Throughout Tokyo Recreation Present 2026, Sega and RGG Studio exhibited an up to date playable demo of Stranger Than Heaven alongside a particular stage program devoted to the brand new title. AUTOMATON had the chance to check out the demo and discuss to the builders in regards to the sport’s distinctive options and the philosophy behind its improvement.
Stranger Than Heaven is a brand-new historic action-adventure title from Like a Dragon developer RGG Studio. The sport is about throughout 5 eras and 5 cities in Japan, spanning the interval from 1915 to 1965. It depicts the 50-year lives of two males of combined Japanese and Western heritage, Makoto Daito (performed by Yu Shirota) and Yu Mashiro (performed by Dean Fujioka), whose private tales will finally result in the founding of the Tojo Clan. The title has additionally attracted consideration for its considerably distinctive fight system, by which gamers management the protagonist’s left and proper sides independently.
I used to be additionally capable of attempt the demo and get a style of Stranger Than Heaven, notably its fight, and I received the impression that the sport locations higher emphasis on “rawness” and immersion than earlier RGG Studio titles. For instance, when procuring, which had beforehand been dealt with via list-based menus, you now seamlessly choose merchandise displayed outdoors outlets. Encounters with enemies additionally turn into fights in a pure approach – at the very least through the atypical avenue fights I skilled, there have been no character identify shows or cut-ins, which made it really feel much more like stepping into an precise avenue brawl.
Essentially the most hanging function, nevertheless, was undoubtedly the fight system’s left/proper body-split controls. The buttons and triggers on the higher left and proper sides of the controller correspond to the respective halves of the protagonist’s physique. Relying on the weapons you will have geared up, you’ll be able to strike with the weapon held in your proper hand or punch along with your left hand. When an enemy is knocked down, you’ll be able to pull each triggers to mount them and pummel them.
As for guarding, in PS-style controls, you’ll be able to press Circle to protect with each palms, whereas combining it with the upper-left or upper-right button permits a one-handed guard. Efficiently timing this motion leads to a parry, significantly throwing off the enemy’s stance.
I discovered that these controls contributed considerably to a form of visceral sense of immersion within the sport. The animations additionally give the impression that the participant is bodily finishing up every motion. Somewhat than the protagonist merely snapping into motion on the press of a button, there’s a tangible sense of winding up and throwing every punch. This makes it really feel very totally different from the snappy violence of merely urgent Sq. for a light-weight assault or Triangle for a heavy assault. As an alternative, it may be virtually guilt-inducting, as if you’re selecting tips on how to assault somebody and intentionally hurting one other human being with your personal palms.
Not like earlier video games from RGG Studio, the fight additionally lacks the form of flashiness seen in assaults that emit auras or unleash acrobatic strikes. I didn’t discover this to be uninteresting, nevertheless, because the blood splatters and brutal animations created a vivid sense of a “determined combat for survival.”
Beneath follows the interview with 5 key figures from Stranger Than Heaven’s dev group. I spoke with: Masayoshi Yokoyama (director of RGG Studio, government producer, and government director of Stranger Than Heaven), Ryosuke Horii (chief director of the sport), Hiroyuki Sakamoto (producer), Taishi Kanaya (artwork director), and Mikinobu Abe (director).
—Your casting of two world artists, Snoop Dogg (as Orpheus) and Tupac (as Amaru), have generated a robust response abroad. How did you are feeling in regards to the reactions?
Masayoshi Yokoyama (hereafter Yokoyama):
We have been merely amazed at first. Somewhat than specializing in the response to every particular person solid announcement, we’re extra concerned with how Stranger Than Heaven as a complete is being acquired. That’s why we introduced Tupac at Summer season Recreation Fest, due to how acknowledged he’s abroad. If we’d made the announcement at a Japanese present, I believe the response would have been totally different. The thrill within the venue once we introduced it was unbelievable, and it turned a serious matter of dialog. It reminded us as soon as once more simply how influential an artist he’s. If that will get folks within the sport as nicely, we’re very comfortable about that.
That mentioned, we aren’t casting folks merely to generate buzz. That’s one thing folks usually assume, however there’s really a vital motive why we solid Snoop Dogg, for instance. His character’s function is to “uncover the protagonist’s expertise,” which means he’s somebody who influences the protagonist’s lifestyle and in the end performs a task in figuring out his future. And the expertise in query is the musical expertise for “sound,” so I believe there are only a few folks on this planet who might painting such a personality convincingly.
We determined to solid Snoop Dogg as a result of we felt there was nobody else who might each act and produce that degree of credibility to the function. When somebody says, “It’s only for publicity,” I believe to myself “That’s not likely the case,” and we’re now on the stage the place we’re progressively proving that via the sport itself.
—Kiryu and Kasuga are portrayed as protagonists who typically don’t kill, with strains like Kiryu’s “I swear to you that I didn’t kill that man” turning into fan-favorites. I’m questioning if this would be the case for Daito too, given how intense the motion is in Stranger Than Heaven?
Yokoyama:
Setting apart whether or not Daito explicitly kills anybody, we’re conscious that there are moments within the battles the place you’d assume, “There’s no approach he didn’t kill that man!” Even for Kiryu, how the battles are depicted typically, I’d say there are actually moments the place you’d assume he killed somebody, too (laughs). Nevertheless, there are not any cutscenes by which he’s really depicted killing somebody. In that sense, there aren’t any express depictions involving Daito both. He’s not appearing with the aim of killing folks, in any case.
That being mentioned, the battles are undoubtedly depicted at a degree the place you may assume, “He undoubtedly killed that man.” The largest motive for that’s the historic context. For instance, in the event you get right into a combat in fashionable society, you’re conscious that crossing a sure line can imply committing a selected crime. Taking somebody’s life is due to this fact a really vital line to cross. However the period we’re depicting this time is one the place, “in the event you don’t kill them, they’ll kill you in retaliation.” We wished to painting that and let gamers expertise what it feels prefer to dwell in an period the place “in the event you don’t do it, you’ll be the one who will get accomplished in.” That’s a serious motive why the battles are designed in such a tough and brutal approach.
—The sport depicts Daito at varied levels of his life, from a fresh-faced younger man to an older man who has misplaced his youthful vigor and gained loads of character. Which age was essentially the most troublesome to painting when it comes to adjustments caused by ageing?
Taishi Kanaya (hereafter Kanaya):
The youngest model of Daito. We ready paintings of Daito at every age and developed the designs via discussions with Yokoyama-san. The method took a whole lot of time.
Yokoyama:
The essential picture we have now of Daito might be the Daito from his Minami, Osaka interval (1943). He’s middle-aged at that time, and that’s additionally the model utilized in the important thing visible, in order that was our baseline. Wanting again, what gave you essentially the most hassle?
Kanaya:
Making him look youthful was troublesome. On high of that, there’s the truth that he’s of combined Japanese and American heritage.
Yokoyama:
To be trustworthy, I discovered Dean Fujioka (who performs Yu Mashiro) essentially the most troublesome to painting. The final picture folks have of Dean-san as we speak is roughly the age of the character throughout his Minami, Osaka interval, too. When depicting his youthful self, we are able to take a look at his previous appearing roles and discover reference materials that tells us what he regarded like when he was youthful. However we don’t know what he’ll appear like sooner or later.
As we developed his older look, he began wanting an increasing number of like a distinct actor. Once we informed Dean-san that, he responded alongside the strains of, “Individuals inform me that on a regular basis” (laughs). Daito, alternatively. is an authentic character, so we have now extra freedom to design him, at the very least.
The identical applies to Tupac. He seems in a task at an age older than he was when he handed away. We mentioned it with Tupac’s household, speaking about how we thought he may need regarded as he aged, and developed the character beneath their supervision.
On the flip aspect, in terms of Bunta Sugawara, we had reference materials protecting all ages his character seems at. So, wanting again, essentially the most troublesome half for me was creating characters who’re older than the actual individual, as a result of we don’t have any approach of understanding what they might appear like sooner or later.
Kanaya:
Perhaps it’s simply me, however doesn’t Daito throughout his Atami interval (1951) form of remind you of somebody?
Yokoyama:
…Just lately, folks have been telling me he appears to be like like me. No, he doesn’t. It’s simply the coiffure and glasses. We didn’t make the character appear like me, I began making myself appear like the character.
Everybody:
(Laughs)
—Given the sport’s historic setting, I think about the sequence’ acquainted actions and minigames have additionally taken on a really totally different taste. Have been there any specific challenges concerned in creating all these new types of content material?
Ryosuke Horii (hereafter Horii):
As with earlier RGG Studio titles, the basic thought of providing a high-density vary of actions to get pleasure from stays the identical. On the identical time, this sport depicts totally different cities and eras. For instance, in Kokura in 1915, the ability grid and family home equipment weren’t but widespread, and so-called Western tradition had not likely permeated society. We began from the premise that we would have liked to correctly painting that historic context.
So, whereas researching the sorts of actions that will match naturally into every period and the types of leisure folks loved on the time, we additionally integrated our personal creativeness and regarded for concepts that will be enjoyable when it comes to gameplay whereas nonetheless feeling convincing inside their respective intervals. We additionally wished to keep away from issues which will have been widespread on the time, however fashionable folks would have completely no thought about. It’s simpler to design a sport round components that we, as fashionable gamers, can visualize as we stroll via the sport’s streets, issues that really feel accessible and make you assume, “Oh, I get this.” We constructed every metropolis whereas balancing these issues and deciding on the content material accordingly.
Mikinobu Abe (hereafter Abe):
We additionally did a whole lot of analysis utilizing supplies equivalent to magazines from the Taisho period. We ran round secondhand bookstores throughout Tokyo, shopping for them up so we might look into issues like, “What sorts of commercials have been there?” and “If one thing appeared in all these totally different magazines, does that imply it was widespread on the time?” We researched all types of issues that really existed again then. We even had an incident the place among the reference supplies have been infested with bugs…
Hiroyuki Sakamoto (hereafter Sakamoto):
Issues like playing homes existed on the time, so minigames equivalent to Hanafuda and mahjong naturally seem on this sport as nicely. However lots of the different minigames are new, so I believe gamers can have recent issues to expertise.
Yokoyama:
There are additionally minigames that “carry throughout eras” and ones that don’t. There are minigames that you would be able to solely play through the Kokura interval, whereas others live on lengthy after that. For instance, beigoma would have continued throughout a number of generations, so we took that form of historic context into consideration.
That mentioned, we do take just a few liberties with the reality. For instance, through the Atami interval (1951), one of many places relies on the real-life Resort New Akao. However, in actuality, Resort New Akao wasn’t accomplished till about two years after 1951. So, in the actual world, at that time it could in all probability have been beneath development. There are many different fictional components like that, the place one thing seems within the sport regardless of not but being accomplished in actuality.
Finally, what we’re making isn’t a piece of historic nonfiction, however leisure. We’re incorporating issues that we predict will make for an fascinating sport.
—After spending a lot time immersed in turbulent early Twentieth-century historical past, do you are feeling that life would have been extra gratifying again then in comparison with as we speak, or that fashionable life is simpler to dwell?
Yokoyama:
If you wish to dwell a protracted life, then as we speak is unquestionably higher. I believe that’s the excellence. In case your purpose is just to dwell a very long time, then the trendy period is best. But when your purpose in life is to perform one thing, or to make one thing of your self and stand up on this planet, I believe there have been extra alternatives again then. For instance, though this isn’t a Like a Dragon sport, our earlier titles have at all times depicted folks making one thing of themselves.
One attribute shared by RGG Studio’s video games is that individuals who, for one motive or one other, have been socially marginalized or occupy a weak place handle to earn recognition via their bodily power, braveness, psychological fortitude, and so forth, finally carving out a spot for themselves. That’s true of Kazuma Kiryu, Ichiban Kasuga, and Makoto Daito.
However Daito has it tougher than our earlier protagonists. That’s as a result of Daito additionally has the barrier of “race” standing in his approach, and in Japan at the moment, I believe that will have been a just about insurmountable barrier. Being somebody who appears to be like overseas and can be not fluent in Japanese is, as an adversarial circumstance, much more troublesome than the scenario confronted by Kazuma Kiryu, who was an orphan, or Ichiban Kasuga, who grew up with out ever understanding his organic dad and mom.
The truth that Daito was capable of dwell the way in which he did in these circumstances might really be exactly as a result of he was dwelling in that individual period. So in the event you’re determined to grab a possibility, maybe that period was the higher one.
Wanting again at Japanese historical past, individuals who completed one thing usually emerged in periods of turmoil. When one thing will get fully reset, that’s when folks have alternatives to stand up. In that sense, maybe the previous had extra room for desires than the current, in its personal approach.
—After enjoying the demo, I felt that the ambiance of the town had a fair higher sense of realism than in earlier video games. The best way gamers choose merchandise in outlets and the fight system additionally appear designed to strengthen immersion. Was this one thing you intentionally established as a theme throughout improvement?
Yokoyama:
Sure. Again once we have been making Yakuza: Like a Dragon, I used to be usually requested why we determined to make it a dwell command RPG. My reply was at all times that “we select the system that enables gamers to interact with the story essentially the most and is greatest suited to experiencing it.” And that’s actually it.
Kazuma Kiryu is a hero. He’s superhumanly robust, so we created motion designed to convey that. That’s why the consequences are flashy and also you get issues resembling particular strikes. Kiryu is a hero, so he can carry that form of presentation.
Ichiban Kasuga, alternatively, isn’t that robust. He’s the kind of one that rises via his bonds along with his companions, so we adopted an RPG celebration system for him.
Once we requested ourselves, “What sort of individual is Makoto Daito?” We noticed that he was somebody who has to scrape by even when it means dwelling down-and-dirty. The fight system we’re utilizing this time is what permits gamers to empathize most with Daito, and we’re creating the opposite techniques, together with development mechanics, in the identical approach, in order that gamers can savor the story of this sport. That’s why, we’re additionally putting a robust emphasis on eliminating the “digital” really feel as a lot as potential.
For instance, in our earlier motion techniques, you press a button and the animation assigned to that button is “performed.” On this sport, although, pulling the set off really pulls your hand again, and releasing it makes you strike. What you’re doing could in the end be the identical, however we wished to seize that analog sensation, the sensation of dwelling a tough, gritty life in that period. That’s why we adopted these techniques for each the fight and the journey sections.
This has persistently been the method throughout RGG Studio’s titles. We create techniques suited to giving gamers the sensation that they’re experiencing the story alongside the protagonist. Even having your well being represented by a bar feels digital, or slightly, like a typical sport conference. That system is completely good – it’s extremely readable, in any case. However we launched this venture round making an attempt to rethink these sorts of “conventions.”
In one other interview simply now, we have been requested whether or not the sport may be troublesome for rookies to get into. However I don’t assume a real newbie essentially is aware of that urgent a selected button sometimes makes a punch or kick come out within the first place.
If you happen to ask which system would really feel extra intuitive to somebody like that, I believe the controls on this sport are literally simpler to grasp naturally as a result of they’re based mostly on “left” and “proper.” The concept that “A is assigned to punch and B is assigned to kick” is definitely the stranger idea, for my part. The individuals who assume that’s regular aren’t rookies, they’re individuals who have develop into accustomed to the conventions of gaming tradition. So one a part of our design philosophy was to strip these assumptions away and rethink them.
Kanaya:
By way of conveying the eras, we felt that every one 5 of them wanted to look fully totally different from each other. We intentionally assigned them distinct visible identities in order that when customers arrive in a selected period, they will instantly assume, “Oh, this colour palette means we’re on this interval.” I hope that feeling comes throughout immediately, and that gamers can intuitively understand they’ve come to a distinct period or metropolis.
—The phrase “Stranger Than Heaven” can be the title of the principle theme tune, and its which means is hinted at within the lyrics. Does the phrase discuss with the place that turns into Daito and the others’ “place to belong”?
Yokoyama:
It refers to Daito himself, slightly than a spot to belong. After being persecuted in America, Daito crosses the ocean to Japan, throwing himself into the ocean and barely managing to board a ship, as a result of he believes that “Japan should be heaven.” However the actuality is that the place he arrives at is “stranger than heaven,” slightly than heaven itself. That’s what “Stranger Than Heaven” means. In a way, the phrase refers to Japan as skilled by Daito.
Japan is meant to be his homeland, a spot that ought to settle for him, however in actuality, it seems to be a wierd place that doesn’t. Nonetheless, Daito asks himself, “How am I, a stranger, going to dwell right here?” and units out to create a spot for himself. That finally turns into the group generally known as the Tojo Clan, however the story we’re telling this time is in regards to the emotions that pressured Daito to create the Tojo Clan and what drove him as he constructed it.
In different phrases, Stranger Than Heaven is “Japan” as skilled by Daito. However each different character additionally has their very own “Stranger Than Heaven,” and that’s one thing we depict within the story as nicely.
—In a current YouTube livestream, Yokoyama-san talked about being specific in regards to the T-shirts for this sport, saying that he wished the neckline to be wider. Are there any examples the place your private preferences like which have made their approach into the merchandise or the sport itself?
Kanaya:
Most not too long ago, I suppose there’s this (*).
(Kanaya pointed to one of many collaborations between Stranger Than Heaven and Toei, particularly a poster T-shirt paying homage to Battles With out Honor and Humanity. He apparently completed a number of poster visuals on his personal of his personal accord whereas on trip and introduced them in.)
Yokoyama:
We’ve a “Walkthrough Museum” for the sport at our TGS sales space, and there are numerous visuals from the sport displayed on the entrance. These are literally designs that weren’t chosen as the principle visible.
And Kanaya actually does simply make so lots of them! (laughs). The issue is that they’re all cool and well-made, so although we solely want one, he makes so many who we are able to’t select between them. So we find yourself utilizing all of them on totally different events pondering it could be a disgrace to not.
There’s additionally the design of the SteelBook included with the Collector’s Version. That’s one other unused design. It was the runner-up once we have been selecting the sport’s essential visible, however we rejected it as a result of we thought, “If you happen to don’t know what’s taking place within the story, you gained’t perceive why these two individuals are standing right here.” We in the end determined that the important thing visible needs to be extra iconic, and that having simply Daito would work higher, which is how we arrived on the present design.
—Lastly, might every of you permit a message for AUTOMATON’s readers?
Abe:
In depicting a spot that’s “stranger than heaven,” we’ve been very specific in regards to the sport’s each angle, scene, and gameplay factor. The complete RGG Studio group is placing every little thing we have now into finishing the sport. There are only some months left till launch, so we’d like everybody to control the upcoming occasions and knowledge. We’ll be giving it our all to ensure you can benefit from the sport each earlier than and after its launch, so we hope you’ll look ahead to it.
Kanaya:
We’ve given this sport our absolute all, drawing on all of the data and expertise we’ve collected over time. I hope you’ll play the sport and really feel the “spirit” we’ve poured into it.
Horii:
Since Stranger Than Heaven is a brand new title, we’ve approached its improvement with the will to create one thing recent. I consider the style generally generally known as “console motion video games” has develop into fairly refined, to the purpose the place formulation have been established about what sort of motion gamers will get pleasure from and discover satisfying.
Somewhat than merely following these established formulation, we wished to correctly query them as soon as once more and take into consideration what sort of expression is exclusive to us. That’s how we approached this title. All of us labored arduous from the bottom up to determine how we might create a pure sport and a pure expertise. I’d be very comfortable if gamers might really feel the form of “ardour” that may solely come from making a sport on this approach.
Sakamoto:
Stranger Than Heaven comes with a really new sport system, and at hands-on occasions, there are fairly just a few individuals who, after experiencing an remoted a part of the gameplay, really feel that the sport may be just a little troublesome or intimidating. However in the event you really begin enjoying the sport from the start, it turns into an expertise that you would be able to strongly synchronize with, and it’s a sport with an especially excessive degree of immersion. So I hope you’ll belief us on that and benefit from the attraction of this grand story.
Yokoyama:
In an period the place phrases like “time effectivity” and “value effectivity” are always being thrown round, making a console sport is nearly like an antithesis. This sport is, frankly, lengthy. It has an infinite quantity of content material. It’s going to take up your time. As individuals who make console video games, that’s one thing we’re always up in opposition to.
Even so, if we don’t proceed making video games which can be price enjoying and price experiencing, we’ll more and more see folks saying issues like, “I’m , however I don’t have time to play it,” or, “I’m , so possibly I’ll simply watch another person play it.” And to be trustworthy, there are many circumstances the place folks watch gameplay movies, develop into within the sport, and develop into followers in consequence.
However from our perspective, we actually need folks to play and luxuriate in it themselves. With this sport, we’ve been extraordinarily acutely aware of constructing gamers really feel, “I actually need to take management of issues,” and, “I need to expertise Daito’s life for myself.”
Additionally, we get a whole lot of questions evaluating Stranger Than Heaven to Like a Dragon. The rationale we name this a “fully new title” is that there’s no cabaret membership, no karaoke, the controls are totally different, and the development techniques are all totally different as nicely. In different phrases, I believe if we bought this as a Like a Dragon sport, folks would in all probability inform us, “That’s not likely true, is it?” We don’t assume it could be proper to name it a sequence entry.
It’s true that key phrases such because the “Tojo Clan” and places equivalent to Kamurocho seem, and that this sport’s world is a part of the fictional world we’ve created and depicted in Like a Dragon. Nevertheless it’s not the identical factor. I believe it could be extra deceptive to deal with it as the identical sequence.
That’s why we’re making it as a totally new title, beneath the identify Stranger Than Heaven, which isn’t linked to Like a Dragon in any respect.
To return to what I used to be saying earlier, we’re placing an infinite piece of leisure like this into the world at a time when making one thing of this scale requires a substantial quantity of resolve on our half. I hope gamers will really feel that.
As a part of our efforts to extend accessibility, we’ve created the RGG Particular Swimsuit – a beginner-friendly outfit with assist capabilities – in order that anybody could make it to the top of the sport. That mentioned, we have now no intention of fixing the controls. I nonetheless assume the easiest way to expertise this sport is with the controls and gameplay model we’ve created.
What I’m making an attempt to say is, we’ve ready a full-course meal. If you happen to’re the form of one that needs to get dinner out of the way in which with only a hamburger, this in all probability isn’t for you. However in the event you’re pondering, “I need to sit down and savor every course,” then this may be the one for you. I hope folks can select it with that form of mindset.
—Thanks very a lot.
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN is scheduled for launch on January 15, 2027 for PC (Steam/Microsoft Retailer). PS5, Xbox Sequence X|S. It’ll even be out there day one on Xbox Recreation Move.