Guest contribution by Patrick C. alias Khromb
Japan 1915: A man goes along a busy street and is suddenly attacked by several men.
He grabs a bottle of a cart and smashes it on the head of an attacker. Then he turns around and brutally rams the rest of the broken bottle into the chest of another man who wants to attack with a chair.
Then he pulls out the bottle residues, whereupon the surge flows from blood to the street.
This is not a scene from a Quentin-Tarantino film, but from the latest video game Project Century of the Japanese developer studio Ryu Ga Gotoku (RGG), known for the Yakuza and Like A Dragon series.
The game was announced for the first time during the Game Awards in 2024 and is an independent project that stands out from the studio's previous titles.
Trailer analysis
A trailer was presented as an introduction material that shows game scenes from an early development phase. The material shown looked surprisingly mature, but many scenes seemed to be staged.
Which could be an indication that it could be a so -called “vertical slice”. This serves to present the vision of the game, but is not necessarily representative of the final gameplay.
Project Century is currently a mystery. According to chief developer Masayoshi Yokoyama, the trailer does not contain any information that would enable fans to correctly predict the action or concept of the game.
A more precise analysis of the scenes shown confirms Yokoyama's statement. Neither the main story nor character developments, gameplay details or narrative structures can be seen. Nevertheless, there can be some evidence of what players could expect.
Setting: Japan in 1915 during the Taisho period
Project Century is located in the Taisho period (1912-1926).
An era of profound social and cultural upheavals during the industrialization of Japan. This era offers a unique backdrop with a mixture of tradition and modernity.
In the imagination, the world reflects this dynamic:
- Urban backdrop: The setting shows a mixture of traditional Japanese architecture and modern elements such as trams, record players and western influence. The streets are alive, with markets, alleys and public places that are revived by people, street musicians and criminal activities.
- Industrialization and social tensions: Industrialization has changed people's lives, which leads to social conflicts between different classes. Crime and gang wars seem to be omnipresent in the cities.
- Police and law: A police system exists, with police officers wear traditional weapons like swords. This indicates a mixture of old and new regulatory systems.
- Clothing: Some women in the streets wear old traditional clothes like Kimonos. The old wooden sandals can also be seen. But Western clothing can also be seen, such as evening wear, hats, shirts and braces.
Action: a dark journey through betrayal, power and survival
The exact action remains unclear, but some information can be derived.
The protagonist has a striking jacket with the logo of the “Yashima Boueki Kaisha” (Japan Trade Company), which indicates a central role of this company in history.
In any case, the man seems to be connected to the company. He may be a dealer or someone who is involved in their machinations. Its modern jacket with a company logo combined with traditional Geta sandals symbolizes its place between tradition and modernity.
Through a personal conflict, the main character seems to be drawn into a world full of violence and social tensions. To survive, he uses a crowbar, but also a traditional field tool, like a sickle.
It can also be seen that there is a criminal underworld in which power struggles between rival gangs or factions take place.
Either the protagonist stays out of this world or wants to climb into it. In addition, the action indicates moral decisions.
Gameplay analysis
- Combat system
Project Century is described as a third-person action adventure and returns to the real-time combat systems, as you know it from classic Yakuza games. The combat system combines weaponsless melee with improvised weapons and creative surrounding interactions.
It is characterized by high brutality, with realistic depictions of violence such as blood and detailed injuries. The possibility of using objects from the area as improvised weapons and even modifying them in order to make them fatal underlines the creative and dynamic approach of the combat system.
Furthermore, players could attack weaknesses or overwhelm opponents by clever use of the area.
- Police system
In a scene you can see how a man is persecuted by two police officers, which indicates a criminal act or authoritarian control. Then he goes to the ground with the police officers and is caught.
This scene could indicate possible gameplay mechanics, such as: B. persecution hunts or dynamic events in the open world.
The police wear traditional weapons such as swords or sticks. This indicates that the police could also use a gun when confronted. Players could perhaps get into similar situations, such as when escaping before persecution or deciding whether to help someone or reveal them.
The police system could work similarly to the search system in GTA, but in a historical context.
- Gangs and social conflicts
In the city, there seem to be rival gangs or groups that the player can interact with, be it through cooperations or conflicts. Which can also be seen through the traditional Japanese tattoos in some people.
Players could take over missions for various factions or interfere in power struggles between these groups. This interaction with the gangs could lead to moral decisions, such as the choice between loyalty and betrayal.
- Exploration and open world
The city is alive and offers numerous opportunities for exploring, from narrow streets to busy markets. This shows how the protagonist talks to a woman in a dark alley.
Which could indicate, among other things, in addition to the main story in side quests or everyday activities. Public transport such as trams can be seen in the scenes shown. Players can use the tram, which may be part of a transport system or contributes to exploration.
- Narrative integration
The gameplay seems to be strongly linked to the narrative, with missions and fights driving history. Scenes such as the protagonist's walk with a woman indicate that dialogues could play an important role, perhaps with freedom of choice.
The struggles and interactions reflect larger topics, such as the conflict between tradition and modern or social inequality.
First impression:
The material shown gives a first impression of the vision behind Project Century, especially the dark atmosphere and the brutal gameplay. Masayoshi Yokoyama himself said in an interview that players have to wait a long time for new information about the game.
Due to the pre-alpha stage and the parallel projects (e.g. a new Virtua Fighter) from RGG Studio, it will probably take years for the game to appear. A realistic appearance may be between 2026 and 2027.
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