Zombie hordes, kung-fu mayhem, and an alternate-history 1980s where Japanese pop culture swallowed America whole: Showa American Story has always sounded like a fever dream, and now that IGN has published its first hands-on preview, we finally know how it actually plays. The short version? It’s an unforgettable, eccentric B-movie experience – one whose deliberately rough edges may test your patience as much as they charm you.
An Alternate Timeline Built on 80s Excess
Developed by Chinese studio NEKCOM, Showa American Story drops players into a revisionist version of late-80s America, one reimagined through the lens of Japanese pop culture of the era. The result is a neon-soaked playground of period clichés, undead-filled highways, and over-the-top action that feels ripped straight from a late-night VHS rental. According to IGN’s preview, the game absolutely succeeds in crafting a world you won’t forget – eccentric, audacious, and drenched in retro flavor.
Parodies Crammed Into Every Corner
Perhaps the preview’s biggest compliment goes to the sheer density of cultural parody on display. Gags, references, and loving riffs on entertainment clichés are packed into seemingly every environment and encounter. It’s the kind of world-building that rewards players who slow down and soak in the details, turning exploration into a scavenger hunt for the next wink at 80s pop mythology.
Deliberate Jank: Feature or Flaw?
Here’s the catch: much of Showa American Story’s clumsiness is intentional. The game wears its jank like a badge of honor, leaning into a niche, cult-favorite aesthetic rather than chasing mainstream slickness. That commitment gives it personality, but as IGN points out, it also means the game’s general polish still lags noticeably behind other modern AAA action titles. Stiff animations and unrefined moments are part of the package – and whether that trade-off works for you will depend heavily on your tolerance for retro-scuffed presentation.
Combat: Style Over Substance (For Now)
The most pressing gameplay concern from the hands-on is combat depth. While hacking through the undead delivers plenty of B-movie spectacle, the mechanical feel currently falls short of the genre’s best, and the systems underneath lack the layered depth that keeps long action campaigns fresh. Enemies fall, blood flies, and chaos ensues – but there’s a genuine question of whether the fighting can evolve enough to stay satisfying across dozens of hours.
Can the Gag Survive a Full Campaign?
That leads to the other big question mark: longevity. A parody pastiche is easy to love in a preview session; sustaining that manic tone across a campaign stretching dozens of hours is another matter entirely. IGN rightly notes that it remains to be seen whether the relentless comedy and cultural riffing will exhaust players before the credits roll, or whether the world is rich enough to keep the joke landing all the way through.
Our Take: A Cult Classic in the Making
Gaming history is full of rough-around-the-edges gems – think Earth Defense Force, Deadly Premonition, or God Hand – that transformed their jank into identity and earned fiercely devoted fanbases as a result. Showa American Story looks deliberately positioned for that same lane. If NEKCOM can tighten the combat feel and pacing before launch, this zombie action RPG could become 2025’s ultimate cult obsession rather than a curiosity. Either way, there’s simply nothing else on the release schedule that looks quite like it.
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Source: IGN – Showa American Story: The First Hands-On Preview