[0:04] I've been a fan of the Yakuza or like a
[0:06] dragon series since the very beginning.
[0:08] As a magazine writer, I was lucky enough
[0:10] to visit Sega's headquarters in Tokyo
[0:12] during the development of the original
[0:14] PlayStation 2 title way back in 2005.
[0:17] And in my years at IGN, I've reviewed a
[0:19] number of the remakes, sequels, and
[0:20] spin-offs of RGG Studios longunning
[0:23] crime series. At this point, I've
[0:25] invested hundreds of hours into beating
[0:27] the absolute snot out of Japanese
[0:29] mobsters, either via the button mashing
[0:31] combo based style of the original
[0:33] adventures or the turn-based RPG form
[0:35] that's become core to the most recent
[0:37] mainline entries. Thus, I feel pretty
[0:39] well equipped to handle anything that
[0:40] RGG Studio can throw my way at this
[0:43] point, which is why I was so shocked
[0:44] that the new combat system in upcoming
[0:46] series prequel Stranger Than Heaven so
[0:48] completely kicked my ass.
[0:53] At a recent Billy Billy game first look
[0:55] event in Shanghai, I got some brief
[0:57] hands-on time with a brawling based demo
[0:59] for Stranger Than Heaven. My first
[1:01] attempts at its allnew street fighting
[1:03] style felt harder than hell. But after
[1:05] slowly getting to grips with it over the
[1:07] course of my 30-inute demo, I began to
[1:09] feel confident that this is exactly the
[1:10] sort of substantial shift that the Like
[1:12] a Dragon fighting formula has needed for
[1:14] quite a while now.
[1:22] To be clear, I'm not suggesting that RGG
[1:24] Studio needs to scrap the turn-based
[1:26] combat system that it introduced in
[1:27] Yakaza: Like a Dragon and later evolved
[1:29] in Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. The
[1:32] novelty of that JRPG style system is yet
[1:34] to wear off for me, largely because it
[1:37] allows for so many hilarious special
[1:38] moves and a more strategic team-based
[1:40] dynamic in each scrap. I'm talking about
[1:42] the more traditional beat him up system
[1:44] that has effectively been offloaded onto
[1:46] the series spin-offs in recent years.
[1:48] RGG Studio may have introduced a
[1:50] briefcase load of James Bond gadgets in
[1:52] like a Dragon Giden or cutlesses and
[1:55] flint locks in Pirate Yakuza, but the
[1:57] actual fighting mechanics of those combo
[1:59] based systems has remained unaltered for
[2:01] the most part. Even though I still enjoy
[2:03] them, I can't pretend that they don't
[2:04] feel a bit too familiar at this point.
[2:09] Stranger Than Heaven's heavily
[2:11] overhauled scrapping then feels like the
[2:12] kick in the pants followed by a violent
[2:14] uppercut to the jaw that like a dragon's
[2:16] aging fisticuffs has been crying out
[2:18] for. Forget about chugging in-game
[2:20] energy drinks to pump up your heat gauge
[2:22] and then button mashing hordes of street
[2:24] thugs into oblivion like in previous
[2:26] Kazamakiruddled adventures because
[2:28] stranger than heavens gangs are liable
[2:30] to quickly kick you to the curb if you
[2:31] don't have your wits about you. The new
[2:33] setup that uses the controller's four
[2:35] shoulder buttons to effectively
[2:36] puppeteer the left and right fists of
[2:38] protagonist Makoto Daito sure takes some
[2:41] getting used to. Both in terms of
[2:43] smoothly alternating his punches and
[2:44] also anticipating the direction of
[2:46] incoming attacks and parrying them
[2:47] effectively. But after finally falling
[2:49] into a rhythm with it after my first few
[2:51] failed attempts, it felt incredibly
[2:53] satisfying to pull off.
[2:58] I felt I had to lock in for absolutely
[2:59] every exchange in every combat
[3:01] encounter, which meant that my eventual
[3:03] victories felt far more earned than the
[3:04] lazy bicycle swinging beatdowns of
[3:06] previous Yakuza and Like a Dragon
[3:08] installments.
[3:14] Though its learning curve is initially
[3:16] steep, it ultimately feels like the most
[3:17] grounded form of street fighting that
[3:19] RGG Studio has ever designed. In fact,
[3:22] its more rough and tumble realism
[3:24] reminded me of the melee system in 007
[3:26] First Light. Only it felt like I had far
[3:28] more direct control over the moves I was
[3:30] pulling off thanks to the dedicated
[3:31] right and left attack setup. For
[3:33] example, as I wielded a large crowbar in
[3:35] my right hand while tackling a gang of
[3:37] six or so asalants, one of the goons
[3:39] grabbed hold of the end of my weapon and
[3:40] attempted to wrench it out of my grasp.
[3:42] To my surprise, while I was locked in a
[3:44] temporary tugof-war, I still had full
[3:46] control of Makoto's left hand, which
[3:48] allowed me to throw a few jabs at a
[3:50] second attacker attempting to blindside
[3:52] me. I then grabbed him by the scruff of
[3:54] the neck and knocked his skull into the
[3:55] first thug, taking them both out and
[3:57] allowing me to resume my crowbar based
[3:59] bullying.
[4:04] >> Having said that, Stranger Than Heaven's
[4:06] combat is not without its issues, at
[4:08] least in its current state. I found that
[4:11] the soft lock on that aligns Makoto with
[4:13] each opponent would occasionally slip,
[4:15] sending me swinging wildly in the wrong
[4:17] direction and leaving me vulnerable to
[4:18] attacks from the rear.
[4:22] >> Also, while I enjoyed the generally
[4:23] weighty feel to each and every blow I
[4:25] landed, some of the charged up attacks
[4:27] with heavier weapons seemed a touch too
[4:29] sluggish for my tastes.
[4:33] Of course, with Stranger Than Heaven not
[4:34] due for release until early next year,
[4:36] there's still time for RGG Studio to
[4:38] tighten things up. Still, my overall
[4:40] impression of Stranger Than Heaven's
[4:42] more challenging brawling system is a
[4:44] positive one, and its dramatic shakeup
[4:46] leaves me feeling optimistic that combat
[4:48] won't be the only area of the adventure
[4:50] where the developers are taking a big
[4:51] swing. I'm hopeful that this will
[4:54] present the perfect opportunity for RGG
[4:56] Studio to hit the reset buttons on all
[4:58] aspects of it longestablished like a
[5:00] dragon template, from mission design to
[5:02] the interactive nature of its world and
[5:04] the methods we use to explore it. For
[5:06] example, the audio recording feature
[5:08] that allows Makoto to record sound
[5:10] samples from the world around him and
[5:11] then convert them into musical
[5:13] compositions certainly sounds cool on
[5:15] paper and already seems like it could be
[5:17] far more involved than the simple
[5:18] rhythm-based buttontapping of the
[5:20] karaoke miniame that's been recycled in
[5:22] every Yakuza and Like a Dragon release
[5:24] since Yakuza 3.
[5:29] I also wonder what other new diversions
[5:31] there could be, especially given that
[5:33] the story's 1915 to 1965 setting
[5:36] presumably prohibits the use of the
[5:38] usual modern side activities like Club
[5:40] Seagas and Master System cartridges
[5:42] found in other Like a Dragon stories. We
[5:45] already know that there'll be arm
[5:46] wrestling mini games, but could there be
[5:47] old school pachinko parlor as well? And
[5:50] given that the events of Stranger Than
[5:51] Heaven span the course of five decades,
[5:54] will those side activities evolve with
[5:56] each leap forward in time? Not to
[5:58] mention the change in each of the five
[5:59] city settings. You'd think that by the
[6:01] time the story arrives in 1965
[6:03] Shinjjuku, we should be able to try out
[6:06] virtual versions of the
[6:07] electromechanical amusements that Sega
[6:09] famously pioneered during that decade.
[6:11] I'm desperately keen to learn more
[6:13] because so far I've been pretty excited
[6:15] by everything that RGG Studio has
[6:17] revealed. Well, I mean, except for the
[6:19] Tupac thing, of course. Why on earth is
[6:22] Tupac in Stranger Than than Heaven?
[6:24] Well, much like the gang of burly thugs
[6:26] I encountered in my hands on, it beats
[6:28] the hell out of me.
[6:32] >> Sure, it makes sense that Snoop Dogg is
[6:33] in the game because Snoop Dogg is in
[6:35] basically everything at this point from
[6:37] televised singing contests to carrying
[6:39] the torch at the last Olympic Games.
[6:41] Surprise, mother. You watching my brand
[6:44] new show? Surprise, mother. was Snoop
[6:46] Dogg and mother, you've been surprised.
[6:49] But having the late great Tupac
[6:50] resurrected in a 2027 video game for no
[6:53] clear reason just feels a bit off to me.
[6:56] Then again, I'm generally opposed to
[6:58] digital zombies in any modern media, no
[7:00] matter who signs off on it. I can't
[7:02] watch the CGIed Peter Cushing reprise
[7:04] his role as Moff Tarkin in Star Wars
[7:06] Rogue One without sensing a great
[7:08] disturbance in the Force, for example.
[7:11] >> You have made time an ally of the
[7:13] Rebellion.
[7:15] However, that doesn't prevent me from
[7:16] re-watching Rogue One from time to time,
[7:18] and nor will the somewhat baffling
[7:20] inclusion of Tupac deter me from lunging
[7:22] fists first into Stranger Than Heaven
[7:24] when it arrives in January 2027. Despite
[7:27] the fact its story takes place in the
[7:29] same fictional Japan as the Like a
[7:30] Dragon Saga, Stranger Than Heaven feels
[7:32] as though it's determined to establish
[7:34] its own identity. At least if its fresh
[7:36] feeling and fiercely challenging
[7:38] fighting system is any indication.
[7:40] Here's hoping that in all facets,
[7:42] Stranger Than Heaven finds the team at
[7:44] RGG Studio performing stronger than
[7:46] ever.
[7:57] >> For more IGN looks at upcoming games,
[7:59] check out our previews of Tomb Raider:
[8:00] Legacy of Atlantis and Alien Isolation
[8:03] 2. And for everything else, stick with
[8:05] IGN.
[8:08] Hey.