Combat

Combat in STRANGER THAN HEAVEN is a brutal, hands-on brawling system. Its signature feature is independent control of Makoto Daito's left and right sides, which gives each fight an improvised, expressive feel. Hands-on previews from the game's first public demo described it as closer to a boxing match than a crowd-clearing brawler, and as a clear departure from the studio's earlier action games.

Dual-Sided Control

The left shoulder buttons drive Makoto's left arm and side, and the right shoulder buttons drive his right side, so each half of his body is controlled separately. Players can throw jabs and roundhouse kicks, mix strikes from both sides into combos, and hold a trigger to charge an attack for extra power. Because the two sides are independent, you can block an incoming strike with one hand and counter with the other at the same time, or build asymmetric attack chains that read differently from one fight to the next.

Defense and Stamina

A neutral block guards against attacks but drains stamina quickly, and running out of stamina leaves Makoto open. Holding a direction while blocking, using the shoulder buttons, costs less stamina and, with the right timing, turns into a parry that opens the attacker up for a counter. Dodging rounds out the defensive options. Fights are built around crowds rather than duels: enemies tend to press in and engage one or two at a time, creeping into position instead of swarming all at once, so reading who is about to strike matters as much as raw offense.

Grappling and Ground Combat

Grapples are a core part of the system. Enemies can tie Makoto up or grab his weapon to stop him swinging it, and breaking free means mashing to pummel them with a free hand until they let go. Knockdowns flow into a dedicated ground game: a downed Makoto has to fend off attackers until his stamina recovers, and he can pin a floored opponent to keep up the pressure from on top of them. Brutal context-sensitive finishers, such as plunging a blade into a prone enemy, cap off many encounters.

Weapons

The full game includes thirteen weapons. The demo build featured knives, a crowbar, a sledgehammer, a sword, and a dagger, alongside other era-specific arms, and weapons can be upgraded. On-screen health is shown as a row of small markers rather than a single bar, and recovery items are mapped to the directional pad, with some restoring health instantly and others healing over time.

An Evolving Style

Because the story spans fifty years, Makoto's fighting ability evolves with his age and experience. Choices in some encounters, such as whether to punish or spare a defeated enemy, carry consequences within the story. The first public hands-on demo let players test the system across three of the game's eras: 1915 Kokura in Fukuoka, 1929 Kure in Hiroshima, and 1943 Minami in Osaka.