SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku have recently announced that they will release Judgment for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia on April 23. Originally, this Yakuza spin-off was launched exclusively for the PlayStation 4 in June 2019 (December 2018 in Japan).
For western gamers, a physical edition for Judgement will be available for both next-gen consoles. In Japan and the rest of Asia, a physical game will be available for PlayStation 5. Of course, digital versions of Judgment will be available for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S worldwide. According to Gematsu, there will be no save data transfer feature for owners of the PlayStation 4 version.
Judgment
Judgment follows the story of a “disgraced attorney turned rugged private detective” Takayuki Yagami. Yagami, joined by ex-yakuza Masaharu Kaito, must solve the mysteries behind a series of gruesome murders.
Yagami is forced to confront Kamurocho’s yakuza underworld in order to find the truth.
Yakuza fans will be familiar with many of Judgement’s in-game features. In addition to the geographical setting, there will be thrilling street fights, funny side missions, and mini-games.
Judgment will also have new mechanics such as investigative gameplay. Players will be tracking suspects and gathering clues to help Yagami get closer to the truth. Be careful, though. Yagami walks a world filled with corruption and criminality. His journey will not be a walk in the park.
Next-Gen Remaster
Regarding the improvements made on Judgement, SEGA states:
Judgment takes advantage of the new hardware with refined visuals in 60 frames per second along with improved load times and includes all previously released downloadable content on these three platforms. Praised as “the best crime drama not on TV” by the Hollywood Reporter, Judgment was originally released on PlayStation 4 in 2019. The remastered Judgment marks the gritty tale’s debut on Xbox and Stadia.”
Yakuza fans have walked Kamurocho’s streets as Kiryu many-a-times. How do you feel about the Yakuza spin-offs focusing on other characters? Are there existing characters that you want SEGA to give more attention to? Let me know in the comments below!
