Preview: Stranger Than Heaven Blends History, Gruesome Brawling Action and RGG's Signature Style of Finesse

It is that time of the year again, when I'm anxiously looking forward to the next annual game in store from RGG Studios, because what other video game specifically has protagonists that have their backs tattooed with dragons and end up having stories that resonate so profoundly with audiences?

But this time, the playing field has been shifted. As someone who's invested so much time in this series, from getting the dreaded 100 percent completion list done for Yakuza 0's Platinum Trophy to falling in love on numerous occasions with Ichiban in my memorable first playthrough of Yakuza 7—a very personal game that quite literally saved me from one of the worst times of my life.

Now came the time for Stranger Than Heaven, a game that, from every reveal and deep dive, looked like the next ambitious title from RGG Studios after Infinite Wealth. Understandably, most like-minded people should be cautiously hyped, because we all know what the track record was after Pirate Yakuza and the controversial cesspool that was Yakuza Kiwami 3.

I'm here to put some of those valid concerns to ease because RGG Studios is genuinely doing something with Stranger Than Heaven. This isn't a Yakuza game meant to establish the origins of the Tojo Clan; it is the studio's boldest and most stylish game yet, and boy, does it pack teeth beneath that glamor, with Makoto Daito's split-time mystery narrative at the helm of it all.

A Historical Setting Rich With Possibilities

In today's times, few studios stand out to me for their trademark qualities, but since the first time I laid my eyes and hands on Yakuza 0, RGG has become that one developer I know who always delivers with their setting and presentation.

Whether it's the crime-ridden streets of Kamurocho, the heartfelt sub-stories hidden beneath the overall series' absurd optional content and mini-games, or the protagonists who somehow balance brutal violence with genuine humanity, these guys have carved out a unique identity for themselves over the years. And that's in spite of the fact that the series' creator, Toshihiro Nagoshi, is no longer at the steering wheel anymore.

Stranger Than Heaven, however, feels like the studio (finally) stepping far outside its comfort zone, and it's already shaping up to be one of RGG's most fascinating projects yet, ever since the Judgment titles. The 20th-century settings of Fukuoka, Hiroshima and Osaka all create a completely different atmosphere this time; swapping neon lights and modernity for dusty streets, jazz-filled venues and a world caught between rapid industrial progress and social uncertainty amongst the populace.

Each city has a distinct vibe and world-building element that makes each timeline feel special to explore. The bustling yet poverty-stricken landscape of Kokura in Fukuoka comes alive the moment you step in with Makoto's longtime pal, Yu Shinjo, and that carries over when you shift gears a bit later into Osaka during 1943, where you can see how much the foreign and western culture has influenced the entertainment districts of Japan amidst the conflict of the Mafia and Yakuza in the underbelly.

RGG has kept many of the story details under wraps, but there was a lot of subtlety in the way identity and societal evolution were teased. Especially when you factor in Daito's investigation in the latter eras, it has an eerie, almost supernatural undertone that lies just below the surface and truly sets the stage for what's to come as he rises to become a ruthless and cunning figure in the heart of Japan.

Brawling with a Ruthless Edge

In a previous feature piece that I worked on, I explained how STH's combat was the biggest shake-up that RGG could've assembled ever since the days of chugging Staminan Royales as Kiryu in his games or throwing down goons with the power of turn-based JRPG friendship as Ichiban. And now I can safely declare that this is probably the most mechanically layered the combat has felt in RGG's brawler lineup of games.

Lost Judgment was the pinnacle of what they could achieve in that department, since you had access to four different fighting styles and a combat foundation that allowed you to effortlessly ground juggle enemies with specific inputs or animation loops.

And now, Stranger Than Heaven truly feels like an evolution of that foundation. Fights remain cinematic and impactful just as they were in the mainline Yakuza series, but now there's a greater emphasis on spontaneity in every single encounter. By that, I mean you will get your teeth kicked in the first few times, but I promise you, getting through the steep learning curve of mastering all four of Daito's limbs corresponding to the controller's shoulder buttons is a gratifying feeling.

Like an enemy can grab one of your arms to place you in a hold, but unlike only button-mashing your way out as you would with Kiryu, you can instead use your other open arm to wail at an incoming enemy or to use him as a human ragdoll into the one that's strangling you. Daito can also seamlessly utilize objects and weapons, turning almost any kind of usual thug brawl into an actual fisticuff act of survival.

It's both unpredictable and requires you to have constant spatial awareness of incoming attacks from enemies, or else you're just going to get mauled by a pack of feral dogs.

It goes without saying that until the full release changes things, however, the combat does look unpolished. And no, I don't mean the presentation or anything, but the general flow is jarring and sluggish to the point where dishing out some weapon-charged attacks or trying to parry or dodge out of a lock-on instance with an enemy can feel rather unfair or confusing. But don't get it twisted: the meaty impact of the overall combat is fantastic, and I just hope they manage to iron things out before the final build of the game because ruthlessly delivering a haymaker with Makoto is absurd levels of fun.

Cities Full of Stories Waiting to be Told

While there wasn't much side content to explore on the silver-plated dish for now, there was a small tease during the sampling course: Makoto Daito's sound sampling and music showbiz management system. You can build an entertainment empire by scouting performers, gathering rumors, recruiting singers and musicians and organizing live shows and for the veteran fans -- you're absolutely right to think of it as the equivalent of the Real Estate and Cabaret Club side businesses from previous RGG games, but obviously with a musical twist.

Besides that, while I felt the absence of the golden age arcade classics found in SEGA's overflowing cabinet, Stranger Than Heaven seems to be leaning into various gambling activities and mini-games, depending on the era and city, of course. The arm-wrestling game was featured, but the rest are self-explanatory card and dice games, which I'm interested in how they'll evolve with each timeline shift in Makoto's life.

The potential in the side content department is there, since RGG is by no means a stranger to the number five (see what I did there), given what we've seen them deliver in the past with Yakuza 5's overly ambitious design and five different protagonists. Even that game aside, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was a JRPG treasure trove of both quantity and quality, besides the story execution at least.

And speaking of which, that's honestly where most of my bigger concerns lie. This time, we're getting to see an epic unfold through Makoto Daitoh's saga across these five eras, but managing his character development alongside the story while keeping nothing hanging or loose by a thread seems risky. Plus, many mainstream audiences and fans alike are still recovering from the out-of-nowhere inclusion of Tupac as one of the celebrity likenesses featured in this game. RGG loves their celebrity cameos, but having the late, great, legendary rapper in question here seems off-putting, no matter the family's direct consent.

Regardless, it isn't enough of a huge deal to deter me from the game, and I'll be anxiously looking forward to what the full package of Makoto's odyssey across Japan will be like once I get to experience it. But if they can manage to iron out the combat a bit more and just possibly cross-check everything on the writer's drawing board to create an everlasting tale, then we may just have a game that'll put Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios back on the map for me as the kings of soap-opera crime drama in video games.