Ryu Ga Gotoko will release Stranger Than Heaven sometime this winter, the studio has announced at the game’s Xbox showcase. It has also released a new trailer and shared more details about the game, including actors involved in the project. Stranger Than Heaven will revolve around Makoto Daito, a half-Japanese and half-American boy whose story begins in 1915 when he sneaks on a ship owned by a smuggler played by Snoop Dogg. Daito is going on a journey to Japan, believing he will never be fully accepted in the US.
The game spans five decades and follows the protagonist’s journey across the country until he becomes Makoto Tojo, the founder and first chairman of the Tojo Clan. In 1915, the game is set in Kokura, Fukuoka. In 1929, it’s Kure, Hiroshima, and then Minami, Osaka in 1943. The game then moves to Atami, Shizuoka in 1951, and finally to Shinjuku, Tokyo in 1965. In the beginning of the trailer, you’ll hear an adult Daito talk about starting the Tojo clan, a group prominently featured in RGG’s Yakuza series. Kazuma Kiryu, the protagonist in most of the Yakuza games, was part of the Tojo Clan and even became its fourth chairman.
In addition to Snoop Dogg, the cast includes Yu Shirota as Makoto Daito, as well as Bunta Sugawara, who died over 10 years ago but whose likeness was used in the game. As Gosu Gamers notes, Sugawara was a prolific actor who became famous for portraying the lead character in the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series of yakuza films.
In the trailer, you’ll see that Stranger Than Heaven’s gameplay includes more than just brawling and fighting. As Daito, players will be able to create new music by arranging melodies and will even be able to scout singers and performers to put musical acts together.