After finishing the demo of Project Judge (titled Judge Eyes in Japan) available on the Japanese PlayStation Store, I understood that the development team of the Yakuza series was indeed trying something new. However, it took a while before the demo allowed me to experience that “completely different” experience director Toshihiro Nagoshi had promised.
After an opening story sequence, I was brought to the fictional Tokyo nightlife district of Kamurocho, whose neon-lit streets are well known to fans of the Yakuza series. The camera zooms over the bustling cityscape before settling on our detective hero, Takayuki Yagami, disguised as a homeless person as he prepares for a stakeout. Between the Kamurocho streets and Yagami’s muscular and shady-looking detective buddy, familiarity set in fast.
Source: IGN.com Yakuza Spin-Off Project Judge Brings Fresh Detective Action to a Familiar World