yakuza in Kamurocho, leaving their victim's bodies but taking their eyes. As we progress through the case and learn the truth, we also reveal more of Yagami's complicated backstory - the almost needless complexity of both stories is another hallmark it shares with the Yakuza games. It's not so convoluted as to turn off most new to the series, but fans of the original games should eat it up like takoyaki.

And, no, I didn't know what that was before I played the Yakuza games, either.

"Work can wait!!"

While there's no karaoke this time, there's still plenty to do outside of the main story

The setting of Kumurocho - a fictional recreation of Tokyo's red light district - isn't just window dressing in Judgement, either. This newest version is also packed with side storied, mini-games, and secrets to discover. There's less of an emphasis on them this time, and you may find yourself so wrapped up in the main story that you might even forget they're even there. But, they are, and they're still fun.

Of course, there's the usual Sega arcade games, like Virtua Fighter and PuyoPuyo (although, as far as I can tell, you can't play with the UFO Catcher this time). Yagami also uses a flying drone camera as part of his work, and you can customize said drone and enter it into races. There's also the traditional batting cages, as well as things to collect (this time, it's QR codes and stray cats), friends to make and dates to go on.

Lookin' good, Kamurocho!

Kamurocho is back, and just as seedy and neon-y as ever.

Much like the Yakuza games before it, Judgement isn't a visual marvel. But while it doesn't have flashy graphical and lighting effects like some other blockbusters, it more than makes up for it with attention to detail. As always, Kamurocho is a - pardon the cliches - living, breathing city and a character in of itself. The characters are, for the most part, modelled and voiced by famous Japanese celebrities, and it shows.

That's another little difference in Justice that you won't find in the Yakuza games (although you will in Ryu Ga Gotoku other Sega title, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise): both a Japanese and English audio track. In fact, each dub has its own subtitle track, as opposed to the Japanese dialogue being spelt out over spoken English. Now, I don't even understand enough Japanese to find a public restroom in Tokyo, much less tell if the Japanese voice acting in this game is any good or not. It certainly sounds good and there's nothing distracting. The English dub, on the other hand - the parts I listened to, anyway (not trying to be a snob, but I kind of prefer the Japanese dubs in games like this - it's way more immersive) - are simply OK.

Follow-up spending

Nearly all of Judgement's DLC is cosmetic in nature

Finally, I always like to look at any DLC for games like this, and figure out just how much change the publishers are trying to wring out of me. There's a few items here and there, but they're all cosmetic (or, in one case, auditory). Items to decorate your office with, costumes to wear on both stakeouts and dates, background music to play. None of it is expensive and none of it is essential.

There's also a couple of free items: one you can download and use just for owning the game and another you can activate if you have a save file from any PS4 Yakuza title on your hard drive.

Case closed

The combat in Judgement is a joy to both play and watch

All in all, Judgement is an excellent game. It takes the style of the Yakuza games and changes things up just enough to make it feel familiar, yet refreshing. As I said before, fans of the original games looking for something dramatically new from the studio are going to be let down, but you can't blame a team for sticking with what they do best.

If you dig Judgement, I highly suggest - of course - any of the Yakuza titles (especially Yakuza Kiwami 2, which, like Judgement, is more of a streamlined story and character driven than the others) as well as the brilliant Fist of the North Star title, where Ryu Ga Gotoku put the classic ultra-violent anime into the Yakuza formula and ramped up the RPG elements.

Judgement is available now, exclusively on the PS4.

Are you a Yakuza fan? Have you been looking forward to playing Judgement? Have you played it yet? What do you think? All of these questions and more will, hopefully, be answered by you, the reader, in the comments section below!