Though you may not vibe with every one of their games, it’s hard to deny that the people behind the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series have an abundant sense of style. It’s not every year, however, we get a new franchise from the legendary Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, but damn if this next title doesn’t look special.
Initially teased at The Game Awards 2024 as Project Century, the studio has now given the game an official title: Stranger Than Heaven.
Stranger Than Heaven’s debut was on the Summer Game Fest event stage, and it was hard to guess just what game we were looking at initially. The trailer starts off with the character sitting at a live musical performance in what looks to be 1940s Japan, before they exit the bar and we get the iconic Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio logo.
There are, of course, plenty of trademark RGG elements in this one. Combat looks about as brutal (and silly) as the older Yakuza games, and the exploration and city life side does show up in the footage, too.
There appears to be more of a puzzle-solving, and choices focus in this one, however, which isn’t typically what you come to Like a Dragon for. Something else well worth mentioning is that the game takes place over multiple eras. The initial reveal trailer showed a 1915 setting, whereas today’s re-reveal takes place in 1943 – which is a massive jump.
If the game’s working title holds true, the game may let us experience a story that takes place across the entire 19th century, but we’d be happy to just see pre and post-World War 2 Japan. There’s clearly a lot going on in this; not least of which the American influence element, and what seems to be a supernatural side to our hero.
Stranger Than Heaven does not yet have a release target, nor do we know which platforms it’s going to be coming to, yet. Considering how cool this re-reveal is, however, the game already has fans eager to see what RGG Studio will show of it next.