Stranger Than Heaven director Mikinobu Abe has revealed that Snoop Dogg was always the intended actor for the mentor character Orpheus, and that the game's five time periods were chosen purely for narrative reasons. The third-person action-adventure, set across five distinct eras of Japanese history from 1915 to 1965, follows Makoto Daito, a Japanese-American smuggler who uses music to build a new life.
Abe, who started working on Like a Dragon in 2026, spoke after a three-hour hands-on preview. He described how the game's combat, which uses left and right back triggers for punches, was designed to feel raw and intense, inspired by old Japanese Yakuza movies and so-called 'ninjutsu' films that began with Bokuto and Sugawara.
Combat and Era Selection
“We figured out that because we are going back in time, into modern Japan history, we [should] take a lot of inspiration from old Japanese Yakuza movies,” Abe said. “What made those movies special is the fact that the combat is really raw and intense, and it's either you kill or you get killed.” The development team built the combat from a tech demo, adding new motions and technology to perfect the violent feel.
On choosing the five eras, Abe explained that the starting point was 1915 in Kokura, then one of Japan's largest industrial cities, which made sense for a smuggler's arrival. The story ends in Shinjuku in 1965. Other locations include Kure in 1929, known for its military port and Yakuza movie history, and Osaka in 1943 during wartime, where Daito's mixed heritage makes life difficult.
Snoop Dogg's Role and Music Integration
“We always had Snoop Dogg in mind to play this character; it would be so fitting,” Abe said. The team reached out after learning that Snoop Dogg and his son were fans of previous Yakuza games. They built Orpheus's visual design and speech together with the rapper, who was shown a concept video during casting. Abe expressed gratitude that Snoop Dogg loved every piece of what was shown to him.
Music, central to Daito's story, was woven in naturally because it becomes his only way to communicate and earn money in Japan. Abe compared the showbiz mechanic to the Mafia and show business in New York, noting that Japan has its own history of that underground connection. He hopes players are surprised by the impact of experiencing one man's life across decades, a narrative rarely seen in video games.
Stranger Than Heaven is set to launch on Xbox, PS5, and PC on January 15, 2027.
