Judgmentis a spin-off series from theYakuza/Like A Dragonfranchise. It’s set in Kamurochō, using a lot of the set pieces fromYakuza 6andYakuza Kiwami 2, and it’s a brawler like those games. Unlike those games, it follows Detective Takayuki Yagami as he investigates a string of murders across the city, and their connection to an old case he lost back in his days as a lawyer.
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But, to get ahead inJudgment, players have got to build up his skills withSkill Points, or SP.With SP, Yagami can learn new techniques, tail suspects more effectively, withstand more punishment, earn more cash, etc. But how can players earn SP quickly without grinding away on goons? Here are a few tips to help get SP fast.
Vary Yagami’s Combat
It may be convenient to just repeat the same old combos and Flux Fissures to finish off foes. But the return on investment from that gets pretty small over time. So, don’t be afraid to experiment with the ins and outs of Yagami’sCrane and Tiger Styles. The more moves the player uses, the more bonuses they’ll get per fight.
Yagami can pull off extra attacks and EX-Actions from bounding off walls or running over foes. Befriending people around town can provide special EX-Actions in select locations (same as inYakuza Kiwami 2). While some locations provide their own EX-Actions. There are plenty of rewards for exploring and mixing it up.
Go After The Big Dogs
Once a player’s confident in their fighting skills, they can chase down the toughest thugs around town. They stand out from the regular small fry because they’ll have purple health bars instead of yellow. It takes more hits to take them down, and they’ll strike Yagami harder. But once they’re down for the count, they’ll provide a lot of SP.
The Keihin Gang invasions provide plenty of opportunities for this, as they crop up often. The worst of the bunch are their leaders, the Keihin Four. Only 1-2 of them will turn up at first, but the rest will turn up as the player goes through the story. Just be careful around the final one, Matsuhisa Koga, as he uses guns thatcan inflict Mortal Woundsthat need a First Aid Kit to heal.
Use EX-Actions Often
EX-Actions are essentiallyYakuza’s Heat Actions under a different name. If the player presses the Strong Attack button when prompted, Yagami will pull off a special move that does extra damage. He has a lot of them, but they usually require some condition to be pulled off. Yagami might need to grab an opponent, stun them, scare them, leap off a wall towards one foe or many, etc.
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Aside from helping to finish off enemies quicker, they can be entertaining to watch. For example, on West Shichifuku St, players can pull off an EX-Action where Yagami can narrowly save a foe from getting run over. Or another where they end up going for a ride with a yakuza captain. Much simpler, if Yagami has a 6+ drunkenness level, he can take out up to 3 goons at once with one Drunken Master-inspired EX-Action.
Spend SP To Earn SP
Eventually, the player has to use that SP to expand Yagami’s repertoire. Aside from making Yagami hit harder, get more health, and hold his booze better, he can get new moves, EX-Actions, and better tailing skills among others. The player just needs to be careful about what they spend their SP on and see which skills will help them out better in the long run.
Focusing on combat and the like seems like the obvious step to take and would work out the best in the main story. But his other skills would make theSide-Cases, Minigames, Dating, and other ventures a breeze. Some special items even have to be bought with SP instead of money, like the gambling cheat items.
Play The Side Cases
Instead of substories,Judgmenthas Side Cases. They’re functionally the same, only Yagami can find them noted in his office, at Genda Law, or Bar Tender as well as out and about on the street. These can usually be the most entertaining parts of theJudgmentandYakuzaseries as they go into some crazy situations. Like breaking out of a bar scam, savean aspiring musician from being kidnaped, or stopping a serial groper called ‘Ass Catchem’.
These side activities provide a good chunk of SP on their own and can help Yagami befriend people around town. They can step in and help him in fights, provide special EX-Actions, new skills and gear, cash, and SP. So, don’t just rush through the main cases. Explore Kamurochō, take part in all it offers, and reap the rewards.
Hug Bomb Addiction
If all else fails, or this all seems too slow, the player can always throw down some cash on Hug Bombs. These energizing drinks can heal and provide a hefty chunk of SP. But they can be kind of expensive, and the regular Hug Bomb doesn’t provide as much on its own. Things start opening up a bit more once the player reaches Chapter 6. By this point, they’ll have access to Extraction Crafting and Quickstarter, a crowdfunding app that helps unlock new features and items.
If they invest in Hug Bombs, they’ll unlock Hug Bomb Beta and Hug Bomb Omega. The Omega one provides 770 SP normally, but it can go up to 847 SP if Yagami takes a Growth Extract beforehand. So, save up a lot of cash, unlock the Hug Bomb Omega, and get as much of it and the Growth Extract as possible. It costs a lot of money, but luckily there are ways toearn big cash quickly too.
Judgmentis available now on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna.
