Stranger Than Heaven hands-on preview impresses thanks to innovative combat

Stranger Than Heaven is just full of surprises, isn’t it? First, we learned that Yakuza developer Ryu Ga Gotoku’s crime game would take place across five different eras. Then, we learned it featured Snoop Dogg in a starring role. And in its most recent trailer, we learned that Tupac makes a bizarre cameo too, for some reason. I wouldn’t call all of those great surprises, but it turns out that Ryu Ga Gotoku had one genuinely good one up its sleeve: a totally new, and brutal, approach to combat.

The crime drama features an evolved brawling system that looks similar to Yakuza, but is way more nuanced in practice. I got a feel for it in a hands-on demo at Summer Game Fest, where I was dropped into three fights across three decades. It was only a tiny taste of what looks like a sprawling action game, but it’s the most promising feature of the project at present.

Stranger Than Heaven features real-time fistfights where players can wield 13 different weapon types. My demo allowed me to try three of those: fists, a knife, and a heavy crowbar. The twist, though, is that you’re not just hitting X and Y for light and heavy attacks. Instead, you’re controlling your character’s hands individually with the triggers and bumpers. The left side of the controller controls the left hand, and the right side controls the right. Bumpers act as light attacks, while triggers are your heavy hits. Every move can be powered up by holding its respective button.

That two-handed system also extends to blocking. To pull off a basic guard, you only need to hold the block button down. You can tank hits that way, though you have to be mindful of your stamina meter. The twist is that you can also block left or right while holding down the button. If you match your enemy’s incoming attack at just the right moment, you’ll pull off — you guessed it — a parry.

That system requires a bit of brain rewiring to master. My first battle, which took place in Kokura circa 1915, put me up against a small group of thugs. I started alternating bumper and trigger hits, but inevitably found myself going back to X and Y. The lack of lock-on, a staple of the Yakuza games, can make things tricky; I found myself in some sticky situations early on as I wildly missed my punches while three guys offscreen behind me got their licks in.

Image: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega

I got my butt firmly kicked twice over before I started to internalize it. Once I got into the rhythm, I could hold my own much better by switching up my swings. I learned another nuance when a foe intercepted one of my punches and hung on to my arm, forcing me to use my other fist to punch myself free. When I got knocked down, I had to roll left and right to evade my enemies stomping down on me. And when I knocked an enemy off their feet and inflicted enough damage, I could press both triggers to pull off a brutal finisher. While Yakuza’s fights feel larger than life, Stranger Than Heaven’s are scrappy and grounded. It feels like you’re in an ugly bar fight at all times.

The environment can come in clutch, too. The first fight happened outside a restaurant, so I was able to grab a stool and smash it against an enemy’s head to knock him down. In a later encounter, I found that when I chugged a healing item, I could pick it up and toss it at someone to stun them. That came in handy when I got knocked to the ground in one fight, right next to my discarded bottle; I tossed it at my opponent while on the ground, giving me time to get up and recover.

Those moments of relief are crucial, because battles can be relentless. My third, and most advanced, fight put me up against a sword-wielding boss who was capable of chopping my health down with flashy attack patterns. A full offensive assault wasn’t an option, which I learned the hard way multiple times. Blocking and parrying are as crucial as punching if you want to find an opening. Even the easier battles against basic enemies can be rough if you just try to combo punches together. I know how eye-rolling it sounds at this point, but it really does feel like Ryu Ga Gotoku figuring out what Yakuza would look like with Dark Souls combat.

Image: Ryu Ga Gotoku/Sega

The weapon variety adds to that vibe, requiring you to switch up your play style for each one. The knife was best suited to quick stabs at close range with my right hand, while using my free left fist to sucker punch an enemy. The crowbar, on the other hand, is the equivalent of a two-handed broadsword. It inflicts heavy, impactful shots that you really need to commit to. I’m eager to toy around with the rest and see how much they alter the pace and dynamic of battles.

After a good half-hour of fighting, I grew to love what Ryu Ga Gotoku is going for here combat-wise, but I imagine it might be an acquired taste. It’s a bit experimental and high-concept in a way that players will either totally click with or struggle to adapt to. Combine that with some very raw feelings about Stranger Than Heaven’s use of deceased celebrities, and it really seems like we’re heading for something polarizing. At the same time, it feels like we’re only seeing close-ups of a mosaic with each disparate reveal. How everything comes together when we finally zoom out enough to see the big picture will make all the difference.

Stranger Than Heaven launches on January 15, 2027 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.