Deal | 94%-positive martial arts spin-off drops below $10 on Steam for the first time

Judgment is set in Kamurocho, a densely packed entertainment district that fans will already know from numerous Yakuza games. Instead of being part of the Japanese underworld, however, players take on the role of Takayuki Yagami, a former lawyer who now works as a private detective. At his side is Masaharu Kaito, a former Yakuza member who knows Kamurocho's criminal underworld accordingly well. When several Yakuza members are found murdered, the duo begins investigating and soon uncovers a case with increasingly far-reaching implications. The action-adventure from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio normally costs just under $40 on Steam. However, a 75% discount brings the price down to $9.99 until August 27. According to SteamDB, the deal marks a new all-time low – previously, the game had been discounted by no more than 70%.

Its ties to the Yakuza series are hard to miss when it comes to gameplay, as one thing takes center stage above all else: hard-hitting martial arts brawls. While exploring Kamurocho, players regularly get into street fights and can switch between the fast Crane style and the more powerful Tiger style. There are also numerous side activities, including poker, blackjack, darts, baseball, drone racing and classic Sega arcade games.

Unlike Yakuza, however, the protagonist is not a member of the Japanese mafia but a private detective. Accordingly, the familiar gameplay is expanded with tailing suspects, investigating crime scenes, gathering evidence, interrogations and drone surveillance. Judgment combines brutal street fights with a mature crime thriller and classic detective work. Anyone who enjoyed Yakuza and Sleeping Dogs should feel right at home here. And that also applies on the go: The game is rated “Verified” on the Steam Deck and should therefore run without any issues.

This combination was very well received in a review by the German gaming magazine PC Games. The publication particularly praised the gripping, twist-filled crime story, multifaceted characters, action-packed combat system and atmospheric depiction of Kamurocho. Weaknesses mentioned in the review include unnecessary backtracking, repetitive gang-related tasks and side missions that are not fully voiced. The final score reflects the overall positive impression: PC Games awarded the game 9 out of 10 points.

The Steam community is equally impressed, with 94% of more than 12,000 user reviews being positive. Metacritic lists a Metascore of 80 and a User Score of 8.5.

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