Hands-On: 'Showa American Story' Blends B-Movie Charm with Rough Combat

A two-hour demo of the action-RPG reveals a wildly imaginative alternate 1980s where Japan has colonized America, featuring a resurrected heroine on a road trip. The game's retro pop-culture parodies and humor shine, but its combat mechanics and overall polish currently lag behind modern AAA standards. Whether its eccentric tone can sustain a full-length campaign remains uncertain.

The preview session was structured across four distinct segments: a linear story-and-combat portion, a camp-based exploration focused on rest and progression, an open-map sequence, and a climactic boss encounter. Creative Director Xiangyu Luo introduced the demo, framing the game as an RPG steeped in retro pop culture references. The weapon system is notably elaborate, with four melee categories—gauntlets, katanas, drills, and polearms—each featuring unique move sets and named equipment, including a katana described as a likely fake legendary blade and a polearm styled as an American flag.

Combat revolves around a "Rage Cycle" mechanic, where dealing or receiving damage builds a meter that converts into Rage Points, capped at five. Different weapon types generate this resource at varying rates, with barehanded combat building it fastest, encouraging players to swap between weapon styles mid-fight. The game has been in development for five years since its 2021 reveal, with sparse updates in the interim, leaving its eventual release timeline uncertain.