Forget the Soulslikes, This Bizarre New PS5 Game Is Channelling Shenmue Instead

In a tiny Gamescom booth, in the business area separated from the hustle and bustle of the Koelnmesse chaos, NEKCOM founder Xiangyu Luo and I may have become BFFs.

With a translator converting my questions into Mandarin, I’m not sure how much he understood – but his eyes lit up when I made a reference to Shenmue, my all-time favourite franchise.

“[Series creator] Yu Suzuki is a genius,” he says. “When I went to Tokyo I visited him. I really respect his work.”

I suspected the upcoming Chinese action RPG Showa American Story may be inspired by the groundbreaking Dreamcast series when I saw its latest trailer.

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Minigames include a shooter clearly inspired by Space Harrier and an OutRun-style racing game – both originally designed and directed by Suzuki in the 80s, of course.

This is a bizarre PS5 console exclusive, and quite unlike the deluge of gothic Soulslikes coming out of China right now.

It’s inspired by a rumour that circulated in the 80s, during the Japanese economic boom. Chinese whispers warned that Japan had enough money to buy the United States, and so Showa American Story asks: what if?

In my demo, Hollywood is Neo Yokohama and Japanese immigrants have formed gangs based on the Walter Hill movie The Warriors.

You play as protagonist Chigusa Choko, a sexually empowered wannabe movie star who’s kidnapped by gangsters and subsequently killed.

When she rises from the grave to a zombie-infested world, she wants to learn the whereabouts of her sister – and seek revenge against her murderers.

With such a bizarre concept, I asked Luo whether it was difficult to get funding. Unsurprisingly, it was.

“A lot of investors actually didn’t understand the charisma of the game, especially with such a unique idea, it’s very difficult to find another title in the same category for comparison,” he admits. “For them, it's a very uncertain investment.”

I’m relieved the bean counters have taken a chance on this title, though, because it’s got a spirit and energy we seldom see anymore.

While my demo was extremely unfinished, I can see it pulls from a broad range of inspirations, including No More Heroes and Yakuza, as well as many movies and TV shows from the time.

I asked Luo for a few inspirations and he tossed an entire list at me, including everything from Dragon Ball Z and Fist of the North Star through to Kamen Rider and Masters of the Universe.

In fact, he had so many inspirations I think the translator was struggling to keep up.

I had two choices for my demo: combat or exploration.

I actually decided to start out with the exploration, as I wanted to experience the Shenmue vibes for myself.

The demo begins in a small Japanese-style settlement on the Hollywood hills, next to a traditional onsen constructed out of bath tubs.

I really want to underline here just how bizarre the vibes of this game are; while I struggled to keep up with the script while maintaining my conversation with Luo, it seems the baths themselves are seasoned like hot pot or sukiyaki. It’s all rather absurd.

There are references to various aspects of pop culture, like Knight Rider, and I asked whether the script was written in Chinese, Japanese, or English first.

Apparently it was originally written in Chinese and has been localised into English, although the dialogue is in Japanese. My respect to whoever’s working on all the translations.

In this town-like area it was possible to play the aforementioned minigames and shop at a nearby store. Choko will have “lots” of different outfits you can unlock and wear.

I asked about the character design, which leans heavily into the heroine’s sexuality, and Luo explained that it represents the changing attitudes to sex at the time. In practice, this means short-shorts and low-cut crop tops.

Luo is eager to stress that he considers this game an action RPG, with a big emphasis on character development and story.

Despite this, I thought it was important to get a taste of the combat as well.

Fighting against the aforementioned goons from The Warriors was deeper than I expected, even though there’s still a lot of work left to be done.

You can toggle between different weapons, like a katana, using the d-pad – and you even have access to a firearm at all times, like a shotgun and submachine gun.

It’s visceral and violent, but in a goofy, tongue-in-cheek way.

After you stun an enemy, you can do a QTE finisher where you stomp them in the face by mashing Square – and I pointed out that it would fit the vibe of the game if this animation kept playing for as long as you pushed the button.

I think Luo agreed that it would be funny, so keep your eyes peeled to see if that gets added to the final game.

The demo clearly showed promise in terms of style and tone, although I think the team has a lot of work to do to tighten up the overall feel.

The controls feel slow and laggy in this early build, and there were some systems I didn’t really get a good grasp on. (Although that’s not unusual for a show floor demo, where your time is limited and you want to see as much as possible.)

Luo’s attitude and influences warmed me to this project overall, though. I think, if nothing else, he has a vision that he’s determined to realise – and that means this game should end up like nothing else out there.

If you’re a fan of Yakuza, No More Heroes, or – particularly – Shenmue, then I think this game should be on your radar.

I’m pleased to see a Chinese dev forge its own path, rather than borrow from what’s popular in the market right now.

Where does Showa American Story rank on your wishlist? Has this preview piqued your attention at all? Let me know in the comments section below.