A noir take on Yakuza is love at first sight: Stranger Than Heaven's reveal trailer is a head scratcher but I'm already in

STRANGER THAN HEAVEN - Title Reveal Teaser Trailer - YouTube

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The next game from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio was originally teased at the last Game Awards show, and back then it stood out for taking place in 1915 Japan. The trailer that just dropped at the Summer Game Fest showcase names the game at last: Stranger Than Heaven. But given that it's a noir thriller set in WW2-era Japan, I walked away as confused as I did excited.

Swingin' jazz clubs, molotov cocktails, bustling city streets and an inventory packed to the gills with hand-rolled cigarettes: the game is 1943 to a T, three decades removed from what we saw 6 months ago. It might seem like they fully switched tracks, but a different trailer just released in Japanese takes place in 1915, just like the old one. It seems like this game is partially set in both World Wars.

As someone who loves Shenmue and mostly appreciates Yakuza's wacky antics from afar, it's hard to imagine a more tantalizing prospect than a darker, more intense RGG game that homages classic cinema. When one character asks our protagonist what kind of person he is and he responds, "I've been asking myself the same thing," it gets me right in the mood for some whiskey-chugging, cigar-smoking, gritty noir goodness. I'd be in if it was only set in the '40s; given its duality, I'm doubly in.

There are only brief snippets of gameplay—chucking a man off a bridge, a QTE offering the choice to show someone "mercy" or "no mercy"—but it all looks glossy and detailed as ever. Given that RGG has been on a tear of excellent games that are starting to blend together a bit, I'm eager to see what they can do with a concept as ambitious as Stranger Than Heaven seems to be.

Stranger Than Heaven doesn't have a Steam page just yet. You can check out the rest of the Summer Game Fest news here.

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