Besides a series of appealing kicking-and-punching combats of Sega’s Yakuza, self-awareness is one of the most charismatic factors in a gangster drama.  Judgment outstands for its completely overwrought cutscenes, funny action games, astonishing characters, ridiculous side requests and, most importantly, the appearance of cats. There will be various lovely cats playing in this drama game.

Judgment is known as a Yakuza spinoff. But instead of having Japanese Mafiosi as main characters, in this game, lawyers expelled from lawyer union are the key roles here. As the result, the Judgment’s storyline is totally different from the original antihero of Yakuza series. A former attorney, Takayuki Yagami, is the main protagonist. He was popular for dropping murder charges against his defendant in the past. But then, his client would slaughter his girlfriend, putting her flat on fire, let her burn to death. It had destroyed Yagami’s reputation as he had implied that this client was acquitted. After all of that, he is becoming a private investigator, looking for the truth and fighting for his beliefs.

1Takayuki Yagami, a former attorney, is now a private investigator

Although this game is not for lighthearted and innocent one, its presentation makes it looks like a pulpy crime melodrama. It is such a courageous prestige film. Opening with cutscenes, Judgment presents all characters and each one’s title, along with melodious jazz setting stage when coming to Yagami’s old law office. Later, we suddenly hit the intense drama flourishes. It is a shocking call from his old client that has already killed someone one more time! It likes a typical beginning for a practical TV series, introducing characters and arranging the game’s stages.

2There is a lot of hand-to-hand fights in Judgment

Since that, I’m becoming Yagami. I run across every Kamurocho streets, play various Sega arcade games such as Puyo Puyo Tetris and eat like I’m extremely starving. I do everything for my own good. I also pick up cases, following bad-behaved guys then shake these guys up for cash. Yagami used to keen on suit and tie, a classic gentleman, but now, he is grizzled and expert in battling hand to hand. This consists of typical knock-out fights, sneaking around, mystery-solving. Conversations and clues I pickup across the town are piecing together, forming detailed information about suspects I am looking for. Sooner or later, Yagami is involved in an extremely massive serial killer case, building up the main plot, or the backbone of this game.

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Takayuki Yagami will follow bad guys, trailing them and shaking them up for money

According to my general experience in 2 hours playing Judgment the demo version, it is as if I was playing a Yakuza game, but in a much more diverse storyline. I could get lost on the way trailing the criminal easily without noticing. There is also lots of fun as I could make friends and check Yagami’s social account like Twitter. Furthermore, I could admire the extremely detailed environments as well as eavesdropping on folks. All of these are breathtaking, but they are not the best. When you see the cats in the game, you will immediately perfectly understand the charisma of Judgment. The appearance of cats is somehow silly and unimportant, but so attractive and seductive.

I have to mention the cats again as they are the spotlights of the game. While investigating, the search mode will be active, bringing me the first-person view. There are events that ask me to detect a specific factor in my current area such as a security camera that I have to avoid. However, the most essential and additional thing to identify is cats, which are seeking everywhere in every event.

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As a Yakuza spinoff, there will be a lot of cats in Judgment like in Yakuza 6

Understanding that cats are hiding around the area that the search mode is active, I start to obsess with looking for them, instead of looking for important evidence that I need to locate. As the result, this is one kind of silly power in every Yakuza game, and also, in Judgment. Yakuza series could make you feel obsessed with cats and rather spending time looking and following cats than beating bad guys and finding the clues in the plot. Especially, there is a special award if you could find all the cat in the area.

It is sure that Judgment is full of violence and feelings. Sega, the developer of Judgment, will release the newest mixture of emotional moments and outstanding combats of this game in the coming spinoff. It will launch this summer, on PlayStation 4.