---
title: 'Stranger Than Heaven Finally Won Me Over | Extended Hands-On Preview'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=_SHvWH8prQk'
video_id: '_SHvWH8prQk'
date: 2026-10-21
duration_sec: 712
channel: 'IGN'
---

# Stranger Than Heaven Finally Won Me Over | Extended Hands-On Preview

> Source: [Stranger Than Heaven Finally Won Me Over | Extended Hands-On Preview](https://youtube.com/watch?v=_SHvWH8prQk)

## Summary

This video is an extended hands-on preview of the upcoming game 'Stranger Than Heaven' by RGG Studios, the team behind the Yakuza series. The reviewer, who was initially skeptical after a 45-minute demo, shares their experience with a new 3-hour demo, detailing the game's story, combat system, side activities, and overall improvements. The preview highlights the game's unique setting across different decades, its focus on themes of identity and belonging, and the inclusion of celebrity cast members like Snoop Dogg and Tupac.

### Key Points

- **Initial Skepticism** [00:03] — The reviewer was unsure about the game's slower, clunky combat system after a 45-minute demo that lacked setup.
- **New 3-Hour Demo** [00:15] — A new 3-hour demo allowed the reviewer to play from the start, explore different towns representing various time periods, and get familiar with the retuned combat.
- **Complete 180-Degree Turn** [00:29] — The reviewer's opinion has completely changed, and they are now all in on the Yakuza team's latest game.
- **Story Premise** [00:47] — The game follows a man of mixed ethnicity during a tumultuous time between Japan and the US, spanning decades and leading into the origins of the Tojo clan in 1960s Kamurocho.
- **Main Character Introduction** [01:15] — The story starts in 1915 San Francisco with Makoto Daito fleeing a crime he didn't commit, facing discrimination from the police.
- **Tutorial and Tone** [01:42] — The tutorial involves fighting the racist cops, setting a serious tone and introducing the intricate combat system.
- **Snoop Dogg's Character** [01:57] — Makoto meets Snoop Dogg's character, Orpheus, on a ship to Japan. The role works for the story's theme of outcasts finding community through music.
- **Anachronistic Elements** [02:21] — Director Mikobu Abe mentioned the game isn't trying to be time-period accurate, which may break believability but adds a unique flavor.
- **Snoop Dogg's Gameplay Mechanic** [02:34] — Snoop Dogg teaches a crafting mechanic for creating sigs that give temporary stat boosts.
- **Discrimination in Japan** [02:47] — In Kokura, Makoto is treated as a second-class citizen despite speaking Japanese, highlighting the theme of identity and belonging.
- **Connection with Tai** [03:00] — Makoto meets a hostess named Tai, and they form a genuine connection, with powerful cutscenes revealing their dark pasts.
- **Cinematic Quality** [03:25] — Over 15 minutes of cutscenes were engaging, showcasing RGG Studio's strength in cinematics and actor performances.
- **Combat in Action** [03:59] — A mission to rescue Tai from a crime boss showcases the combat, which is a little messy with crowds but shines in calculated fights.
- **Combat Controls** [04:14] — Face buttons are for light attacks, triggers for heavy attacks, and a directional parry system requires timing and attention to attack animations.
- **Directional Parry System** [04:28] — Mastering the directional parry system, which involves timing parries with left or right light attacks to stagger foes, is key to flowing through fights.
- **Weapon Variety** [04:58] — Attacks change based on the equipped weapon. A big odachi sword is great for breaking guards but slows movement, while a one-handed knife and wooden club offer more mobility.
- **Boss Fight and Combat Improvement** [05:28] — The boss fight confirmed the combat system's improvement. Key strategies include understanding what's parryable, nailing dodges, and not getting greedy with openings.
- **Combat Reworked** [05:55] — RGG Studio reworked the combat based on feedback from the earlier demo, and it has improved drastically.
- **Fight Club Side Activity** [06:07] — In the snowy town of Kuret (1929), the fight club side activity feels like a boxing game, making the combat make more sense.
- **Weapon Upgrades** [06:20] — There are multiple weapon types to upgrade and gain new techniques from, suggesting a deep progression system.
- **1943 Osaka and Side Activities** [06:36] — The demo's last portion is in 1943 Osaka (Sotenbori), which might have RGG's best side activities yet, including Beyblades and pogs.
- **Beyblade Minigame** [07:04] — The Beyblade minigame involves choosing a beoma, timing power and accuracy on a meter like a golf game, and considering weight distribution and rotational speeds.
- **Pogs Minigame** [07:19] — A pogs minigame where you slam down on a table, using different throwing angles to your advantage.
- **Other Minigames** [07:33] — Other activities include a shooting gallery, five finger fillet, and arm wrestling, which can easily consume hours.
- **Showbiz Minigame** [08:01] — The 'showbiz' side activity combines club/business management and karaoke, where you employ musicians, set prices, choose songs, and time stage effects in a rhythm game element.
- **Decade-Spanning World** [08:33] — The game's different eras provide a lens to see how Japan changes in fashion, music, and nightlife, and how characters like Ko (voiced by J-pop idol Otto) are woven in.
- **Celebrity Casting** [08:59] — Otto's character sings era-appropriate songs, and the celebrity casting works really well.
- **Music Remixing** [09:13] — Players can remix songs by changing the instrument, mood, or tonality of individual tracks (lead, rhythm, bass, drums), completely changing the genre.
- **Anachronistic Music** [09:49] — The reviewer recreated fourth-wave ska with a Balkan brass tune, showing how anachronistic elements can be 'pretty damn sick'.
- **Lead Actor's Perspective** [10:07] — Yoshiro, who plays Makoto Daito, brought his own identity as a half-Japanese person into the role, adding depth to the story about navigating a changing world.
- **Story Themes** [10:32] — The story is about how a man navigates a world constantly changing around him, encompassing history with Imperial Japan, WWII, and Western culture.
- **Tupac's Digital Necromancy** [10:44] — RGG Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama confirmed they got approval from Tupac's estate and family for using his likeness, despite conceptual backlash.
- **Final Thoughts and Release Date** [11:10] — The reviewer still has reservations but is looking forward to the game, which launches on January 15th, 2027, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

## Transcript

hands-on with Stranger Than Heaven from earlier this year. Generally liking what I saw, but unsure if its slower, clunky combat system would get better in time. That was a 45minute demo that thrust you into battle without any real setup. But
in a new 3-hour demo, I got to play it from the start, see a bit of its decade the different towns that represent each time period. That also meant getting real familiar with how to throw hands in the retuned combat. And it feels like
I've done a complete 180°ree turn on RGG Studios next game, meaning I'm kind of Studios next game, meaning I'm kind of all in on the Yakuza team's latest.
about a man of mixed ethnicity and a tumultuous time between Japan and the US. It spans decades and leads right into where the Tojo clan began in 1960s Kamaroo. As someone who's played every Yakuza and Like a Dragon game, this
Yakuza and Like a Dragon game, this sounds like it could hit hard. And being familiar with the dynamic of being mixed and struggling to find your that's touching on something very few games have.
It starts with lead character Makoto Daito looking to get out of San Francisco in 1915 while fleeing the scene of a crime he did not commit. But the bastard cops pursuing him don't care. They can just pin the crime on the
foreigner and call it a day. And man, it's been a while since I've heard some of these oldtimey slurs towards Asians, but that's the tone being set here with face during this time. >> I told you it wasn't me.
>> Shut it, yellow man. Thankfully, we get to whoop their asses as the tutorial for to whoop their asses as the tutorial for this intricate combat system. leaving the Bay Area as a stowaway, and then meets Snoop Dogg's character named
Orpheus after tussling with some of the ship's crew and arrives in a small Japanese town of Kokura. >> America wasn't working out too well, >> Here's what I'll say about Orpheus. Subdog's role kind of works for what the
story is doing because part of it seems to be about outcasts finding community through music. One thing that director Mikobu Abbe mentioned is that Stranger Than Heaven isn't trying to be time period accurate. And maybe being
anacronistic breaks the believability of its world, but I want to see more of how this is done. They also kind of just let Snoop Dogg do his thing, even teaching which is a gameplay mechanic for crafting sigs that give temporary stat
crafting sigs that give temporary stat boosts. Let's see how it turned out. >> Done. Stranger Than Heaven takes on a more serious tone, however. The story sequence I played in Kokura shows Makuto as a very timid outsider whose deep blue
eyes give away his identity and again discriminated against in a country he's supposed to be home to. He mainly speaks Japanese and a little bit of English, but he's still treated as a secondass citizen in Japan. So, he meets a hostess
named Tai at a restaurant under the pretense of getting closer to a crime boss. he's tasked with helping take down. They form what seems like a pretty genuine connection. And the way he clearly lacks the social skills or just
feels an unfortunate shame for who he is comes across powerfully in these cut comes across powerfully in these cut scenes.
person. And so they both lay their motives bare and share their dark pasts. This made for over 15 minutes of cutscenes, and I was still locked in the entire time. RGG Studio and the Yakuza series have been some of the best in
terms of cinematics and actor performances, and Stranger Than Heaven letting the intimate details speak volumes and establish a believable volumes and establish a believable dynamic between characters.
on a factory in Kokura where Tai was being held captive by said crime boss. So I didn't have any real context for what led up to this moment. However, what led up to this moment. However, this is where it dialed in the combat.
a little messy when dealing with crowds, but the calculated nature of fights but the calculated nature of fights shine through. attacks, while the triggers are for their respective heavy attacks, which is
to grips with the directional parry system, I started flowing through each fight. to time the parry with either a left or right light attack to stagger your foe.
And you really have to pay attention to the attack animations, not just for timing, but to make the correct call on the direction it's coming from. ranks of action games with parry systems. Yet, this seemingly minor
having something more engaging. Your attacks also change based on the weapon you have equipped. A big odachi sword isn't always the best option, even if great for breaking guard and finishing enemies with a nasty smack to the face,
enemies with a nasty smack to the face, but it slows down your overall movement. one-handed knife and wooden club, which gave me much needed mobility and kept me feeling nimble for those directional parries. As I fought through the factory
clicking and it prepared me for the boss fight at the end. So instead of feeling whether or not I was actually jelling with the combat system. Turns out I was understanding what's parryable and nailing down dodges around the boss
rather than just backing up. Also, not getting greedy with openings. Those were the keys to surviving. It's demanding, and I like that about it. AB confirmed that RGG Studio reworked the combat after feedback based on that earlier
demo I had mentioned. And while it still has its quirks, it has improved has its quirks, it has improved drastically from what I played. So, when I got to the snowy town of Kuret, as the story moved to 1929, I
sought out the fight club side activity where I just fight dudes in a pit for feel kind of like a boxing game. And when I thought of it like that, the when I thought of it like that, the combat started to make more sense.
weapon types to upgrade and gain new techniques from. So, I'll be curious to see how this system could evolve over an entire playthrough.
to be filled with interesting side activities. The last portion of my demo took place in 1943 Osaka, specifically Sotenbore, which is real life Dotenbore, which you may recognize from the Yakuza games. And Stranger Than Heaven might
just have RGG's best stuff yet. But first, I want to talk to you about a few of the smaller things that I really enjoyed. First off, this game's got enjoyed. First off, this game's got Beyblades, man.
weight distribution and rotational speeds to use in matches. Choose your beoma, time your power and accuracy on a meter like a golf game, and let it rip.
a game of pogs, like we do at the school playground as kids. Here you slam down table. And you can use different throwing angles to your advantage.
and I've learned to play recently. Shouts out to my home girl, Jackie. And sync hours into these games without advancing the main story. things like a shooting gallery for items, five finger fillet, and arm
items, five finger fillet, and arm wrestling. infuses the club/ businessmanagement and karaoke minigames into one robust side
activity called showbiz. And I already love it from what I've played. It's thematically coherent with music being one of the major thrusts of the story, and it fits who Makato becomes as a character. You'll employ musicians, set
prices, choose the songs that they perform, and hopefully draw crowds in to easygoing rhythm game element, having you time the transitions for lights and stage effects with the performance to keep the crowd engaged.
as the story spans different decades and eras. And it's a lens to see how Japan changes in those time periods with fashion, music, and nightlife. And it's how the character Ko, played by J-pop idol Otto, is woven into this world. As
a big-time fan of Otto myself, it's pretty wild hearing her voice a character in a game, but also singing the very songs that her character performs. >> I got to hear and play two of her
in-game songs, both being era appropriate, and it's such a nice touch where a celebrity casting works really well.
individual tracks of the songs that are available. So, you can take the same old song, change what kind of instrument, mood, or tonality fills the lead, rhythm, bass, or drum tracks to completely change the genre of the song
itself. For example, I basically recreated fourthwave SCA with a classic Balkan brass tune by setting every instrument to intense for contemporary punk sound and setting the horns to melancholy. Like, listen to this.
out. Again, this is one of the ways that things get anneronistic, but not going things get anneronistic, but not going to lie, this is pretty damn sick.
Heaven fascinating. And in talking to Yoshiro, who plays Makoto Daito, he mentioned bringing together his careers in music and acting into one role, but also his own identity as a half-Japanese person who primarily speaks Japanese and
still struggled with finding his place in the world. The story encompasses history with Imperial Japan, World War II, and Western culture spilling over. And AB said that this is a story more
about how a man navigates a world that's constantly changing around him. But then there's the whole digital necromancy of Tupac. RGG studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama already told me earlier this year about how they think using his
likeness is a good fit and talked with Tupac's estate and family about the project to get approval despite the backlash and overall tastelessness conceptually. Involving Snoop Dog also seems like stunt casting, but maybe that
could work out well in the end. Not bad for your first time. So sometimes I just Stranger Than Heaven. I still have reservations about it despite being one of the upcoming games I'm looking forward to most. And if anything, I just
want to see what the hell RGG is doing with some of its questionable parts. But into focus, and I need to know how it all plays out in the end. We'll see soon since it's the first major release of 2027, launching on January 15th for
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. my interview with director Mikobu AB and lead actor Yoshiro on IGN, where we talk
about music, being outsiders, and how all that informs the story of Stranger below. And for everything else in the world of games, stick with IGN.