Judgment (video Game)
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''Judgment'' is an
action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is a video game developer housed within the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its division. It is known for developing the games in the ''Yakuza'' series, which the studio is named after, since '' Yakuza 5''. The studio's origins can ...
and published by Sega. A spin-off to the ''Yakuza'' series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 in December 2018 in Japan and June 2019, worldwide. A remastered version of the game, with the subtitle ''Remastered'' in Japan and Asia, was released for the PlayStation 5, Stadia, and
Xbox Series X and Series S The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020, ...
in April 2021. A port for
Amazon Luna Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform developed and operated by Amazon. Luna was announced on September 24, 2020, with early access available to subscribers by invitation beginning on October 20, 2020. In its early access state, Amazon Luna ...
was made available on December 16, 2021. A
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port was released on 14 September 2022 through Steam. ''Judgment'' follows lawyer-turned-detective
Takayuki Yagami , for short, is a fictional character in Sega's 2018 action-adventure video game ''Judgment'', which is a spin-off from the ''Yakuza'' game series. Yagami is a former defense attorney who resigns after a client he successfully defended kill ...
and his allies as they explore a case involving corpses whose eyes have been removed. The player controls Yagami in the fictional
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
district of Kamurocho, where he fights thugs and ''
yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...
'' while carrying out missions involving chasing, stealth, and searching for clues. The game began its initial development in 2015 under the codename ''Project Judge''. The game originated from Sega's desire to create a new IP with Toshihiro Nagoshi serving as the writer. Nagoshi wanted to write a new type of story with a detective working on a case that contrasted with Nagoshi's previous work in ''Yakuza''. As a result, the developers designed the game to be accessible to detective-game newcomers. Singer and actor
Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...
, who provided both facial features and Japanese voice acting, was cast to play Yagami. Due to popular demand, the game includes an English
voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...
dub as well as subtitles in several additional languages. The Japanese rock band Alexandros produced two songs for the game. ''Judgment'' was withdrawn from the Japanese market in March 2019 following the arrest of
Pierre Taki , better known by his stage name , is the front man for Japanese synthpop group Denki Groove, which consists of himself and Takkyu Ishino. As of 2001 he was involved in an exhibit called Prince Tongha with Hideyuki Tanaka in New York City. He als ...
, one of the game's actors, for suspected cocaine use. While localizing the game for international markets, Taki's likeness was removed and his voice acting performance was replaced. ''Judgment'' received a generally positive response from critics. Many praised the game's plot and side content but criticized the simplicity of its investigation mechanics. ''Judgment'' was a commercial success, topping one million and earned recognition as one of the best video games released in 2019. The remaster was praised for improving the game's frame rate and visuals. A sequel, ''
Lost Judgment ''Lost Judgment'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on September 24, 2021, for Amazon Luna on March 31, 2022, ...
'' released on September 24, 2021.


Gameplay

''Judgment'' is an action-adventure game with a
third-person perspective Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
. It follows private detective
Takayuki Yagami , for short, is a fictional character in Sega's 2018 action-adventure video game ''Judgment'', which is a spin-off from the ''Yakuza'' game series. Yagami is a former defense attorney who resigns after a client he successfully defended kill ...
as he investigates a
serial murder A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
case in Kamurocho, a fictional district of
Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, previously featured in the ''
Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...
'' franchise. When asked about similarities between ''Judgment'' and other ''Yakuza'' titles, series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi said that "the location and assets might be the same, but the gameplay and story here are drastically different". Yagami can buy items to restore his health in stores based on real-life counterparts, similar to in the ''Yakuza'' games. He can also suffer a major wound if an enemy weapon, like a sword, strikes him. This decreases Yagami's maximum health, which meals cannot restore. The player can meet a doctor who treats people in secret, who can either treat Yagami directly, or sell an item that heals his wounds. ''Judgment'' features a similar combat system to that of ''
Yakuza 0 ''Yakuza 0'' is an action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is the sixth main entry in the '' Yakuza series'' and a prequel to the original game. It was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in J ...
'', where players can change between two different fighting styles: crane-style, which focuses on fighting groups of enemies, and tiger-style, which focuses on fighting individuals. Yagami also incorporates parkour elements, like wall-running and leapfrogging, in his fighting style. Similar to the previous games in the ''Yakuza'' series, Yagami can enter a Rage form, where he becomes stronger in battle, and he can team up with allies to perform powerful combination attacks. Accomplishing sidequests or achievements in the main narrative rewards the player with points that can be used to enhance Yagami's skills and teach him new techniques. The game also features an investigation mode, where the player must search a scene for clues and evidence of a crime. Players must infiltrate areas by
lock picking Lock picking is the practice of unlocking a lock by manipulating the components of the lock device without the original key. Although lock-picking can be associated with criminal intent, it is an essential skill for the legitimate profess ...
and use
disguise A disguise can be anything which conceals or changes a person's physical appearance, including a wig, glasses, makeup, fake moustache, costume or other items. Camouflage is a type of disguise for people, animals and objects. Hats, glasses, ch ...
s to gather information or find objects of interest. The game has sections where the player pursues a suspect. These take the form of tailing sequences, where players must follow a suspect while avoiding being seen, and chase sequences, where players must avoid oncoming obstacles while running to catch a fleeing suspect. Yagami can take on several side cases in addition to the main storyline, similar to the "substories" in other ''Yakuza'' games. He can undertake them by looking at the noticeboard in his office, asking at the Genda Law Office or Bar Tender, or by walking the streets of Kamurocho. Certain meetings trigger a Friendship level that can evolve across the game through interacting with a character. Some of these meetings involve finishing sidequests, while other scenarios are inspired by dating sim games. Like other ''Yakuza'' titles, the player can find minigames and side activities scattered around Kamurocho, which include drone racing, a
virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
board game, and fully playable versions of ''
Space Harrier is a third-person arcade rail shooter game developed by Sega and released in 1985. It was originally conceived as a realistic military-themed game played in the third-person perspective and featuring a player-controlled fighter jet, but tec ...
'', ''
Fantasy Zone is a 1986 arcade game by Sega, and the first game in the ''Fantasy Zone'' series. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights an enemy inva ...
'', ''
Fighting Vipers ''Fighting Vipers'' (ファイティングバイパーズ'' Faitingu Vaipāzu'') is a 3D fighting video game developed by Sega AM2. It uses the same game engine as AM2's ''Virtua Fighter 2'' but features enclosed arenas and an armor mechanic, and ...
'', ''
Motor Raid ''Motor Raid'' (モーターレイド) is a racing video game released by Sega on its Model 2A arcade system board in 1997. In contrast to the realistic style of most of Sega's previous racing games, ''Motor Raid'' uses a futuristic aesthetic and ...
'', '' Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, a''nd ''
Puyo Puyo ''Puyo Puyo'' (ぷよぷよ), previously known as ''Puyo Pop'' outside Japan, is a series of tile-matching video games created by Compile. Sega has owned the franchise since 1998, with games after 2001 being developed by Sonic Team. ''Puyo Puyo ...
''.


Synopsis


Setting and characters

''Judgment'' takes place in 2018, and stars
Takayuki Yagami , for short, is a fictional character in Sega's 2018 action-adventure video game ''Judgment'', which is a spin-off from the ''Yakuza'' game series. Yagami is a former defense attorney who resigns after a client he successfully defended kill ...
(
Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...
/
Greg Chun Greg Chun is an American voice actor and musician who is known for his work in English-dubbed anime and video games. Personal life Chun is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Stanford University and has found himself in a dilemma in ...
), a former attorney-turned-private investigator residing in the Kamurochō district. The story of ''Judgment'' involves Yagami investigating several ''yakuza'' murder cases committed by an unidentified serial killer, dubbed "the Mole", which eventually leads to him uncovering a massive conspiracy linked to his last case from his attorney days. Yagami's supporting cast includes: Masaharu Kaito (Shinshū Fuji/
Crispin Freeman Crispin Freeman is an American voice actor, voice director, and screenwriter who is best known for voicing characters in English-language dubs of Japanese anime, animation, and video games. Some of his prominent anime roles include Zelgadis Grayw ...
), a former member of the Tojo Clan's Matsugane Family who is Yagami's detective partner; Ryuzo Genda (
Akira Nakao is a Japanese actor, TV personality, and artist from Kisarazu, Chiba. Nakao is represented by the Furutachi Project agency. Biography Nakao attended Chiba Prefectural Kisarazu High School from 1958, and entered Musashino Art University from 19 ...
/
Brian McNamara Brian McNamara is an American actor. His first major role was in the film '' The Flamingo Kid'' (1984). He then went on to appear in a few films, such as ''Short Circuit'' (1986), ''Caddyshack II'' (1988), ''Arachnophobia'' (1990) and ''Mystery ...
), director of Genda Law Office and Yagami's former mentor who is also one of his father figures; Mitsugu Matsugane ( Tomomichi Nishimura/ JB Blanc), patriarch of the Matsugane Family who raised Yagami after the latter's parents were murdered; Saori Shirosaki (
Yūko Kaida is a Japanese actress and voice actress who is affiliated with Ken Production. Her most known roles include Shimei Ryomou in ''Ikki Tousen'', Tsukuyo in ''Gintama'', Kyō Takamimori in '' Potemayo'', Amane Ootori in '' Strawberry Panic!'', Min ...
/ Aimée Castle), Issei Hoshino ( Yū Hayashi/Joe Zieja), and Masamichi Shintani (
Takuya Kirimoto is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Gifu Prefecture, Japan. He is attached to Aoni Production. He is the best official dubbing roles for Bradley Cooper, Hyun Bin, So Ji-sub and many more. Biography Filmography Television animation *''Tur ...
/ Keythe Farley), defense attorneys working at Genda Law Office; Mafuyu Fujii ( Risa Shimizu/
Cherami Leigh Cherami Leigh (born July 19, 1988) is an American actress. She has provided voices for a number of English-language versions of anime series and video games with Funimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, NYAV Post, Studiopolis and Viz Media. Some ...
), a public prosecutor and close friend of Yagami and Shirosaki; Makoto Tsukumo (Jun Miyamoto/River Kanoff), a recluse and technology expert who often assists Yagami in his investigation; Toru Higashi (Yoshihisa Kawahara/
Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his most well-known roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series '' Cowboy Bebop'', Garazeb Orrelios from the animated series '' ...
), a Matsugane Family member who looks up to Kaito; Fumiya Sugiura ( Junta Terashima/Mark Whitten), a masked thief who offers to help Yagami's investigation with unknown motivations; and Kazuya Ayabe ( Kenichi Takitō/
Matthew Yang King Matthew Yang King is an American television, film, stage and voice actor. He is known for recurring role appearances on '' Riverdale'', '' Powers'', '' 24'', ''Strong Medicine'', and '' Numbers''. He created the webseries ''World of Steam'' and ha ...
), a corrupt police officer who sells top-secret information for his own gains. Yagami's investigation of the Mole brings him into conflict with several characters: Kyohei Hamura (Miō Tanaka/
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy in various DC ...
), captain of the Matsugane family who has ties to the murder cases; Mitsuru Kuroiwa ( Shosuke Tanihara/ Matthew Mercer), a detective working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's organized crime division; Yoji Shono (Makoto Nagai/ Michael Gough), a researcher at the Advanced Drug Development Center (ADDC); Ryusuke Kido ( Hiroshi Shirokuma/ Andrew Morgado), the director of the ADDC; and Kaoru Ichinose (Takaya Hashi/Kirk Thorton), the Vice Minister of Health who oversees the ADDC's activities. Other characters featured in the main story include: Shinpei Okubo (
Shinji Kawada is a Japanese voice actor. He works on eroge, under the name . Filmography Anime ;2000 *''Platinumhugen Ordian'' (Yuu Kananase) ;2001 *'' Dennō Bōkenki Webdiver'' (Draguon) *'' Pocket Monster'' (Minaki) *'' Geneshaft'' (Sergei IV Sneak) ;2002 ...
/
Yuri Lowenthal Yuri Lowenthal (born March 5, 1971)Birthday references: * * * is an American voice actor, producer and screenwriter known chiefly for his work in cartoons, anime and video games. Some of his prominent roles in animations and anime include S ...
), a former ADDC janitor who was acquitted from a murder charge by Yagami, only to be arrested for allegedly murdering his girlfriend, Emi Terasawa (Eri Goda/Amy Walker); Shigeru Kajihira ( Haruhiko Jō/Ed O'Ross), chairman of the Kajihira Group and secret financial backer of the Kyorei Clan, a Kyoto-based ''yakuza'' organization; Satoshi Shioya (
Masaki Terasoma is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. Biography After graduating from Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Terasoma joined Haiyuza Theatre Company. In 1984, he made his film debut in '' W's Tragedy''. Af ...
/
Keith Silverstein Keith Silverstein is an American voice actor, known for lending his voice to English Versions of Japanese anime and video games, affiliated with Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Viz Media, Studiopolis and Funimation. He is best known for his roles as ...
), captain of the Kyorei Clan; and Kunihiko Morita ( Junpei Morita/
Jamieson Price Jamieson K. Price is an American actor, best known for his deep and booming voice in numerous anime and video games. He is known as the voice of the Count of Monte Cristo in '' Gankutsuou'', Sojiro Sakura in ''Persona 5'', Ovan in '' .hack//G.U. ...
), chief prosecutor and Fujii's superior.


Plot

In 2015, attorney Takayuki Yagami investigates the Advanced Drug Development Center (ADDC) for the death of patient Koichi Waku, successfully clearing accused worker Shinpei Okubo of the murder charge. However, Okubo is arrested shortly thereafter for allegedly murdering his girlfriend, Emi Terasawa. Guilt-ridden, Yagami resigns from his law firm. Three years later, Yagami has become a
private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...
in Tokyo's Kamurocho district and accepts investigation requests with his partner, ex-Tojo clan member Masaharu Kaito. A serial killer has recently been murdering ''yakuza'' members in Kamurocho and removing their eyes. Yagami accepts a murder case concerning Matsugane Family captain Kyohei Hamura, who is suspected of killing a Kyorei clan member using the same methods. Yagami investigates and proves Hamura's innocence, though he suspects that Hamura is working with the killer, whom Yagami dubs the Mole. Yagami investigates a brothel where one of the victims was last seen and encounters Hamura, who orders him to stop investigating the Mole. Yagami returns to his office to find that the Mole has killed Masamichi Shintani, his former colleague, and teacher. Yagami finds a recent call on Shintani's phone for Dr. Yoji Shono of the ADDC. He questions ADDC director Ryusuke Kido about Shintani's phone call, to no avail. After further investigation, with help from masked thief Fumiya Sugiura, Yagami meets construction mogul Shigeru Kajihira at a Kyorei Clan hideout. Kajihira reveals a failed plan to seize land around the ADDC for
redevelopment Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses. It represents a process of land development uses to revitalize the physical, economic and social fabric of urban space. Description Variations on redevelopment include: ...
, which was foiled when researchers claimed to have discovered AD-9, a potential cure for Alzheimer's disease. Kajihira asks Yagami to investigate the death of former ADDC vice-director Toru Hashiki. Yagami is brought to the public prosecutor's office for interrogation and is informed that Kazuya Ayabe, a crooked cop who was Yagami's informant, has been arrested on suspicion of being the Mole; Yagami, however, is unconvinced. He and Kaito find Hamura hiding out in an underground illegal
gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...
den and question him about his connection to the Mole and other possible suspects. Yagami concludes that Dr. Shono may be organizing the murders before Hamura is rescued by Matsugane Family members. He theorizes that the Mole's killings are actually human experiments to test the effectiveness of AD-9, and Waku, Hashiki, and Shintani's deaths were failed experiments. Yagami also theorizes that Okubo did not kill Terasawa; she was killed by Dr. Shono so that he could frame Okubo as an unrepentant serial murderer. Kaito is taken hostage by Hamura, forcing Yagami to storm a Matsugane hideout. Yagami finds Hamura and Kaito, defeating and capturing Hamura with the help of his patriarch, Mitsugu Matsugane. Yagami and Matsugane transport Hamura to a Kyorei clan hideout and interrogate him, learning that Hamura worked as a human trafficker for the ADDC and helped frame Ayabe for Shintani's murder. The Mole appears and shoots at Hamura, but Matsugane shields him and is killed. Hamura reveals that the Mole is Mitsuru Kuroiwa, a detective in the Metropolitan
organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
division, and later gives Yagami definitive evidence that the ADDC participated in Shintani's murder. During Ayabe's trial, Japanese Vice-minister of Health Kaoru Ichinose covertly arranges a hit on Kuroiwa. Kuroiwa kills his assailants and storms the ADDC. Yagami, aided by his friends, finds Kuroiwa taking Shono hostage, intending to force him to finish developing AD-9. Yagami defeats Kuroiwa, and the police surround them, killing Kuroiwa when he tries to kill Shono. Shono injects himself with a new version of AD-9 and dies from its side effects after his eyes turn blue. Dr. Kido confirms Shono's human experiments at Ayabe's trial and explains that the victims had their eyes removed to conceal evidence of experimentation. The court acquits Ayabe; Ichinose and chief prosecutor Kunihiko Morita are imprisoned for their involvement; Kajihira is placed under investigation; Okubo is freed after three years on death row and reconciles with Sugiura, who is revealed to be Terasawa's younger brother; and Yagami and Kaito decide to resume being ordinary private detectives.


Development

Ideas for ''Judgment'' were conceived after the release of ''
Yakuza 5 is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. The game is the fifth main entry in the ''Yakuza'' series. The game was released in December 2012 in Japan, and localized for North ...
.'' Producer Kazuki Hosokawa suggested that Sega produce a new IP instead of focusing solely on the ''Yakuza'' series. Senior Executive Manager Daisuke Sato originally believed that ''Yakuza'' would only last three games but agreed with Hosokawa about the need to create a new title. Sega hired new employees, who were asked about their preferences to get ideas for the new game. The development of ''Judgment'' began in 2015, and was first hinted at in August 2018 during a Sega
live stream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but n ...
by the series' director Toshihiro Nagoshi, who called it "something completely different". Hosokawa and Nagoshi refrained from calling ''Judgment'' a spin-off from ''Yakuza'', despite its development by the same team, because of its different narrative. Nagoshi said that he enjoyed the finished product. The game uses the Dragon Engine to produce graphics similar to ''Yakuza 6''. The team enhanced the game engine to improve character design, changing the game's lighting to emphasize its theme of "legal suspense". The team decided to explore the fictional city of Kamurocho (from ''Yakuza'') using a different approach. Similar to ''Yakuza'', real-world shops such as Don Quijote were used to impart realism. A "friendship" system was developed to characterize Yagami's personality as he forms bonds with several
non-playable characters A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...
, which integrates them into the setting. His traits are balanced in the main story and the sidequests for a balance between seriousness and comedy—his seriousness is explored in the main story, while comedy is featured in the sidequests. Although Hosokawa wanted to provide players with as much content as ''
Yakuza 0 ''Yakuza 0'' is an action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is the sixth main entry in the '' Yakuza series'' and a prequel to the original game. It was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in J ...
'', he said that the team refrained from using returning characters from the ''Yakuza'' series. Since Yagami is a lawyer, they wanted to give players the option of emulating Yagami's actions by choosing his thoughts. Some segments from the friendship system were made to emulate dating sims. According to Nagoshi, it was tricky to decide how expansive or difficult the detective work should be. The puzzle gameplay and central mystery were made to be challenging yet accessible to a casual player. Action segments were designed for more skilled players, making them carefully plan the abilities to give Yagami.


Characters

According to Nagoshi,
Cinema of Korea The term "Cinema of Korea" (or "Korean cinema") encompasses the motion picture industries of North and South Korea. As with all aspects of Korean life during the past century, the film industry has often been at the mercy of political events, ...
were Yagami's primary influences. Since the story of ''Yakuza'''s protagonist
Kazuma Kiryu is a fictional character and the protagonist of Sega's action-adventure beat'em'up Japanese role-playing game series ''Yakuza''. He is popularly known as due to the tattoo of a dragon on his back and him originally being a fearsome member of t ...
ended with '' Yakuza 6: The Song of Life'',
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is a video game developer housed within the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its division. It is known for developing the games in the ''Yakuza'' series, which the studio is named after, since '' Yakuza 5''. The studio's origins can ...
's game developers wanted to create a distinctive character for ''Judgment''. At the direction of producer Kazuki Hosokawa, the team decided that the character should be a detective. To generate a major contrast between the Yagami and Kiryu, staff wanted to make Yagami a more relatable character based on the troubles that caused him to quit being a lawyer. The details of Yagami's past, as well as his new life as a detective, were elaborated on to attract players to him. Because of the popularity of detective stories, Yagami was written to obtain knowledge throughout the game, along with the player. Yagami's largest influence was the Paul Newman film ''
The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, an ...
'', in which the main character suffers a similar crisis over his career as a lawyer. Nagoshi and Masayoshi Yokoyama, who had worked on ''
Yakuza 0 ''Yakuza 0'' is an action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is the sixth main entry in the '' Yakuza series'' and a prequel to the original game. It was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in J ...
'', wrote the narrative to be darker than the studio's previous titles but balanced it with humor. Similar to the ''Yakuza'' series, ''Judgment'' primarily focuses on its story. Early in ''Judgment'' production, the Sega staff considered using a
movie star A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and wh ...
to develop Yagami and chose
Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...
. Nagoshi remembers being surprised and thrilled when Kimura was selected because of the number of plot twists that he could be used in. Despite this, he was concerned that fans would consider the game to be lighthearted because of the stylish Kimura compared with the team's previous work. Several of the Yagami's elements were produced with Kimura's approval. Since detective dramas are uncommon in gaming, Hosokawa wanted Yagami to stand out, so creating the new character presented a challenge. For Yagami to properly succeed Kiryu, the developers wanted him to be "more grounded to fit the noir vibe". According to Nagoshi:
" en you're writing a story and there's a really solid character that's been around for a long time, the character dictates what happens next ... In contrast to that, with Yagami, at the start of development we didn't really have anything attached to him at all. It was a challenge, but also an opportunity for a development team that has been working so long on the same series."
Real detectives inspired the team's portrayal of Yagami's life and work. The plot's original focus on romance was eliminated because Nagoshi felt that it would affect the game's courtroom-thriller feel. Localization producer Scott Strichart observed that the portrayals of ''yakuza'' are faithful to the main series due to multiple characters being involved in the clans. Yagami was noted for standing out among the cast as he has multiple life choices in contrast to the other cast members, who are forced to be ''yakuza''. Multiple actors were chosen based on their experience.
Akira Nakao is a Japanese actor, TV personality, and artist from Kisarazu, Chiba. Nakao is represented by the Furutachi Project agency. Biography Nakao attended Chiba Prefectural Kisarazu High School from 1958, and entered Musashino Art University from 19 ...
plays attorney Ryuzo Genda, who looked after Yagami when he was a lawyer. Shosuke Tanihara was cast as detective Mitsuru Kuroiwa because of his strong visual appearance, making impressive scenes when he and Kimura appear together.
Pierre Taki , better known by his stage name , is the front man for Japanese synthpop group Denki Groove, which consists of himself and Takkyu Ishino. As of 2001 he was involved in an exhibit called Prince Tongha with Hideyuki Tanaka in New York City. He als ...
was cast as Kyohei Hamura because of his history of portraying famous criminals. While Yagami is linked with multiple female characters, none of them were created as a love interest to avoid using romance in the narrative. Other recurring actors include Kenichi Takitō as detective Kazuya Ayabe, Shinshū Fuji as former yakuza Masaharu Kaito, and Risa Shimizu as Mafuyu Fujii.


Music

The studio spent a considerable amount of time choosing the right band for the music. Nagoshi felt that using the Japanese band Alexandros would appeal to the audience, in the same way that Shōnan no Kaze fit ''Yakuza 0'', as he believed that both bands have a similar approach. Alexandros were excited to compose the two theme songs, which were intended to provide musical diversity and describe the drama in the game. Nagoshi gave Alexandros creative freedom, and there were no major issues. He showed the band a demo of the game, enabling them to write a song quickly. Two theme songs were created for the game: "Arpeggio" and "Your Song". The band created these themes for ''Judgment'' while they were in the United States, but sent their work to Japan in a video and received a positive response. "Arpeggio" was written on the rooftop of a Brooklyn studio: band member Yoohei took a liking to an arpeggio that another musician happened to be playing on his guitar, so the band wrote the song on acoustic guitars on the roof while on a break during their recording session. A three-CD soundtrack was released in Japan on April 15, 2019.


Localization

Unlike the ''Yakuza'' series, the studio decided to give ''Judgment'' an English dub, which was conceived following the release of ''Yakuza 0''. Since the games in the ''Yakuza'' series were almost always released with only Japanese audio, Sega thought it might not fit the tone to give ''Yakuza 6'' an English dub. So, Sega believed that ''Judgment'' would be a better choice as the studio's first English dub localization, as it could attract newcomers to the series. Sega announced that other languages would follow. The dub was released as a response to increased fan demand, hence there was a short timeframe before its release. The staff stated that the game's Western version would be identical to the Japanese version. Scott Strichart, the localization producer for the ''Yakuza'' series, ordered the Western release to have two subtitle tracks: one with Japanese audio and English subtitles matching the Japanese translation, and the other with subtitles matching the English dub. There were also localizations with French, German, Italian, and Spanish subtitles designed for the Japanese audio, regardless of the selected voice language. The remastered version has dual audio and nine subtitle languages—the previous five languages, as well as Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean. The developers believed they had managed to make the dubbed Yagami identical to the Japanese version in terms of characterization, despite having different words in the translation. Following the changes, the staff made revisions to the character's facial animations to fit the
lip-syncing Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
. In scripting, Strichart insisted that the English actors keep using
Japanese honorifics The Japanese language makes use of a system of honorific speech, called , which includes honorific suffixes and prefixes when referring to others in a conversation. Suffixes are often gender-specific at the end of names, while prefixes are att ...
to retain the Japanese cast's impact. A game demo became available in August 2019 for English-speaking regions. During the game, there is a scene in which players control Saori Shirosaki to infiltrate a
hostess club A hostess club is a type of night club found primarily in Japan. They employ primarily female staff and cater to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. The modern host club is a similar type of establishment where primarily male staff atte ...
; she receives
catcall Street harassment is a form of harassment, primarily sexual harassment that consists of unwanted sexualised comments, provocative gestures, honking, wolf-whistlings, indecent exposures, stalking, persistent sexual advances, and touching by ...
s from bystanders on the way to the club. Strichart said that "sensitive scenes are tricky to get right" and that the team had to be careful when dubbing this. He added that to bring realism into the narrative, the non-playable characters' responses to Shirosaki would come across as "uncomfortable", as they were denigrating her during this scene. Since the ''Yakuza'' series was primarily popular among men, Strichart wanted English-language players to feel "gross" from these bystanders' catcalls and empathize with Shirosaki and women in general for enduring this treatment regularly. Multiple auditions were held to cast the English-language voice actors, aiming to make the English dub as natural as possible.
Greg Chun Greg Chun is an American voice actor and musician who is known for his work in English-dubbed anime and video games. Personal life Chun is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Stanford University and has found himself in a dilemma in ...
was pleasantly surprised when he was selected to voice Yagami in ''Judgment'' since he was familiar with the franchise. Chun said, "I'm super psyched to be a part of this game", adding that he liked what he had seen of the character. He called his work in the game satisfying: "It really did require me to let go of the tricks that you use to push a performance through, and I really did need to fall back on authenticity and genuine groundedness." Although he found the faithfulness to the original Japanese audio challenging, Chun was pleased with his character's balance of seriousness and comedy; however, the game's screaming segments were difficult. Noting that fans tended to choose the original Japanese audio, Chun suggested that they try the English dub to test his voice. He was surprised by Yagami's deep character arc, which involved Yagami's present life as well as dealing with his past life as a lawyer, and said that he would never forget the role. Matthew Mercer enjoyed voicing Kuroiwa but found the character's different tones to be challenging.
Crispin Freeman Crispin Freeman is an American voice actor, voice director, and screenwriter who is best known for voicing characters in English-language dubs of Japanese anime, animation, and video games. Some of his prominent anime roles include Zelgadis Grayw ...
enjoyed his work because he considered Kaito to be likable. Other actors include
Brian McNamara Brian McNamara is an American actor. His first major role was in the film '' The Flamingo Kid'' (1984). He then went on to appear in a few films, such as ''Short Circuit'' (1986), ''Caddyshack II'' (1988), ''Arachnophobia'' (1990) and ''Mystery ...
as Genda,
Matthew Yang King Matthew Yang King is an American television, film, stage and voice actor. He is known for recurring role appearances on '' Riverdale'', '' Powers'', '' 24'', ''Strong Medicine'', and '' Numbers''. He created the webseries ''World of Steam'' and ha ...
as Ayabe, and
Cherami Leigh Cherami Leigh (born July 19, 1988) is an American actress. She has provided voices for a number of English-language versions of anime series and video games with Funimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, NYAV Post, Studiopolis and Viz Media. Some ...
as Fujii.


Release

''Judgment'' was announced under the Japanese title of ''Judge Eyes'' on September 10, 2018, at the PlayStation Lineup Tour shortly before Tokyo Game Show 2018. The announcement was made to market the game for the Japanese holidays; its production had been completed and the team was busy debugging it. Sega scheduled it to be on Japanese store shelves in December 2018, with a planned Western release in 2019. The game's first chapter was first released as a demo on November 29, 2018, on the Japanese PlayStation Network. Sega released the game in Japan on December 13, 2018. They halted Japanese sales of the game on March 13, 2019, after
Pierre Taki , better known by his stage name , is the front man for Japanese synthpop group Denki Groove, which consists of himself and Takkyu Ishino. As of 2001 he was involved in an exhibit called Prince Tongha with Hideyuki Tanaka in New York City. He als ...
, a Japanese actor whose voice and likeness had been used for the character of Kyohei Hamura, was arrested for cocaine possession and use by officers of the Narcotics Control Department (NCD) of the
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare The is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as in Japan. The ministry provides services on health, labour and welfare. It was formed with the merger of the former Ministry of Health and Welfare or and the ...
. Sega did not comment on whether Taki's arrest would affect ''Judgment'' Western release. According to the NCD, Taki had been under investigation since 2018 following tips from unnamed sources and was asked to submit a urine sample. After Taki's arrest, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio producer Daisuke Sato tweeted that he would not allow Taki's arrest to interrupt the game's success or allow the actor's contribution to the game to be deleted.
CyberConnect2 is a Japanese video game development studio mostly known for its work on the ''.hack'' series, along with a series of fighting games based on the ''Naruto'' franchise. They are also known for creating the ''Little Tail Bronx'' series (e.g. '' ...
president
Hiroshi Matsuyama , born in 1970 in Fukuoka, is a Japanese game designer. He is the CEO of the company CyberConnect2. He developed multiple games including the ''.hack'' franchise as well as adaptations of the anime series including ''Naruto'' and ''Dragon Ball''. ...
criticized companies that stopped marketing their products due to the arrest of a person connected to their work. Sega later said that Taki's voice and likeness would be replaced, but the game's planned release date in the West on June 25, 2019, would remain unchanged. The character's new design was not based on any actor. Sega issued a new release in Japan on July 18, 2019, with Miō Tanaka replacing Taki in the role of Hamura. A remastered version of the game was released for the PlayStation 5, Stadia, and Xbox Series X/S on April 23, 2021. The remaster features faster loading times, runs at 60 FPS, as well as all of the
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabli ...
from the original PlayStation 4 release. The game was also released for
Amazon Luna Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform developed and operated by Amazon. Luna was announced on September 24, 2020, with early access available to subscribers by invitation beginning on October 20, 2020. In its early access state, Amazon Luna ...
on December 16, 2021. It was reported in July 2021 that a PC release of ''Judgment'' and its sequel would likely not happen due to Sega and
Johnny & Associates is a Japanese talent agency, formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which trains and promotes groups of male entertainers known as . History 1962–1989 In 1962, Kitagawa launched his first group, Johnnys. In its early days, Kitagawa's agency re ...
(the talent agency which represents Kimura) being unable to come to an agreement concerning the use of Kimura's likeness in a PC release of the existing ''Judgment'' games or any future titles. However, both ''Judgment'' games were released on Steam on September 14, 2022, implying that this issue had been resolved.


Reception


Critical response

''Judgment'' received "generally favourable" reviews, according to
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
. Due to Kimura's popularity, Japanese fans have often nicknamed the game with "Kimutaku" being short for Takuya Kimura, while "Gotoku" ("Like a") was a reference to the original Japanese title of the ''Yakuza'' franchise. Although its gameplay was praised, critics had mixed opinions regarding its case-solving elements. '' Hobby Consolas'' praised the game for relying on multiple types of gameplay, giving it more variety. According to a ''VideoGamer.com'' reviewer, players attracted to the ''Yakuza'' series would enjoy ''Judgment'' because of its similarities in action. He noted that the fighting system was superior to ''Yakuza 6: The Song of Life'' and would attract fans, while the varied side missions gave players far more playing time. Although a ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' reviewer liked the action, they found the tailing missions frustrating and criticized the investigation areas for penalizing players who failed them. ''
USgamer Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and oth ...
'' said that the tailing missions might drag, but the new chasing missions were more entertaining. ''
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. History ...
'' agreed with the ''USgamer'' review and said that the action scenes were not difficult. Tristan Ogilvie of '' IGN'' praised the game's combat system and diversified side content but criticized its shallow investigation mechanics, saying, "There's surprisingly little room given to make your own decisions." Edmond Tran of ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' described the game's tailing and chasing sections as "dull, slow and arduous", and called the investigation sections "incredibly straightforward". Nevertheless, he enjoyed the melee combat for the options it gives to the player. ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites '' Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and ''Computer ...
'' writer Bradley Russell criticized the core gameplay as "lacking in its execution" and over-relying on combat rather than investigation. On the other hand, ''Hardcore Gamer'' enjoyed the balance between the different styles of gameplay. RPGamer.com also praised the action elements but felt that the developers needed to fix the detective sections. The plot was generally well-received. Because it introduced a new cast instead of reusing characters, ''Game Informer'' found the story "refreshing" and described Yagami's investigations as intriguing. ''USgamer'' also praised the story for standing on its own and noted that despite Yagami's similarities to Kazuma Kiryu, Yagami had his own way of life. A ''Destructoid'' reviewer said that despite the game's similarity to ''Yakuza''—namely its balance of seriousness and comedy—''Judgment'' had a unique narrative, which they felt was on a par with Hollywood films. Russell praised the story, calling it "potentially one of the best in the medium". ''VideoGamer.com'' liked the game for using deep moral themes, which would entertain players for many hours. ''GameSpot'' praised the storyline, particularly Yagami and Kaito, calling them "genuinely likable characters". A ''HobbyConsolas'' reviewer noted that Sega added subtitles for languages other than English for the first time, making ''Judgment'' far more accessible, but Yagami was a less appealing character than Kiryu. ''Hardcore Gamer'' regarded the storyline as "the closest one can get to an entry point for those anxious about such an overbearing legacy that the ''Yakuza'' series presents" and appreciated that the Dragon Engine provided for facial expressions that were important for solving cases. ''VideoGamer.com''s reviewer liked the original Japanese cast's striking performances, despite the reviewer's initial preference for the English dub. The English voice actors' performances were praised; Ogilvie called the game's English voice acting "excellent" but noticed inconsistent English lip-syncing. '' EGM Now'' said Chun gave a more striking performance than Kimura, whom the writer did not find suitable for the character. ''RPGamer'' praised Sega's decision to add two languages to the audio, praising both Japanese and English versions equally. Several ''
Giant Bomb ''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by '' Time' ...
'' reviewers listed ''Judgment'' as one of their favorite games of 2019, with Chris Tilton listing it at the top. ''USgamer'' included it in its list of the twenty best games of 2019. ''
Push Square Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and oth ...
'' listed ''Judgment'' as the third-best ''Yakuza'' game based on its accessibility in terms of the narrative and complexity of the gameplay.


Remastered

The remastered version of the game also received "generally favorable" reviews according to Metacritic. Both David Martínez from ''HobbyConsolas'' and Stan Yeung from ''Gaming Age'' found that the frame rate was stable even with a large enemy count, while the visuals remained polished. ''GameSpew'' felt the loading times had improved noticeably, making the pacing superior. '' Windows Central'' stated that thanks to the superior frame rate, Yagami moves faster than previous ''Yakuza'' characters. The reviewer added that the graphics update might bother fans due to the new lighting, which changes colors to make the characters look more realistic. ''RPGFan'' praised the new style of the remaster's visuals, stating that the changes to the lighting "have given Kamurocho a bluer, cooler appearance, better fitting the noir feel of the game."


Awards


Sales

Imported sales of ''Judgment'' rose in Japan when the game was withdrawn from Japanese store shelves; about 97 percent of its stock was sold and it reached number three on Amazon (company), Amazon's sales rankings. Nagoshi stated that although the sudden interest in the game because of the controversy was disappointing, he was "glad in any case". Kazuki Hosokawa considered a Steam port to be possible in April 2019 but was unsure about this, as the team was still working on ''Yakuza'' ports. In 2019, Nagoshi said that while Sega claimed there was already work put into a sequel, it was a rumor. According to Media Create, the game had a strong opening in its first week in Japan with sales of 148,246 physical copies. It went on to sell 317,000 physical copies by 2020. ''Judgment'' was the most successful release for a new IP for the eighth generation of video game consoles in the country, although this record was later broken by ''Death Stranding''. Producer Daisuke Sato said that Western sales of ''Judgment'' had exceeded expectations. Upon its release week, the PlayStation 5 version of the game sold 5,539 physical copies in Japan, while the original version sold 3,192 physical copies. It went to reach 14,479 physical copies for the PlayStation 5 while the original had 24,271. In June 2021, Sega announced that total sales topped one million units.


Legacy

Although producer Kazuki Hosokawa said in April 2019 that the studio planned to port the game to the PC for a greater audience appeal, this was unconfirmed. Rumors of a sequel were reported by publications in March 2021, hinting at the return of both Yagami and Kaito. That April, the official website announced a major tease related to ''Judgment'' on May 7, titled "Judgment Day". The official Twitter account of the game also revealed new footage of Yagami, hinting toward a sequel. On May 6, 2021, a day before Judgment Day, the sequel ''
Lost Judgment ''Lost Judgment'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on September 24, 2021, for Amazon Luna on March 31, 2022, ...
'' was leaked by PlayStation Network in Japan. It released worldwide on September 24, 2021. A television live-action series titled ''Unjudged'' is reported to be follow ''Lost Judgment'' with Kimura reprising the role of Yagami.


Notes


References


External links


Official websiteOfficial Japanese website
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