I'm not surprised by how much Yakuza DNA is in Stranger Than Heaven, but I am shocked by how much I love it

Playing Stranger Than Heaven, I see obscured police officer reflections through the well lit high-fashion storefront windows. They shout "Where the hell did he go? You're not gettin' away with murder! Just give up!" as an unknown man covered in dirt and grime emerges into a back alley, clearly on the run. A loud foghorn blares in the distance, signaling a ship departure and the man stumbles through the alleyway in the direction of the horn. This mystery man donning a ratty blonde wig and big pink bow in his hair slowly makes his way through the alley as jazz music swells to fill every crack in the brick lined walls.

He approaches the quiet and foggy docks only to catch more police officers lying in wait. The only way onto the boat is through them, and so they duke it out. Back up against the ocean with nowhere else to run, a seemingly impossible opening presents itself and the man makes a break for it, leaping into the ocean to chase after the boat, to leave America behind, and start again. Those are my opening moments with Stranger Than Heaven's protagonist Makoto Daito, Yakuza developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's latest project, a game that finds ways to blend familiar ideas of found family with new and ambitious storytelling structures.

Finding home

Stranger Than Heaven posits the question of what it means to belong in this world, to have a sense of home. Daito is of blended American and Japanese heritage, ceaselessly wrestling with not being enough of either nationality to find acceptance amongst his peers. This thread carries through the early hours of my hands-on, eventually coalescing into a powerful moment shared between Daito and a companion, where he is welcomed home for the first time in his life. He sits there, pondering the words over a drink, quietly muttering "welcome home" to himself, realizing it's the first time he's ever felt like he belongs.

This somber moment of reflection helps paint the larger picture of Stranger Than Heaven's bigger ideas of self identity, taking the concepts often found in Yakuza that deal in identity as it relates to group roles and dynamics and pairing it down to focus on an individual. Putting the emphasis on the life of Makoto Daito through multiple different eras of his life and the ever-changing landscape of Japan, we get to see a whole life lived.

1915 Kokura, Kyushu island's castle town, is the first of many stops in my preview. While this section sees high-stakes action in the form of a warehouse raid to free a kidnapped love interest, it's also juxtaposed with comedic relief. International smuggler and Makoto's mentor Orpheus (Snoop Dogg) takes time to teach Makoto how to roll a cigarette, which acts as a moment of levity while also showing how to create an item that boosts both attack and defense.

Kokura in this era is a large town with small village vibes. Numerous storefronts line the dirt roads I walk. I visit an apothecary to stock up on healing medicine, I drink straight from a water faucet in the ground to sober up after having one too many drinks, and of course, I pick a fight or two.

Combat is drastically different from anything RGG Studio has done before. Attacks are mapped to the shoulder buttons and triggers, meaning the left and right bumpers swing each matching fist while the triggers control my kicks. It's a system that takes some getting used to, especially as I attempt to weave in more complicated inputs like grabs and parries.

Stranger Than Heaven's combat feels more akin to the flow of a fighting game rather than a traditional beat 'em up. I find myself getting better with each fight, becoming more confident in each swing. I can feel Makoto getting more knowledgeable through the eras as well.

"Once you start using the same weapon, for example, Daito will start to learn a lot of skills based on that weapon," says director Mikinobu Abe. "So, it's more like you can customize Daito's life to your preference of what weapon you want him to master. If you want to use a knife throughout the 50 years of his life, of course Makoto himself will get good at the weapon, and that triggers making him do more move sets and more combos."

Later, Abe makes an announcement that there is a dangerous samurai near the river, advising against fighting him too early. So, naturally, I head straight for the katana wielding madman by the river.

Under the moonlight we clash steel. I learn to parry his seemingly never-ending combo strings. Constantly switching between my left and right arm to block his multi-directional strikes, trading heavy blows back and forth, I finally stagger him. This provides my opening to get a few good hits in. Using both triggers I grab and toss him to the ground and begin slamming him with everything I have until he rises to his feet again.

We swap hits back and forth again until he knocks me onto my back. Slashing down at me I roll out of the way so it misses me by a hair. It's like a choreographed action movie sequence, but one that feels natural and intuitive to unfurl during play. Plenty of other side activities I encounter have this same sense of flair, space between missions always have a sense of absurdity and danger.

Jumping ahead 14 years to 1929 Kure, Hiroshima, Daito is older, a little more established, and growing in confidence. As I approach alongside a trolleycar while walking Kure, Daito hops up and grabs the side, hanging off of it as it carries me down the street. Despite it being my first time in Kure, it's clear Daito has been around the block a few times. The way he enters shops, takes part in the underground fight clubs, and enters his home presents a more mature version of the man I knew nearly fifteen years prior.

There's a liveliness to Kure in the daytime. People dining in the streets, old men playing Menko along the river, and hooligans looking for a street brawl. I spend most of my time in an underground fight club, defeating a rotating cast of difficult enemies for pocket change and bragging rights as I master challenges under special conditions ("no weapons", for instance).

Make some noise

Fast-forward to 1943 Minami, Osaka and things have changed quite a bit again. The low hum and bright glow of neon signs seep color onto the streets below. I hop into the first building I see, a small theater venue looking to put on a performance. At this moment I learn about Makoto's involvement in show business, and how deep those systems go.

Everything in Stranger Than Heaven feeds into a system that allows Makoto to gather music inspiration. Colorful bubbles populate the screen during combat, when Daito hears a small tune from a nearby radio, or the sound of dice rattling in a cup before being thrown. The world is filled with little bits and bobs for Makoto to grab. Focusing one of those bubbles and clicking a button lets you hone in and obtain the inspiration for later use.

After collecting a few different inspirations from local storefront radios I make my way to where this all comes together, my base of operations – marked with a house icon on the map – going upstairs to where the upright piano is. Here I talk to pianist Takashi to begin composing music. Each song has different moods that can be tweaked and changed to alter the way it sounds. Taking a piano backing that's tagged as relaxing and swapping it for a more intense sound changes how people respond to it when played live.

After changing out the instrumentation of the song I head over to a nearby desk where I begin selecting ticket prices, hiring musicians and singers, and customizing the stage lighting and attire in order to ensure the show is profitable. It's reminiscent of the Yakuza 0 cabaret minigame, but blown up to be much more detailed.

Music plays a massive role in Stranger Than Heaven, not just as a tool for Makoto to make money, but as a way of connecting to people. "He finds the joy that music is something that needs no explanation with a race or a language barrier," says Abe. "And that was something that was really important for Makoto to progress, having motivation within his life, as well as something that he could connect with people."

There's still so much more to uncover in Stranger Than Heaven, but after this relatively small slice of the game, I'm excited to see what's waiting for Makoto Daito through the rest of his life.

Wondering what heavenly gaming experiences will tide you over while you wait for Stranger Than Heaven? Look no further than our best Yakuza games or best ARPGs rankings for what to play next!