Sega and Ryu ga Gotoku Studio have streamed a brand-new story trailer for Stranger Than Heaven, the ambitious title previously known only as Project Century. The trailer spotlights the game’s first act, “Kokura”, and gives fans their deepest look yet at the saga ahead of its January 15 launch on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
Makoto Daito (Credits: SEGA)
The studio behind the Yakuza and Like a Dragon series is going bigger and stranger than ever before. Rather than the neon streets of modern Kamurocho, Stranger Than Heaven reaches back into Japan’s turbulent modern history, following people with “nowhere to go” in a desperate struggle to find a home.
The Story: A Boy, A Ghost Ship, and 1915 Japan
The new trailer depicts the events that set the entire saga in motion. In 1915 San Francisco, a young boy named Makoto Daito — born to an American father and a Japanese mother — endures harsh persecution for his Asian heritage. After losing both of his parents, Makoto decides to travel to his mother’s homeland, sneaking aboard the “ghost ship” of a merchant known as Orpheus.
What begins as a desperate bid for freedom turns into something far more dangerous. With nothing but the shirt on his back, Makoto quickly learns that his voyage across the Pacific is anything but a “free ride” — and that this one choice will forever change the course of his life.
Five Eras, One 50-Year Saga
Stranger Than Heaven will explore different times and places across Japan’s modern history: Kokura, Fukuoka in 1915; Kure, Hiroshima in 1929; Minami, Osaka in 1943; Atami, Shizuoka in 1951; and the fictional Kamurocho in Shinjuku, Tokyo in 1965 — the same district longtime fans know as the beating heart of the Yakuza games.
The game will also be available via Game Pass at launch, making it one of the biggest day-one additions to the service this season.
A Cast of Legends and a Theme Song with Snoop Dogg
The voice and performance cast is stacked. The late legendary actor Bunta Sugawara appears as Genzo Iwaki, with his CG character design built from archival footage and photographs with formal consent from his family and materials provided by Toei Company. Takashi Ukaji voices the character. Also on the roster are Takaya Kuroda — Kazuma Kiryu himself — and Yasukaze Motomiya.
The game’s theme song, also titled “Stranger Than Heaven,” is performed by an unlikely but electrifying lineup: Snoop Dogg, Ado, Satoshi Fujihara, and Tori Kelly. The song gets its own release this year. And the saga may not stop at games — a live-action film adaptation is in the works at Netflix.
Also Read: Street Fighter Ending Explained: Who Wins, Who Loses, and What That Mid-Credit Scene Means
Source: Anime News Network — read the full story there.
