foolykly
28 reviews liked by foolykly
Puts you in a trance from the beginning, where you’ll be under its spell till the end. Lingering even after that, begging you to come back and take flight once again. Electrosophere may not be as mechanically sound as the previous entry in the franchise, which is why it speaks volumes that it’s able to grip you tightly regardless, where you’ll dance to its tunes and fly through its skies. It’s more than just a pretty aesthetic, it’s more than just anti-war.
AC3’s view on war itself is that of a sick game played by sick old men and it treats it as such. What are you fighting for, really? Every mission feels like you’re nothing more than a pawn for powers greater than yourself, it's all a ploy. All of it. Every one wants a piece of the pie, a taste of power, a chance to reign supreme. Your actions are not your own, your decisions are not your own. It's all an illusion, a trick, and at the end of the day what are you fighting for, really? To maintain the status quo? The same one in which people live under corporations that only exist to suck them dry even further? What was it all for? Do you the connections you hold have any meaning?
The true ending which you unlock after having done all five routes is the ultimate showcase of this, showing why wars are really fought. Nothing noble, nothing special. Just a personal vendetta. Did it even matter? It's just a game at the end of the day.
𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘
AC3’s view on war itself is that of a sick game played by sick old men and it treats it as such. What are you fighting for, really? Every mission feels like you’re nothing more than a pawn for powers greater than yourself, it's all a ploy. All of it. Every one wants a piece of the pie, a taste of power, a chance to reign supreme. Your actions are not your own, your decisions are not your own. It's all an illusion, a trick, and at the end of the day what are you fighting for, really? To maintain the status quo? The same one in which people live under corporations that only exist to suck them dry even further? What was it all for? Do you the connections you hold have any meaning?
The true ending which you unlock after having done all five routes is the ultimate showcase of this, showing why wars are really fought. Nothing noble, nothing special. Just a personal vendetta. Did it even matter? It's just a game at the end of the day.
𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘
𝗔 𝗬𝗔𝗞𝗨𝗭𝗔 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗔𝗚𝗘!
If you think about it, there really was no better choice than Ichiban Kasuga to replace Kiryu Kazuma, was there? Sure you could point to previous protagonists such as Akiyama or Saejima to take over the lead, and that’s not a bad idea by any means it’s just…the fact that it is someone like Ichiban that makes a lot of sense. The very prospect of filling in the boots of the DRAGON OF DOJIMA himself with a new protagonist is daunting from a development perspective, and downright scary from the player perspective. Which is why I’m so happy that Yakuza: Like a Dragon is as good as it is, that for every hole I can poke into this game’s mechanics or narrative, there’s a moment that makes me fall in love with it all over again.
So much of the praise I see lobbied towards this game’s narrative stems from a view that it’s scathing in its critique of the establishment, where in place of the typical JRPG “fight god” final boss, the god is the arm of the government itself. It’s certainly not a wrong view, but I think it’s misleading. Personally, I don’t find the critiques it delivers super meaningful, I think it buckles under it’s own weight in that regard and struggles in it’s representation of them but that’s really never been the focus for me. I’m not ignorant of the flaws of this game, I think the last two party members are embarrassingly underdeveloped, the turn-based combat also leaves a lot to be desired (although this replay was done with the Like a Brawler mod) and there’s also some of the traditional Yakuza plot devices which I don’t like…but despite all that I rarely find myself thinking of the negatives because the positives far outweigh them.
To me, Yakuza 7 is an innately human story, surprisingly intimate with it’s world in a way few other games in the series are. Like I said, it’s the original Yakuza, repackaged and rewritten for the new age and it’s that guiding philosophy of looking to the past while embracing the future works. It’s Kiryu and Nishiki all over again but not with the somber badass attitude of the original, Y7 is much more interested in exploring how meaningful even a single relationship can be. Even to people who have betrayed you, even to people who have hurt you, if you can find the strength within yourself to forgive them then why not, right? Nobody wants to lose people whom we hold dear, even if they do wrong there’s a strong capacity for good in everybody and Ichiban Kasuga is a man who will take those chances, who will take those odds. The Koi has become one with Dragon, and it will keep moving forward, holding the ones it loves close. It’s a rejection of Kiryu and Nishiki’s solitude, and a celebration of the bonds we hold dear.
𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚, 𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗜.
If you think about it, there really was no better choice than Ichiban Kasuga to replace Kiryu Kazuma, was there? Sure you could point to previous protagonists such as Akiyama or Saejima to take over the lead, and that’s not a bad idea by any means it’s just…the fact that it is someone like Ichiban that makes a lot of sense. The very prospect of filling in the boots of the DRAGON OF DOJIMA himself with a new protagonist is daunting from a development perspective, and downright scary from the player perspective. Which is why I’m so happy that Yakuza: Like a Dragon is as good as it is, that for every hole I can poke into this game’s mechanics or narrative, there’s a moment that makes me fall in love with it all over again.
So much of the praise I see lobbied towards this game’s narrative stems from a view that it’s scathing in its critique of the establishment, where in place of the typical JRPG “fight god” final boss, the god is the arm of the government itself. It’s certainly not a wrong view, but I think it’s misleading. Personally, I don’t find the critiques it delivers super meaningful, I think it buckles under it’s own weight in that regard and struggles in it’s representation of them but that’s really never been the focus for me. I’m not ignorant of the flaws of this game, I think the last two party members are embarrassingly underdeveloped, the turn-based combat also leaves a lot to be desired (although this replay was done with the Like a Brawler mod) and there’s also some of the traditional Yakuza plot devices which I don’t like…but despite all that I rarely find myself thinking of the negatives because the positives far outweigh them.
To me, Yakuza 7 is an innately human story, surprisingly intimate with it’s world in a way few other games in the series are. Like I said, it’s the original Yakuza, repackaged and rewritten for the new age and it’s that guiding philosophy of looking to the past while embracing the future works. It’s Kiryu and Nishiki all over again but not with the somber badass attitude of the original, Y7 is much more interested in exploring how meaningful even a single relationship can be. Even to people who have betrayed you, even to people who have hurt you, if you can find the strength within yourself to forgive them then why not, right? Nobody wants to lose people whom we hold dear, even if they do wrong there’s a strong capacity for good in everybody and Ichiban Kasuga is a man who will take those chances, who will take those odds. The Koi has become one with Dragon, and it will keep moving forward, holding the ones it loves close. It’s a rejection of Kiryu and Nishiki’s solitude, and a celebration of the bonds we hold dear.
𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚, 𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗜.
𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘, 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐀 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓.
There's a cheapness in the thrill of being on the verge of death. Risking something as valuable as life itself just to get a kick out of it is really the dumbest thing a human can do; then why is that an hour in I was feeling that exact same rush? In the cold comfort of it being fictional, having my heart pound with excitement as I put these people in harm’s way, there’s nothing quite like it.
The thing about Your Turn To Die is that the premise in of itself isn’t really unique. Completely ignoring the obvious comparisons one could make to that one video game franchise with the talking bear, “death game” as a genre is something that’s existed long before many of us were even alive. That is exactly how this game deceives you, making you think that what you’re about to experience is a by-the-numbers tale you’ve experienced many times before; but to chalk up Your Turn to Die as that is to box it in a cage that’s completely ignorant of the bigger picture. Because underneath this game’s bleak atmosphere is a tale of the exploration of the human condition, as it’s seeking an answer for why we do the things we do by putting us on the cusp of death. In a way, it's exactly what you've come to expect from experiencing the contemporaries of this sub-genre yet that's why this game works as well as it does, why it's willing to go the extra mile.
The level of deception this game operates on isn’t just something that exists in regards to the way of how it presents itself to the player or the narrative in of itself, it extends to game mechanics themselves. Whereas one could see the way every choice in Chapter 1 being inconsequential as cheap, I view it as a mockery of your abilities. To fully make you realise just how out of your depth you are here, which only serves to make the later chapters hit as hard as they do due to the newfound resolve you earn at the end of Chapter 1 earns you the right to change the course of the game both narratively and mechanically. It’s character development in the truest sense, where the effects are felt in also how you play the game, as second guessing becomes natural for you; it's not out of need to survive yet due to a want to protect those you hold closest to you, even if it means not having complete faith in them.
The character of Sara Chidouin in many ways feels combative against many other protagonists who’ve been placed in similar situations to her. It’s the same old tale of heroism, morality and hope. Trying to be an example even in the roughest of times yet Chidouin is deeply human. “I don’t want to die” is understandable sure, but sprouting up the same old message about “truth” seems to feel redundant when it’s going to deeply hurt the ones you care for. This is why Keiji Shinogi works so well with her, easy to see him as this game’s stand-in for a Maya Fey archetype, a policeman who can’t even hold a gun, but here the effectiveness of these two depends solely upon how much trust they place in each other. Their trust weaponizes itself, as it takes Sara being the finger and Keiji ironically being the gun in their dynamic to let them move past any difficulty they may face, and they may have faced, letting them grow with each passing argument. With the arguments themselves being mechanically comparable to the trial segments in Ace Attorney. While not as complex or difficult, it sets itself apart with it’s own mechanics, trying to bite further down into your mind as it makes every line thrilling. It’s exactly what the character of Sara Chidouin would do, and that’s what sets this apart from the rest. That every lie, misinformation, contradiction and even truth the itself is irrelevant; it’s completely irrelevant if she can’t even save one life.
Your Turn To Die breaks down those concepts of heroism, morality and hope I mentioned, but not out of cynicism. It goes to greats lengths to reconstruct them from the ground up; showing why such childishness and stubbornness is necessary for you to keep moving forward. Everyone’s got a reason to live and with each passing trial you have to wonder if death would be preferable, if it’d be better if you died in their place to make sure your hands stay clean, but thoughts like that are irrelevant. You still live, you still breathe, you still eat, you still sleep, so what’s the harm in living in another day?
It’s not Your Turn To Die. Not yet.
There's a cheapness in the thrill of being on the verge of death. Risking something as valuable as life itself just to get a kick out of it is really the dumbest thing a human can do; then why is that an hour in I was feeling that exact same rush? In the cold comfort of it being fictional, having my heart pound with excitement as I put these people in harm’s way, there’s nothing quite like it.
The thing about Your Turn To Die is that the premise in of itself isn’t really unique. Completely ignoring the obvious comparisons one could make to that one video game franchise with the talking bear, “death game” as a genre is something that’s existed long before many of us were even alive. That is exactly how this game deceives you, making you think that what you’re about to experience is a by-the-numbers tale you’ve experienced many times before; but to chalk up Your Turn to Die as that is to box it in a cage that’s completely ignorant of the bigger picture. Because underneath this game’s bleak atmosphere is a tale of the exploration of the human condition, as it’s seeking an answer for why we do the things we do by putting us on the cusp of death. In a way, it's exactly what you've come to expect from experiencing the contemporaries of this sub-genre yet that's why this game works as well as it does, why it's willing to go the extra mile.
The level of deception this game operates on isn’t just something that exists in regards to the way of how it presents itself to the player or the narrative in of itself, it extends to game mechanics themselves. Whereas one could see the way every choice in Chapter 1 being inconsequential as cheap, I view it as a mockery of your abilities. To fully make you realise just how out of your depth you are here, which only serves to make the later chapters hit as hard as they do due to the newfound resolve you earn at the end of Chapter 1 earns you the right to change the course of the game both narratively and mechanically. It’s character development in the truest sense, where the effects are felt in also how you play the game, as second guessing becomes natural for you; it's not out of need to survive yet due to a want to protect those you hold closest to you, even if it means not having complete faith in them.
The character of Sara Chidouin in many ways feels combative against many other protagonists who’ve been placed in similar situations to her. It’s the same old tale of heroism, morality and hope. Trying to be an example even in the roughest of times yet Chidouin is deeply human. “I don’t want to die” is understandable sure, but sprouting up the same old message about “truth” seems to feel redundant when it’s going to deeply hurt the ones you care for. This is why Keiji Shinogi works so well with her, easy to see him as this game’s stand-in for a Maya Fey archetype, a policeman who can’t even hold a gun, but here the effectiveness of these two depends solely upon how much trust they place in each other. Their trust weaponizes itself, as it takes Sara being the finger and Keiji ironically being the gun in their dynamic to let them move past any difficulty they may face, and they may have faced, letting them grow with each passing argument. With the arguments themselves being mechanically comparable to the trial segments in Ace Attorney. While not as complex or difficult, it sets itself apart with it’s own mechanics, trying to bite further down into your mind as it makes every line thrilling. It’s exactly what the character of Sara Chidouin would do, and that’s what sets this apart from the rest. That every lie, misinformation, contradiction and even truth the itself is irrelevant; it’s completely irrelevant if she can’t even save one life.
Your Turn To Die breaks down those concepts of heroism, morality and hope I mentioned, but not out of cynicism. It goes to greats lengths to reconstruct them from the ground up; showing why such childishness and stubbornness is necessary for you to keep moving forward. Everyone’s got a reason to live and with each passing trial you have to wonder if death would be preferable, if it’d be better if you died in their place to make sure your hands stay clean, but thoughts like that are irrelevant. You still live, you still breathe, you still eat, you still sleep, so what’s the harm in living in another day?
It’s not Your Turn To Die. Not yet.
Give me my 50,000 yen
My darling son...
I feel like there's a popular opinion about Dragon Quest as a series that's been spread by word of mouth and thought of as true by many, many of whom have not even played a single game in the series. I guess it's similar to the "Superman is boring" opinion, where it's spouted the loudest by those who have not experienced the thing they're thinking negatively of. In my case, it's not like I knew of this opinion before I played Dragon Quest XI; my decision to do that was very random. But I became aware of this notion as I told my friend about me starting the game, to which he asked
"Isn't Dragon Quest really basic though?"
From its sea blue skies and bright green meadows, I think Dragon Quest XI enchants you very easily. It's a word that's been beaten to death, but I think the description of charming absolutely applies to this game. There's a sense of wonder that's felt when exploring this game's world that's first given to you when you venture out from your town for the very first time. Big-budget AAA games try to sell you this feeling, but always feel hollow whereas this game succeeds easily. Really it all happens due to the fact that Dragon Quest XI's world isn't massive, it's not even really all that big. It feels more condensed, with all the major cities in the world having huge distance between them, with roads that are filled to the brim with monsters on which you can experiment this game's battle system on. The battle system itself is really something that's super simple to pick up, to the point where you'll fool yourself into thinking that it's devoid of any depth but that's not really the case. You'd think a game like this would be extremely reliant on grinding to get you through most of your roadblocks, but every tough boss I faced in this game was almost always solved by just switching up my strategy and nothing more. Truth be told, I grinded very little in this game but I initially struggled on boss fights as I'd also convinced myself that there was very little meat in regards to combat, and when I easily plowed through the boss after I just simply switched out party members, I was pleasantly surprised.
The narrative of Dragon Quest XI is something I struggle to form a solid opinion on. On one hand, it's like I'm in a fantasy book and seeing every part of this world. On the other, it's just bloat. I guess that's one thing this and Persona 5 have in common, where I think that this game really loves to pad out its run time by you solving the problems of EVERY town you encounter like you're a for-sale handyman. Despite how unsatisfied I sound, for the most part, I don't think this really is a huge issue, as some plotlines (like the one about the mermaid) can be really great. Although it really does make me wonder that in this 60-hour game, how much of it was really necessary? Although I think my feelings on this regard really start dimming when I stop thinking of this as a normal narrative when the approach this game is going for is much more in line with an epic. Much like Journey to the West, you're there for the hero's birth and you're there when he receives his call to action; the goal of the protagonist is simple in nature, and the main bulk of the narrative focuses on his exploits. In the case of Dragon Quest XI, I really can't say I was really invested all the time by every single new plotline this game shoved in my face as it's all too...basic?
I really did think for most of my playtime that there was really nothing memorable here for me, but for some reason, after the final battle with Mordegon I felt a little bit sad that it was over. Maybe people were right about this franchise being basic, but I'm not really gonna let myself get caught up in that mindset when this is only my first game in the franchise. Really glad I played this one, it's given me a deeper appreciation for the genre as a whole. As for the post-game, I'll review it on its own in a few days. For now, all I can really say is
...to be continued.
I feel like there's a popular opinion about Dragon Quest as a series that's been spread by word of mouth and thought of as true by many, many of whom have not even played a single game in the series. I guess it's similar to the "Superman is boring" opinion, where it's spouted the loudest by those who have not experienced the thing they're thinking negatively of. In my case, it's not like I knew of this opinion before I played Dragon Quest XI; my decision to do that was very random. But I became aware of this notion as I told my friend about me starting the game, to which he asked
"Isn't Dragon Quest really basic though?"
From its sea blue skies and bright green meadows, I think Dragon Quest XI enchants you very easily. It's a word that's been beaten to death, but I think the description of charming absolutely applies to this game. There's a sense of wonder that's felt when exploring this game's world that's first given to you when you venture out from your town for the very first time. Big-budget AAA games try to sell you this feeling, but always feel hollow whereas this game succeeds easily. Really it all happens due to the fact that Dragon Quest XI's world isn't massive, it's not even really all that big. It feels more condensed, with all the major cities in the world having huge distance between them, with roads that are filled to the brim with monsters on which you can experiment this game's battle system on. The battle system itself is really something that's super simple to pick up, to the point where you'll fool yourself into thinking that it's devoid of any depth but that's not really the case. You'd think a game like this would be extremely reliant on grinding to get you through most of your roadblocks, but every tough boss I faced in this game was almost always solved by just switching up my strategy and nothing more. Truth be told, I grinded very little in this game but I initially struggled on boss fights as I'd also convinced myself that there was very little meat in regards to combat, and when I easily plowed through the boss after I just simply switched out party members, I was pleasantly surprised.
The narrative of Dragon Quest XI is something I struggle to form a solid opinion on. On one hand, it's like I'm in a fantasy book and seeing every part of this world. On the other, it's just bloat. I guess that's one thing this and Persona 5 have in common, where I think that this game really loves to pad out its run time by you solving the problems of EVERY town you encounter like you're a for-sale handyman. Despite how unsatisfied I sound, for the most part, I don't think this really is a huge issue, as some plotlines (like the one about the mermaid) can be really great. Although it really does make me wonder that in this 60-hour game, how much of it was really necessary? Although I think my feelings on this regard really start dimming when I stop thinking of this as a normal narrative when the approach this game is going for is much more in line with an epic. Much like Journey to the West, you're there for the hero's birth and you're there when he receives his call to action; the goal of the protagonist is simple in nature, and the main bulk of the narrative focuses on his exploits. In the case of Dragon Quest XI, I really can't say I was really invested all the time by every single new plotline this game shoved in my face as it's all too...basic?
I really did think for most of my playtime that there was really nothing memorable here for me, but for some reason, after the final battle with Mordegon I felt a little bit sad that it was over. Maybe people were right about this franchise being basic, but I'm not really gonna let myself get caught up in that mindset when this is only my first game in the franchise. Really glad I played this one, it's given me a deeper appreciation for the genre as a whole. As for the post-game, I'll review it on its own in a few days. For now, all I can really say is
...to be continued.
Silent Hill 2
2001
Few games will ever be as adept at making you feel how it wants you to feel. From the true eeriness of the town and the abandoned locales, to the depths of emotions you get walked through as James descends further towards the truth of what is happening here. The final section invokes such strong emotions I don't think I could ever forget it for the rest of my life. While this review isn't nearly as eloquent as I want it to be, there will never be enough words to encapsulate this type of experience, and I find a certain beauty to that. A true survival horror triumph, an unequivocal masterpiece, Silent Hill 2 is firmly placed as one of the greatest games of all time.
Silent Hill
1999
Silent Hill is without question one of the most incredibly immersive games i’ve ever played, with its mix of a horrifying atmosphere supported by a brilliant soundtrack to back it up and classic untouchable survival horror gameplay the game is a struggle to put down as you try and unravel what is exactly happening in this town. Even with its flaws like the emotional beats marred by the wooden voice acting, and puzzles that feel a little too abstract for my pea sized brain, I felt the general experience was, unsurprisingly, an incredible time. Truly a beyond special video game that I feel everyone should experience.
Signalis
2022
Signalis is a game which constantly leaves you with a want for something more, glimpses of beautiful warmth through its eternally stunning style mesmerise us into wanting more and more but after eternity we are left with nothing. The game and its story all exist through the lenses of homages, influences and references, all a parallel to characters who are nothing but memories of experiences they never lived and just as those characters mourn memories and lives that were never theirs we too become entrenched in a life we never lived, as tears flow and flow and we replay and relieve to find answers that will never ever come no matter how hard we look. And just as the characters, we are faced with the abominable challenge of loss and nothing more….
Please, just let me stay be your side a little longer.
Please, just let me stay be your side a little longer.
these men have mad daddy issues go hug your dad
Judgment
2018
I played RGG games in chronological order, and I have to say that Judgment was a breath of fresh air ater the kiryu saga. Yakuza 3-6 and 0 all had extremely high stakes attatched to them, the Tojo Clan's fate was at stake and Kamurocho was nothing short of a battlefield by the end. That was the gist of how they felt, anyways. Yakuza 1 and 2 were different though, both were quieter in the sense that they took old incidents and mysteries and slowly and carefully peeled them back and connected them to every relevant character. Judgment feels like a return to this formula. For once, the main character is NOT helplessly dragged into a plot larger than himself, but fights for the truth because it is his desire and he has had a personal stake in it all along. In a franchise that became dominated by scale and spectacle, Judgment is a return to it's narritive roots of a slow burn mystery. And it burns warm.
Yagami is a very different character from Kiryu, and the game uses that fact to every advantage it can. Antagonists feel far more menacing and influential to Yagami, a welcome change and something the writers made good use of. Even small yakuza families are now large threats that Yagami treads carefully around, the scene somewhat earlier in the game where he's called to Café Alps and then gets his shit rocked by Hamura's goons was something that would NEVER have happened in the Kiryu saga. Side Cases feel unique too, as Yagami employs the methods of a detective to solve problems in a way previously unthinkable for RGG. Takuya Kimura recorded Yagami's dialouge in chronological order, and it really shows. I wasn't too sold on his performance towards the beginning of the game, but he found who Yagami was throughout the game and made him an incredibly likeable protagonist.
Judgment's gameplay is wonderful, improving on the dragon engine from Yakuza 6. The most noticeable improvement is that the physics are slightly more stable and that getting an attack blocked by an enemy is not as big a deal as Yakuza 6. Yagami sports 2 fighting styles, Crane and Tiger. Tiger has powerful moves that can break the guards of enemies easily, but might not get you too far in a group. Crane is the opposite, using it against an individual enemy will leave you blocked and open to attacks from other enemies, but shifting your focus from one enemy to another transforms you into an absolute menace. What you see with Crane is what you get, but Tiger gets plenty of upgrades that change how it plays. One personal note is that I wish style changing was smoother, it feels like they switch too slow to make changing styles in the middle of a combo practical. This is remedied by EX Boost, something akin to the Extreme Heat Mode from Yakuza 6 where Yagami moves faster, hits harder, takes no damage and switches styles in the blink of an eye. Although this does solve my style switching issue with stronger enemies, street thugs are wiped out too fast for me to really experiment and use style switching to it's fullest extent. Another thing that EX Boost does while making the player take no damage is protect them from Mortal Wounds. Mortal Wounds are inflicted by particularly strong, telegraphed attacks and temporarily decrease Yagami's max HP. While this is a very interesting way to demonstrate how fragile Yagami is in comparison to Kiryu through gameplay, there are some minor annoyances in execution. Mortal Wounds can ONLY be cured by a doctor in the northwest corner of the map or by buying medkits from said doctor, which can be quite expensive. I took my time and did much of the side content, so I was never particularly strapped for cash and could afford to keep a good amount of medkits with me, but I can see this mechanic getting grating to someone who didn't. Regardless of these minor inconveniences, combat is still wonderful.
Judgment blends the RGG Studios brawler combat, wealth of side content, and heartfelt storytelling with a traditional detective story, making it a must play for anyone who likes either.
also there is old man yaoi in the last 10 minutes
Yagami is a very different character from Kiryu, and the game uses that fact to every advantage it can. Antagonists feel far more menacing and influential to Yagami, a welcome change and something the writers made good use of. Even small yakuza families are now large threats that Yagami treads carefully around, the scene somewhat earlier in the game where he's called to Café Alps and then gets his shit rocked by Hamura's goons was something that would NEVER have happened in the Kiryu saga. Side Cases feel unique too, as Yagami employs the methods of a detective to solve problems in a way previously unthinkable for RGG. Takuya Kimura recorded Yagami's dialouge in chronological order, and it really shows. I wasn't too sold on his performance towards the beginning of the game, but he found who Yagami was throughout the game and made him an incredibly likeable protagonist.
Judgment's gameplay is wonderful, improving on the dragon engine from Yakuza 6. The most noticeable improvement is that the physics are slightly more stable and that getting an attack blocked by an enemy is not as big a deal as Yakuza 6. Yagami sports 2 fighting styles, Crane and Tiger. Tiger has powerful moves that can break the guards of enemies easily, but might not get you too far in a group. Crane is the opposite, using it against an individual enemy will leave you blocked and open to attacks from other enemies, but shifting your focus from one enemy to another transforms you into an absolute menace. What you see with Crane is what you get, but Tiger gets plenty of upgrades that change how it plays. One personal note is that I wish style changing was smoother, it feels like they switch too slow to make changing styles in the middle of a combo practical. This is remedied by EX Boost, something akin to the Extreme Heat Mode from Yakuza 6 where Yagami moves faster, hits harder, takes no damage and switches styles in the blink of an eye. Although this does solve my style switching issue with stronger enemies, street thugs are wiped out too fast for me to really experiment and use style switching to it's fullest extent. Another thing that EX Boost does while making the player take no damage is protect them from Mortal Wounds. Mortal Wounds are inflicted by particularly strong, telegraphed attacks and temporarily decrease Yagami's max HP. While this is a very interesting way to demonstrate how fragile Yagami is in comparison to Kiryu through gameplay, there are some minor annoyances in execution. Mortal Wounds can ONLY be cured by a doctor in the northwest corner of the map or by buying medkits from said doctor, which can be quite expensive. I took my time and did much of the side content, so I was never particularly strapped for cash and could afford to keep a good amount of medkits with me, but I can see this mechanic getting grating to someone who didn't. Regardless of these minor inconveniences, combat is still wonderful.
Judgment blends the RGG Studios brawler combat, wealth of side content, and heartfelt storytelling with a traditional detective story, making it a must play for anyone who likes either.
also there is old man yaoi in the last 10 minutes