JudgeSim
- July 16, 2024
- DelusionArt Studio
- 6h median play time
Get on SteamJudgeSim is a single-player, 2D text-based strategy game with around 6 hours of playtime. As a judge, you'll read cases, examine evidence, and make verdicts, with the difficulty increasing as you progress. Deal with litigation issues and make decisions based on real-life contradictions and dilemmas, all while trying to keep your integrity amidst corruption. The ending of the story will be affected by your decisions.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging and fun gameplay that keeps players invested with interesting cases and moral dilemmas.
- The game offers a unique experience reminiscent of 'Papers, Please', with a focus on judicial decision-making.
- Affordable price for the amount of content, providing a decent playtime and replayability through different endings.
- The dice roll mechanic for determining outcomes can feel frustrating and arbitrary, often leading to repeated failures without clear reasons.
- Grammatical errors and poor localization detract from the overall experience, making some dialogues confusing.
- The gameplay can become repetitive over time, with limited variety in cases and a lack of meaningful consequences for decisions.
- gameplay38 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring an intriguing concept that ultimately suffers from shallow mechanics and repetitiveness, leading to a lack of engagement over time. While some players appreciate the thought-provoking nature and moral dilemmas presented, others find the mechanics, such as the dice roll system, to be frustrating and detracting from the overall experience. Despite its potential, the game struggles with clarity in its mechanics and can feel monotonous after extended play, though it does offer moments of fun and challenge.
“10/10 gameplay, makes you really reconsider your every decision.”
“The gameplay is fun and always leaves you wanting to play more.”
“With its entertaining narrative, complex moral dilemmas, and challenging gameplay, judgesim offers a unique experience that stands out among its peers.”
“This game has a rather intriguing concept and I really wanted to like it, but it falls flat due to a lack of care for its game mechanics.”
“The gameplay is dull and lacks depth; it quickly becomes repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“But your arrest chance/assassination chance increases way too quickly after the most minor of mistakes, price increases are insane, the cases are always the same, so you can't play the game more than once or twice without it feeling repetitive.”
- story34 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally engaging and rich, with many players expressing a desire for more content and replayability through additional side cases and varied endings. However, some critiques highlight issues such as a lack of depth in certain narrative elements, reliance on clichés, and mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the storytelling is immersive and thought-provoking, making it a worthwhile play for fans of narrative-driven games.
“The underlying story and the various events that can happen during the game made me invested enough to want to keep going to understand it.”
“Each decision impacts the outcome, offering multiple story paths.”
“The game's portrayal of the banana republic and its inhabitants is believable and immersive, drawing players into its world and investing them in its characters and storylines.”
“The story ends up being quite dull and boring, and really you have two very basic options: you either side with the mob and try not to get arrested or you side with the government and try not to get killed.”
“This game could have been great if it had constructed better cases that scratch that detective itch so many people have, or if the story was more captivating and not some cliché 'big government bad, anarchy good' story.”
“But this game has also some flaws, the first one being that the story is short in my opinion, I completed the game in like 5 hours, and my brain wants more; this could be fixed if there is more variation in the stories and if you have to listen to the guy in court.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's graphics have received mixed reviews, with some praising the strong atmosphere and effective minimalistic art style that complements the narrative, while others criticize the simplistic and comical visuals, likening them to MS Paint. Despite the varied opinions, many players feel that the graphics do not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“The atmosphere, the art style, and the soundtrack are all on the strong side.”
“The art style is minimalistic, but it effectively complements the game's narrative and adds to the overall sense of place.”
“I like the art style.”
“I'm not the biggest fan of the graphics; I'd like the developers to work on improving that aspect.”
“The art style is like MS Paint; your family is just portraits looking with a blank stare.”
“It's such a good game with so much potential that I don't even care about how terrible and simple the graphics are.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the atmospheric soundtrack and its ability to enhance the visual style, others find the repetitive looping of a single background track irritating. Additionally, there are technical issues with the music volume resetting unexpectedly, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a strong point, but its execution has room for improvement.
“The atmosphere, the art style, and the soundtrack are all on the strong side.”
“This game is weird; not particularly memorable or something I'd be rushing back to play any time soon, but something about the simple visual style along with the soundtrack tickles my brain and has me watching videos of other people playing it and seeing how they handled cases differently from me.”
“I also liked the music of the game very much.”
“There’s only one background song that loops endlessly, and within a few minutes, it becomes incredibly irritating.”
“An issue has been identified wherein the music volume automatically resets to maximum (100%) upon completion of a case, but only when the volume has been previously lowered to the minimum (0%).”
“This game is weird; not particularly memorable or something I'd be rushing back to play any time soon, but something about the simple visual style along with the soundtrack tickles my brain and has me watching videos on other people playing it and seeing how they handled cases differently from me.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating and tedious, particularly due to reliance on luck and repetitive mini-games that often feel pointless. While some enjoy the story elements, the trial-and-error mechanics and the necessity of grinding detract from the overall experience, leading to a sense of monotony.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
“The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
“It makes the game frustrating and tedious if you do not give the 'right answer.' There should not be luck involved in a game of this nature.”
“There are a bunch of tedious mini-games you have to do in order to view evidence.”
“While I do like aspects of it, the stories are fun and interesting... but the dice rolling to lose is just kind of tedious, the puzzles to unlock evidence can get repetitive (most of which has basically no effect on the cases).”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in Judgesim is highly praised for its detailed and immersive courtroom setting, complemented by strong art style and an engaging soundtrack. Reviewers highlight the game's attention to detail, which enhances the overall experience and sets it apart from other simulation titles, making it a compelling choice for fans of legal dramas.
“One of the most striking aspects of judgesim is its attention to detail and atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere, the art style, and the soundtrack are all on the strong side.”
“Atmosphere and presentation: the courtroom setting is detailed and immersive, with sound effects and a courtroom vibe that enhances the experience.”
“One of the most striking aspects of Judgesim is its attention to detail and atmosphere.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as cute and engaging, with funny messages from characters who lose cases and a variety of amusing scenarios that keep players entertained. It effectively balances humor with mature themes, making it both mentally stimulating and comically absurd, though some content may be too intense for sensitive players. Overall, while it offers a lighthearted experience, it may not have lasting appeal for all players.
“This game is fun; it's funny to see the messages of the people who lose the case and they are mad at you.”
“Diverse and funny cases keep it interesting.”
“And as much as it is mentally stimulating, this game finds a great balance with humor with the folks you judge as well as the mature drama since it simulates real-world issues, some of it too much for the faint of heart.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it lacking due to repetitive cases, others appreciate the multiple endings that encourage experimentation with different strategies, keeping each playthrough engaging.
“The game's multiple endings encourage players to experiment with different strategies and approaches, providing ample replayability and ensuring that each playthrough remains fresh.”
“Not replayable.”
“And because the cases are the same, there's no replayability.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, with users experiencing frequent bugs that can alter decisions and force restarts. Despite its interesting concept, these technical problems have led to frustration and a recommendation for improvements to enhance gameplay stability.
“Definitely a neat idea, but the game is a bit buggy and I had it on multiple occasions change my decisions for me.”
“Although I recommend this game, it is really buggy, and I've had to start over multiple times due to those bugs. I had a 90% chance of being arrested, and every single time I would play, I would get arrested and I was forced to reset my game. Please fix this bug; caseoh is not going to play your game any longer if you don't fix this.”
