Stranger Than Heaven

Preview

PAX AUS 2026 Hands-on

October 14th, 2026 by Brett Woolgar

previewed on PC

As you enter the booth to play the new demo for Stranger Than Heaven, you're transported to a mid-1900s jazz club, a far cry from the dilapidated walls outside, adorned with posters and worn out wooden doors. The interior is clean and welcoming, complete with tables for patrons and a well lit stage, seemingly awaiting the multitude of artists to be featured in the game such as Ado or Tori Kelly to take to it. Around the walls of the booth sat gamers intently fighting a myriad foes across the three time periods the demo had to offer, just over half of those that will be present in the final game. Sitting down in front of a PC to play, you are greeted by a quick synopsis of the story and thrust into the year 1915, the burgeoning town of Kokura in front of you.

Straight away, it is clear that there has been an incredible amount of love put into the environments, being both detailed and dense, drawing you down side streets or up a set of stairs to a shrine. While quite a bit of the map is blocked off by invisible walls, enough remains to give you an idea of how large the maps will be. A number of shops are open for you to go into and buy items or get a look at some of the side content the game will no doubt contain, all lovingly crafted. Walking down the streets, the citizens will interact with you, saying 'hello' or moving out of your way. Sitting down at a shop will elicit some comments from the other patrons as well. Overall the sound design is top notch with fitting music and superb voice acting.

Approaching a group of enemies, the mood shifts and combat begins. Here is the largest departure from prior Yakuza and Like a Dragon titles, with the controls feeling more deliberate and the pace of combat being significantly slower. You control your attacks with the left and right bumper and trigger buttons for light or heavy attacks with each arm, and must fend off the enemies attacks with a block that is side sensitive (the B button plus bumpers). Mixing up your attacks is integral to break through an enemies block or to knock a second combatant out of their attack while you're mid combo on one of their friends. The left/right split of your attacks takes a while to get used to, but flows nicely once you've caught on to its in and outs.

After besting the first round of foes you are transported to the next time period, a shift to 1929 and the city of Kure. More of the same beautiful environments await you, and this time you're equipped with a weapon. You can shift through a few, and each will significantly change how you approach combat, with lighter weapons allowing you a faster attack and an offhand that will punch or headbutt your foes while the heavier weapons will slow you down but afford greater knockback and stagger.

The final challenge awaits you in 1943, Osaka, during a rainy night. The environment design really shines here, with beautiful side streets naturally lit by only streetlamps and shop lights. Approaching the bridge in the centre of the map reveals the final foe, a boss style battle against a samurai-like enemy. A significant step up in challenge, his attacks are fast and varied, often breaking your block unless you perfectly time a parry or dodge. You'll need carefully timed attacks, dodges, and item usage to best this foe.

While the demo lacks the typical whimsy of a Like a Dragon title, the game is shaping up to be an excellent experience for fans of the franchise or newcomers alike, with the story focussing on the founding of the Tojo clan who are ever present in the Yakuza franchise. With an all star voice cast including the likes of Snoop Dogg and Yu Shirota, players will be in for a treat.

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