Parents' Guide to

Judgment

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Engaging, mature action game has you searching for a killer.

Game Google Stadia, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S 2021
Judgment Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Judgment Screen #1
  • Judgment Screen #2
  • Judgment Screen #3

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

Bpeck426
Bpeck426 Adult
June 7, 2021
age 15+

A parents review

Great game, only problem was the occasional sex joke or innuendo. Those can be avoided though. Would recommend if you make sure your child understands such jokes are inappropriate and not to be repeated.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

JUDGMENT is a single-player action game that tells of a disgraced lawyer-turn-private eye, who seeks out a serial killer on the loose -- while also fighting back against the yakuza criminal underbelly of a fictitious Japanese city. As Takayuki "Tak" Yagami, you'll roam around the open-world red light district of Kamurocho -- often with your partner Kaito (a former yakuza) -- to interact with citizens, take on missions and side quests (including mini-games and racing challenges), investigate incidents that might be tied to your case (like tailing a suspicious person), and engage in fights. Players can use thier training to unleash Tiger Style (for more one-on-one skirmishes, with powerful strikes and chained attacks) and Crane Style (think The Karate Kid) for taking down larger groups. Along with punches, kicks and acrobatic defense maneuvers, you can also grab items in the environment -- such as a fallen street sign in an alleyway -- and use it to pummel enemies. Most of the game is played from a cinematic third-person view, but there are some instances when it shifts to a first-person perspective. The PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia versions also include a number of enhancements, such as accelerated load times, enhanced visuals at 60 frames per second, and all of the previously released optional downloadable content (DLC) automatically included.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

Between its compelling story and memorable characters, engaging gameplay and high production values, this is an underrated story worthy of your collection. Judgment is an exceptionally fun (yet mature) urban adventure that fuses combat with detective work, racing, and other gameplay elements -- and presented with impressive visuals and audio. While some missions and side stories might not be as exciting as the combat, the game gets most things just right. Specifically, the real-time fights are so rewarding, especially as you learn to master Tak's moves and combos in both Crane and Tiger Style battles. To compliment your punches and kicks are the many props you can use -- ranging from chopsticks to concrete pillars to chairs -- as well as special chained moves and powerful attacks that result in supernatural color and motion effects, and dramatic camera and zoom angles. While triggered, there are some break-dance like attacks, running up walls and other parkour moves, and "Quick Time Events." You really do feel like you're in a kung fu movie. It's also notable that the PS5, Series X/S, and Stadia versions have been enhanced, making this movie presentation feel slicker and faster paced. It's hard not to feel immersed into the action across these systems, and the bonus of getting the additional DLC added in just gives you a bonus leg up in your quest for justice.

The detective work is mostly engaging, too, except some long or repetitive tailing side missions where you need to remain discrete while ducking out of the way to sneak behind a suspect or other person of interest. But as with games like the Grand Theft Auto series, you can select what missions to take (with a similar map you can open to see where you need to go). There are benefits for helping people, as they'll remember your assistance and reward you with help in fights, giving you extra items, and so on. There are many mini-games, too, ranging from casino diversions and a Mario Party-like board game to a light-gun shooter and simpler 2D arcade games. Judgment may not enjoy the same level of fanfare of other games in the west, but adult gamers looking for a virtual thrill in a seedy and glitzy Japanese world should enjoy their hands-on time with this game.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Judgment affected by the realism of the hand to hand combat that results in blood being spilled? Would the impact be lessened if blood wasn't shown as a result of combat, or would that not seem realistic?

  • Does Judgment need to include the heightened focus on swearing, drinking, and sexual situations, or would excluding them be something that wouldn't be accurate for the story?

Game Details

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