I’ve been a fan of the Yakuza or Like a Dragon series since the very beginning. As a magazine writer I was lucky enough to visit Sega’s headquarters in Tokyo during the development of the original PlayStation 2 title way back in 2005, and in my years at IGN I’ve reviewed a number of the remakes, sequels, and spin-offs of RGG Studio’s long-running crime series. At this point I’ve invested hundreds of hours into beating the absolute snot out of Japanese mobsters, either via the button-mashing combo-based style of the original adventures or the turn-based RPG form that’s become core to the most recent mainline entries. Thus I feel pretty well-equipped to handle anything that RGG Studio can throw my way at this point, which is why I was so shocked that the new combat system in upcoming series prequel Stranger Than Heaven so completely kicked my arse.

At a recent BiliBili Game First Look event in Shanghai, I got some brief hands-on time with a brawling-based demo for Stranger Than Heaven. (It was the same demo that my colleague Michael Higham recently played, and you can read his excellent preview here.) My first attempts at Stranger Than Heaven’s all-new street fighting style felt harder than hell, but after slowly getting to grips with it over the course of my 30-minute demo I began to feel confident that this is exactly the sort of substantial shift that the Like a Dragon fighting formula has needed for quite a while now.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that RGG Studio needs to scrap the turn-based combat system that it introduced in Yakuza: Like a Dragon and later evolved in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The novelty of that JRPG-style system is yet to wear off for me, largely because it allows for so many hilarious special moves and a more strategic team-based dynamic in each scrap. I’m talking about the more traditional beat ‘em up system that has effectively been offloaded onto the series’ spin-offs in recent years. RGG Studio may have introduced a briefcase-load of James Bond gadgets in Like a Dragon Gaiden, or cutlasses and flintlocks in Pirate Yakuza, but the actual fighting mechanics of those combo-based systems has remained unaltered for the most part. Even though I still enjoy them, I can’t pretend that they don’t feel a bit too familiar at this point.

Stranger Than Heaven’s heavily overhauled scrapping, then, feels like the kick in the pants followed by a violent uppercut to the jaw that Like a Dragon’s aging fisticuffs has been crying out for. Forget about chugging in-game energy drinks to pump up your heat gauge and then button-mashing hordes of street thugs into oblivion like in previous Kazama Kiryu-led adventures, because Stranger Than Heaven’s gangs are liable to quickly kick you to the curb if you don’t have your wits about you. The new setup that uses the controller’s four shoulder buttons to effectively puppeteer the left and right fists of protagonist Makoto Daito sure takes some getting used to, both in terms of smoothly alternating his punches but also anticipating the direction of incoming attacks and parrying them effectively, but after finally falling into a rhythm with it after my first few failed attempts it felt incredibly satisfying to pull off. I felt like I had to lock-in for absolutely every exchange in every combat encounter, which meant that my eventual victories felt far more earned than the lazy bicycle-swinging beatdowns of previous Yakuza and Like a Dragon installments.

Though its learning curve is initially steep, it ultimately feels like the most grounded form of street fighting that RGG Studio has ever designed. In fact, its more rough and tumble realism reminded me of the melee system in 007 First Light, only it felt like I had far more direct control over the moves I was pulling off thanks to the dedicated right and left attack setup. For example, as I wielded a large crowbar in my right hand while tackling a gang of six or so assailants, one of the goons grabbed hold of the end of my weapon and attempted to wrench it out of my grasp. To my surprise, while I was locked in a temporary tug-o-war I still had full control of Makoto’s left hand, which allowed me to throw a few jabs at a second attacker attempting to blindside me. I then grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and knocked his skull into the first thug, taking them both out and allowing me to resume my crowbar-based bullying.

[Stranger Than Heaven's] more rough and tumble realism reminded me of the melee system in 007 First Light, only it felt like I had far more direct control over the moves I was pulling off.“

Having said that, Stranger Than Heaven’s combat is not without its issues, at least in its current state. I found that the soft lock-on that aligns Makoto with each opponent would occasionally slip, sending me swinging wildly in the wrong direction and leaving me vulnerable to attacks from the rear. Also, while I enjoyed the generally weighty feel to each and every blow I landed, some of the charged up attacks with heavier weapons seemed a touch too sluggish for my tastes. Of course, with Stranger Than Heaven not due for release until early next year, there’s still time for RGG Studio to tighten things up.

Still my overall impression of Stranger Than Heaven’s more challenging brawling system is a positive one, and its dramatic shakeup leaves me feeling optimistic that combat won’t be the only area of the adventure where the developers are taking a big swing. I'm hopeful that this will present the perfect opportunity for RGG Studio to hit the reset button on all aspects of its long established Like a Dragon template, from mission design to the interactive nature of its world and the methods we use to explore it. For example, the audio-recording feature that allows Makoto to record sound samples from the world around him and then convert them into musical compositions certainly sounds cool on paper, and already seems like it could be far more involved than the simple rhythm-based button-tapping of the karaoke mini-game that’s been recycled in every Yakuza and Like a Dragon release since Yakuza 3.

I also wonder what other new diversions there could be, given that the story’s 1915 to 1965 setting presumably prohibits the use of the usual modern side activities like Club Sega’s and Master System cartridges found in other Like a Dragon stories. We already know there’ll be arm wrestling mini-games, but could there be old school pachinko parlours as well? And given that the events of Stranger Than Heaven span the course of five decades, will those side activities evolve with each leap forward in time? Not to mention the change in each of the five city settings. You’d think that by the time the story arrives in 1965 Shinjuku, we should be able to try out virtual versions of the electromechanical amusements that Sega famously pioneered during that decade.

I’m desperately keen to learn more, because so far I’ve been pretty excited by everything that RGG Studio has revealed. Well, I mean except for the Tupac thing, of course. Why on earth is Tupac in Stranger Than Heaven? Well, much like the gang of burly thugs I encountered in my hands-on, it beats the heck out of me. Sure, it makes sense that Snoop Dogg is in the game, because Snoop Dogg is in basically everything at this point from televised singing contests to carrying the torch at the last Olympic Games. But having the late great Tupac resurrected in a 2027 videogame for no clear reason just feels a bit off to me. Then again, I’m generally opposed to digital zombies in any modern media, no matter who signs off on it. I can’t watch the CGI’d Peter Cushing reprise his role as Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: Rogue One without sensing a great disturbance in the Force, for example.

However, that doesn’t prevent me from rewatching Rogue One from time to time, and nor will the somewhat baffling inclusion of Tupac deter me from lunging fists-first into Stranger Than Heaven when it arrives in January 2027. Despite the fact its story takes place in the same fictional Japan as the Like a Dragon saga, Stranger Than Heaven feels as though it's determined to establish its own identity – at least if its fresh-feeling and fiercely challenging fighting system is any indication. Here’s hoping that in all facets, Stranger Than Heaven finds the team at RGG Studio performing stronger than ever, and that this ends up being something much more than just a ye olde Yakuza.

Tristan Ogilvie is a Senior Video Editor at IGN's Sydney office. He attended the recent BiliBili Game First Look event as a guest of the organisers.