Being the Yakuza franchise as long as it is, having a spin-off series set in the same world, but at the same time not having a direct narrative connection, is a great way of experiencing a bit more of these great games from a different perspective. Now that JE and LJ are on PC, I was finally able to be a part of the Yagami Detective Agency and...wow, what a blast.
I love mystery and detective stories, so this game had my attention from the very start. Chapter 1 was a great way of introducing the new detective mechanics and learning about the main conflict and what's to come. It's a slower, more methodical narrative approach than Yakuza, beffiting a murder-mystery story.
In a way, you can see that it's the first detective-ish take on gameplay for RGG, but still I pretty much enjoyed the observation and the searching for clues, I found it to be a clever way of keeping up the players' attention to what's going on (the tailing sections are rough tho).
In terms of gameplay, you really can see a noticeable evolution from Yakuza Kiwami 2, JE's combat has two styles (Tiger for ST, and Crane for AoE) and while Crane is a little bit slow, I still very much enjoyed the entirety of the gameplay. Yagami's fighting is overall great and much better than anything previous imo. Along the years, RGG has really learned a lot about gameplay-design, JE being a great example of this evolution, the "dungeon"-type/long battles sections are really balanced and the bosses are generally great, the final boss being a truly amazing experience. The side cases and the side content overall is solid, although not that varied as in, say, Yakuza 0. In a way, that's understandable, JE is not that big of a game. One thing I didn't like very much about the side content though, is the reputation system, I like the idea of making a name of yourself, but it didn't feel very entertaining to me.
Now, the story and the OST were stellar. Judgment doesn't have the same dramatic approach as Yakuza, it's more set in that gritty and intimidating tone given by the story. That being said, the characters were phenomenal (I love the new gang!) and with time, you just get genuinely attached to them; also when the game feels like it, it pulls really amazing and emotional scenes. If I had to quickly summarise my thoughts on the story: really solid first chapters, a bit slower middle chapters (needed build-up though) and the last 5 chapters were genuinely amazing, it's just beautiful how things escalate and all falls in place.
It's a darker and more serious story, about accepting loss and also accepting your past while embracing the present. I really loved the ending, that credits scene was beautiful and just made me happy. I love Yagami and the gang, and thoroughly enjoyed the Judgment experience, it was truly an amazing game!
I love mystery and detective stories, so this game had my attention from the very start. Chapter 1 was a great way of introducing the new detective mechanics and learning about the main conflict and what's to come. It's a slower, more methodical narrative approach than Yakuza, beffiting a murder-mystery story.
In a way, you can see that it's the first detective-ish take on gameplay for RGG, but still I pretty much enjoyed the observation and the searching for clues, I found it to be a clever way of keeping up the players' attention to what's going on (the tailing sections are rough tho).
In terms of gameplay, you really can see a noticeable evolution from Yakuza Kiwami 2, JE's combat has two styles (Tiger for ST, and Crane for AoE) and while Crane is a little bit slow, I still very much enjoyed the entirety of the gameplay. Yagami's fighting is overall great and much better than anything previous imo. Along the years, RGG has really learned a lot about gameplay-design, JE being a great example of this evolution, the "dungeon"-type/long battles sections are really balanced and the bosses are generally great, the final boss being a truly amazing experience. The side cases and the side content overall is solid, although not that varied as in, say, Yakuza 0. In a way, that's understandable, JE is not that big of a game. One thing I didn't like very much about the side content though, is the reputation system, I like the idea of making a name of yourself, but it didn't feel very entertaining to me.
Now, the story and the OST were stellar. Judgment doesn't have the same dramatic approach as Yakuza, it's more set in that gritty and intimidating tone given by the story. That being said, the characters were phenomenal (I love the new gang!) and with time, you just get genuinely attached to them; also when the game feels like it, it pulls really amazing and emotional scenes. If I had to quickly summarise my thoughts on the story: really solid first chapters, a bit slower middle chapters (needed build-up though) and the last 5 chapters were genuinely amazing, it's just beautiful how things escalate and all falls in place.
It's a darker and more serious story, about accepting loss and also accepting your past while embracing the present. I really loved the ending, that credits scene was beautiful and just made me happy. I love Yagami and the gang, and thoroughly enjoyed the Judgment experience, it was truly an amazing game!