Yakuza spin-offs Judgment and Lost Judgment just released on Steam

A screenshot of Judgment showing Yagami vaulting an obstacle — (Image credit: Sega)

Before yesterday's ESRB leaks, I'd given up hope of ever seeing the Judgment games on PC. A dispute between the agency for Takuya Kimura—who plays the game's lead character Takayuki Yagami—and Sega seemed not only to have killed hopes for a PC version stone dead, but possibly killed the Judgment series entirely.

Well, life comes at you fast. Because Judgment and its sequel Lost Judgment are both available on Steam right this second. Whatever problems Kimura's agency had with a PC version must have gone out the window, because we can finally get our hands on Yagami's adventures, including The Kaito Files expansion for the second game. Judgment's looking pretty good for something dead!

The first game puts you in the shoes of Yagami, a disgraced defence lawyer turned private detective, as he uncovers the truth behind a string of murders in the ever-recognisable home of the Yakuza games: Kamurocho. They play a lot like the pre-7 Yakuza games: combat proceeds in real-time and occurs frequently as you run into the various bands of thugs that litter Tokyo, but playing a lawman instead of a veteran yakuza bruiser lends the game a fresh and enjoyable edge.

Lost Judgment is similar, except this time you're going undercover at a posh high school to peel back the mysteries behind a bullied student's suicide. It can get pretty dark, but it's alleviated by the trademark goofy humour you'll recognise from the Yakuza games, and the story is well-told. The classic Yakuza gameplay formula gets mixed up too, with stealth, light platforming, and tailing missions across both games. It's up to you to decide if that last one is a positive addition, though.

You can buy them both now to find out. Judgment costs £34.99/$39.99 while Lost Judgment costs £49.99/$59.99, and you can pick up its expansion for £24.99/$29.99. You can also buy the whole lot as a bundle for a discount.

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.