Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has provided new information on its upcoming game Stranger Than Heaven.
Originally revealed during The Game Awards in late 2024, under the title Project Century, it was confirmed in June 2025 that the final title would be Stranger Than Heaven.
Now, in a new 30-minute presentation on the official Xbox channel, the Yakuza / Like a Dragon studio has revealed more information on the game, including its cast and story details.
As previously confirmed, the game will take place over five time periods, in five different locations. These are as follows:
- 1915 – Kokura
- 1929 – Kure
- 1943 – Osaka
- 1951 – Atami
- 1965 – Shinjuku
The cast includes Yu Shirota (Hana-Kimi), Dean Fujioka (Fullmetal Alchemist), Snoop Dogg (Training Day), his son Cordell Broadus, Moeka Hoshi (Shogun), Akio Otsuka (Lupin III), Tokuma Nishioka (Shogun), Takashi Ukaji (Tokyo Park) and the late Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honor and Humanity), as well as singers Tori Kelly, Satoshi Fujihara and Ado.
The game opens in 1915 and follows Makoto Daito, a young man born from an American feather and a Japanese mother.
“A man of industry, Makoto’s father travelled all across the world, settling in many different places,” executive director Masayoshi Yokoyama explained during the presentation.
“The family eventually settled down in his father’s hometown in America. However, not long after they arrived, Makoto’s father abruptly passed away. A Japanese mother and child with little English proficiency were left alone without the protection they once knew.”
As Makoto and his mother are met with prejudice from society, his mother eventually dies too, leading Makoto to decide to move to Japan.
“It’s here he’s met with a pivotal decision,” Yokoyama explained. “Stay in a dangerous and potentially damning America, or to try his luck in Japan – his mother’s home country – a place where many should look just like him.”
Makoto boards a ship alone and encounters a smuggler called Orpheus (Snoop Dogg), who decides to take Makoto on as his sidekick because of his ability to speak Japanese.
The resulting story spans 50 years, following the life of Makoto and his lifelong friend Yu Shinjo, and the troubles they find themselves in.
The game’s combat mechanics differ from those of the Yakuza / Like a Dragon games in that the left and right bumpers and triggers control Makoto’s left and right limbs. This allows him to perform various combinations, or – as an example shown during the presentation – attack with his left hand when an enemy is grabbing onto his right hand.
Music also plays a central role in the game, with Makoto able to collect sounds from things he hears in the environment, then combine and arrange these sounds to create original musical compositions.
The presentation concluded by announcing that Stranger Than Heaven will be released this winter on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, and will be available on Xbox Game Pass.
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