During the ’80s as Japan’s economy was on the rise, Americans fret that the foe we vanquished and rebuilt after World War 2 would have the last laugh, in reality that never happened and the island nation went into an economic malaise which they have yet to recover from. However in Nekcom’s upcoming alt history RPG, Showa American Story, we see an America where not only did the Japanese continue to thrive, but their economic influence was so strong that the Land of the Rising Sun managed to expand into the Western Hemisphere.
Not satisfied with using this semi plausible scenario the team at Nekcom layered a quite surreal plot to create the onus for their title. Centered around a young stunt woman named Chouko who was heading to Neo-Yokohama (formerly Hollywood) with her sister to audition for a part. Along the way the duo are ambushed and Chouko is killed. However this is not the end of the tale, but the beginning as after an unknown amount of time Chouko mysteriously revives only to see lawlessness and zombies sweep across the land. What happened to America? Who attacked me? Where is my sister are some of the many things she ponders as she sets across Route 55 to find answers.
The game’s trailer posits it like a television mini-series, giving us a glimpse of the familiar, yet unfamiliar sights of America, it’s surreal denizens which includes people who look like they just left the set of The Warriors, a Raoh-wannabe on a horse with a strangely long neck and ninjas…cause you can’t have a Japanese-tinged game without Ninjas! The combat looks like it combines a smorgasbord of styles from grounded to the surreal (Chouko literally wields a drill bit to burrow through her foes). It doesn’t quite translate everything on screen, but in keeping kayfabe, you should actually know Japanese if you’re living in the America of Showa American Story.
If you didn’t tell me who the developer was, I would’ve asked, if this is the next project from Grasshopper Manufacture? The surreal setting, the absurd characters and Nekcom even threw in a clip at the end of it’s trailer of the protagonist just sitting on the toilet. Showa American Story went from being not on my radar to perhaps my most anticipated title of 2025 in 5 minutes, so good job video editor!
Showa American Story is set to cross this great nation on PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 sometime in 2025.
Showa American Story | Official Trailer 2024
Showa American Story screens/art:
