Showa American Story Hands-On: Bloody Combat and a Strong Ninja at gamescom
The demo confirms that the project announced in 2022 has reached a playable state, with the developer balancing crowd-pleasing power fantasy against boss encounters that demand pattern reading.
Key Facts
- Showa American Story received a playable demo at gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany, allowing attendees to test combat, town exploration, a camper van, and a boss fight.
- The game is set in a late-1980s world where Japan bought up and colonized American land, and it is developed by China's NEKCOM Entertainment.
- Protagonist Choko Chigusa is voiced by Yoko Hikasa, and boss character Akitora Mutsuki, a sword-wielding ninja, is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa.
- The demo's difficulty settings are named Heisei Kid for normal and Showa Man for hard.
- Showa American Story, published by 4Divinity, is scheduled for release on PC and PS5 in 2026.
Reporting from 1 source: Denfaminicogamer.
NEKCOM Entertainment brought a playable demo of Showa American Story to gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany, giving attendees their first hands-on look at the action game set in an alternate late-1980s America that Japan colonized. Denfaminicogamer reporter Soma Umi tested the demo, which offered four elements: combat, town exploration, a camper van, and a boss fight. Players control protagonist Choko Chigusa, voiced by Yoko Hikasa, who battles a gang called the Brave Corps in NEO YOKOHAMA using chained weak and strong attacks, firearms with limited ammo, and weapon-specific finishers that include repeatedly stomping downed enemies. The demo included a boss fight against Akitora Mutsuki, a ninja voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa, who attacks with shuriken, a sword, and fire, revives into a new phase after his health is depleted, and can trigger a cutscene where a sword stabs into Choko's stomach before exploding. The reporter could not defeat Mutsuki before time ran out. Showa American Story, published by 4Divinity, is scheduled for release on PC and PS5 in 2026.
The demo booth drew long queues at the public area of the convention, and attendees could pick from two difficulty levels whose names are the reporter's first hint of the game's tone: "Heisei Kid (Normal)" and "Showa Man (Hard)." The combat soundtrack leans on music with a nostalgic feel reminiscent of 1980s Japanese pop, which the reporter, himself Japanese, described as having a "nostalgic song feel" that seems carefully crafted.
The finishing moves are tied to the equipped weapon. With the knuckles, the finisher is a repeated stomp on a downed enemy's face, and it is as bloody as the rest of the fight. Beyond melee, Choko can pull out a rifle or shotgun, though the ammunition is limited despite the heavy damage it deals. The reporter noted that a pretty girl fighting with straightforward violence in realistic graphics may be a fairly unique sight.
Mutsuki's attacks include shuriken, a sword, and fire, delivered with ninja techniques, and his heavy hits punish any lapse in guard. The reporter's basic loop was dodge, attack, dodge, attack, but he struggled to read the dodge timing in the short session and took several painful hits. One special move triggered a cutscene showing a sword stabbed into Choko's belly before exploding.
The demo also confirmed activities beyond combat: exploring areas to pick up side quests, and using the camper van that serves as the protagonists' base to read books or take baths to raise stats. The reporter noted the game has trickled out little information since its 2022 reveal, but development appears to be moving steadily toward release.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.