Showa American Story has resurfaced with a hands-on preview, revealing a retro-inspired RPG world packed with cultural parodies and eccentric humour, but also highlighting concerns about combat depth and mechanical polish ahead of release
Showa American Story, an upcoming action-RPG set in an alternate 1980s America dominated by Japanese culture, has returned to the spotlight with a detailed hands-on preview. The game, developed by NEKCOM Games, aims to blend retro pop-culture references, dark humour and over-the-top combat in a world that is both surreal and oddly familiar. While the project has been in development since its initial reveal in 2021, recent updates have been sparse, making this preview a significant moment for those tracking its progress.
Combat Systems and Gameplay Structure
The preview build offered a look at four distinct gameplay segments: a linear story-combat section, a camp-based progression slice, open-map exploration, and a boss encounter. Combat is built around a mix of melee and ranged weapons, with categories including Bare Hands, Katanas, Drills, and Polearms, each offering unique move sets and playstyles. Notably, the katana category features branching stances and combo paths, while polearms and drills introduce trade-offs between power, stamina consumption and mobility.
Central to the combat is the "Rage Cycle" system, where dealing or receiving damage fills a Rage meter. Accumulated Rage Points can be spent on powerful attacks, weapon swaps, or defensive manoeuvres. The system encourages players to manage resources carefully, swapping between weapon types to maintain momentum. However, the current build reveals issues with hit feedback, sluggish pacing, and unpredictable enemy attack patterns, which can disrupt the intended flow of combat.
Stamina management also plays a key role, especially when facing large groups of enemies. Running out of stamina reduces defence rather than immobilising the player, but the penalty can be punishing if not managed alongside Rage. The preview suggests that while the underlying systems are ambitious, the mechanical feel and enemy interactions require further refinement to match genre standards.
Progression, Exploration and RPG Elements
Showa American Story incorporates a real-time levelling system, with core stats such as Health, Stamina, Rage, Defence, Melee, and Shooting increasing automatically as players gain experience. Battle Points earned on level-up unlock additional skills, while weapons can be upgraded using in-game currency and parts. Each weapon features detailed stats and multiple buff slots, allowing for customisation, though most outfits available are notably revealing.
The player's base is an RV named "Guren", which serves as a hub for character progression and daily activities. Action Points, earned through exploration and interaction, can be spent on activities like bathing or working out, each providing stat boosts or resistances to status effects. The camp can be decorated and expanded, with facilities required for certain activities needing to be found or purchased.
Environmental detail in the preview build is impressive, with realistic foliage, water and atmospheric locations such as a hot spring inn and the streets of Neo Yokohama. NPCs populate the world, offering opportunities for interaction and minor stat boosts. The open-map structure supports both exploration and narrative progression, with shops and companions scattered throughout.
Tone, Humour and Cultural References
The game's narrative tone is deliberately eccentric, blending dark humour, internet memes and absurd scenarios reminiscent of the Yakuza series' most outlandish substories. Examples include a "Zombie Human Rights Association" and difficulty settings named "Heisei Loser" and "Showa Boy". Some cutscenes use a static slideshow presentation, echoing retro B-movie aesthetics, while the soundtrack features licensed Showa-era music and original songs performed by Japanese artists.
Boss fights are designed to be unpredictable, with one encounter shifting to a 2D side-scrolling format and another interspersed with chase sequences. The world is densely packed with cultural parodies, from arcade cabinets referencing Sega classics to tongue-in-cheek item descriptions. This density of references is a defining feature, but it remains to be seen whether the humour and style can sustain a full-length campaign without becoming exhausting.
For those interested in how other ambitious projects have fared during their preview phases, the recent Gears of War: E-Day open beta demonstrated how early access can shape player expectations and highlight both strengths and weaknesses ahead of launch.
Current Limitations and Remaining Questions
Despite its creative ambition, Showa American Story's current build is hampered by rough combat feel, inconsistent hit detection and overwhelming visual effects during battles. Character animations and facial expressions are stiff, which may be intentional, but could also limit emotional engagement. The game's polish lags behind established AAA action titles, and the mechanical depth of its systems is not yet fully realised.
With a campaign expected to last dozens of hours, the main question is whether the game's unique blend of parody, humour and jank can remain engaging over the long term. The preview does not confirm a final release date or platform list, and it is unclear how much will change before launch. Players interested in unconventional RPGs may find Showa American Story fascinating, but should be prepared for a highly idiosyncratic experience that may not appeal to everyone.
Understanding the difference between preview builds and final releases is crucial when evaluating early impressions. Preview builds often lack final polish, may use placeholder assets, and can differ significantly from the finished product in terms of performance, balance and content. As such, while hands-on previews provide valuable insight into a game's direction, they are not a guarantee of launch quality or feature completeness.
