At Gamescom 2026, TheGamer interviewed Hiroyuki Sakamoto, producer of "Different from Heaven," and director Mikinobu Abe. The developers discussed why this new title adopts an unusual combat system and how it differs from the "Yakuza" series.
In "Different from Heaven," the left and right sides of the character's body are controlled independently using the controller's buttons and triggers. Players can switch between different weapons during combat, but enemies won't wait for the protagonist to finish switching. Therefore, players must pay closer attention to enemy attacks, blocking and dodging in time, rather than endlessly attacking. According to Sakamoto, this system aims to return to the feel of classic action games, allowing players' skills to gradually improve. At the same time, the developers don't consider it overly difficult, as there are different difficulty levels for players to choose from.
Currently, "Different from Heaven" is in the final stages of development. Sakamoto hopes that players will have a "completely different" experience compared to other games after completing it.