Ahead of its January 2027 launch, RGG Studio’s brand-new action-adventure title Stranger Than Heaven received a Gamescom demo and new gameplay video. While this demo mostly demonstrates the game’s combat system, the developers say that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with city exploration being another major part of the game players should look forward to.
Stranger Than Heaven is a human drama spanning five Japanese cities across five different eras, following the life of protagonist Makoto Daito. The story starts in Kokura in 1915, followed by Kure in 1929, Minami in 1943, Atami in 1951, and Kamurocho in 1965.
Although five cities is a lot, Stranger Than Heaven producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto told Inven Global that he is confident “the level design density for each individual location is the most detailed we’ve ever created.” This is particularly the case when it comes to enterable buildings and various shops players can directly step into while exploring.
He goes on to say, “The volume of exploration content is the largest we’ve ever produced. As for adventure elements, substories are naturally included, alongside several minigames that let players experience authentic entertainment culture from those eras. We crafted everything with great care so players can thoroughly explore and savor the feel of each era while engaging with the core gameplay.”
On a related note, RGG Studio lead Masayoshi Yokoyama previously told us that in terms of map size, Stranger Than Heaven’s locations will be roughly comparable to that of mainline Like a Dragon games, so the increase in density shouldn’t get too overwhelming. Likewise, the number of minigames will be brought down a notch given the game’s historical setting.
Still, Stranger Than Heaven looks to be forming into a substantial game, especially considering it was originally conceived as a trilogy and is already 6-7 years in the making.
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN is set to release on January 15, 2027 for PC (Steam), Xbox Series X❘S and PlayStation 5. The title will also be coming to Xbox Game Pass.
