• RGG Studio's Stranger Than Heaven was fully unveiled during a recent 'Xbox Presents' showcase
• The game's story will span 50 years, following the main protagonist's life in the underbelly of Japan
• Stranger Than Heaven is set before the Yakuza series, and features combat that is a huge departure from it

The action role-playing game (RPG) genre has seen a wide range of entries over the years, providing exceptional narrative-driven experiences with exciting combat and unique mechanics to keep players engaged — and RGG Studio, which is responsible for the Yakuza series, looks set to continue the trend with a new IP.

As highlighted by Xbox Wire, Stranger Than Heaven is a brand-new action RPG title, serving as a prequel to the Like A Dragon series (or better known as the Yakuza series), which is poised to deliver an immersive narrative, with explosive combat, and an adventure that is unlike most action RPGs available.

Fortunately, Xbox recently presented a deeper look into what to expect when Stranger Than Heaven launches this winter on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC, including the unveiling of its star-studded cast, with familiar faces like Snoop Dogg (yes, I'm not kidding).

Most importantly, though, there are a few key takeaways from the showcase that are worth highlighting as unique departures from the original Yakuza series and other action RPGs — and as someone who could never get into the Yakuza series for numerous reasons, Stranger Than Heaven is on track to change that completely.

The story spans over 50 years

In Stranger Than Heaven, players will follow the story of its main protagonist, Makoto Daito, after leaving his home in the United States following the death of his American father and Japanese mother, and finding his way over to Japan in 1915.

Makoto will meet Yu Shinjo, another young boy with a similar background, both sharing the same main goal of starting a new life in Japan — and both characters' journeys will be explored throughout the game's narrative, which spans a whopping 50 years, showcasing the clash of the pair's ideals in a world sprawling with crime and chaos, and notably, business involving the yakuza organizations.

Sure, there are a decent number of action RPGs that have their narratives span over many years, but RGG Studio is committing to it in a way that will keep the experience feeling fresh and exciting.

Five decades, five main cities

An action RPG set in one location over the span of 50 years is no fun, and that's exactly where RGG Studio's Stranger Than Heaven may thrive, as players will essentially watch Makoto's growth in Japan's underworld over 50 years spread out across five districts: Kokura, Kure, Minami, Atami, and Shinjuku, present in Fukouka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Shizuoka, and Tokyo, respectively.

It's a smart move from RGG Studio to avoid the game becoming repetitive, and frankly, it's an ambitious way to focus on a main protagonist's story in one game — and by the looks of it, each location should have an expansive map ready for exploration.

Combat is very distinct from the Yakuza series

In my eyes, the combat is easily the most unique aspect of Stranger Than Heaven showcased so far, serving as a significant departure from RGG Studio's combat system in the Yakuza series.

The arcadey, over-the-top, anime-style combat featured almost throughout the Yakuza series is my biggest pain point with the franchise, and the main reason why I could never get into it.

Fortunately, RGG Studio appears to be going down the more realistic, visceral, gritty, and grounded route with Stranger Than Heaven's combat. The control scheme is also vastly different from other action RPGs, as players will use the left and right bumpers to control Makoto's left and right attacks independently, creating a very different dynamic to each combat encounter.

Collecting world sounds as recordings

Since music is one of Makoto's strongest talents, developers have implemented a mechanic that quite literally allows players to listen to world sounds and save them as recordings for 'future compositions,' according to the game director, Mikonobu Abe.

It's evident from all of its trailers that Stranger Than Heaven has music as one of its standout themes, notably featuring musicians like Tori Kelly, Satoshi Fujihara, and Snoop Dogg (who plays a non-musical role in this game), and this sound recording mechanic ties directly into Makoto's role as a showman.

Players will be able to manage and produce gigs for popular artists, and this is just one of the many activities that will be available throughout the game. Stranger Than Heaven is shaping up to be a big hit, and it only helps that it will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass — and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

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Isaiah is a Staff Writer for the Computing channel at TechRadar. He's spent over two years writing about all things tech, specifically games on PC, consoles, and handhelds. He started off at GameRant in 2022 after graduating from Birmingham City University in the same year, before writing at PC Guide which included work on deals articles, reviews, and news on PC products such as GPUs, CPUs, monitors, and more. He spends most of his time finding out about the exciting new features of upcoming GPUs, and is passionate about new game releases on PC, hoping that the ports aren't a complete mess.