Showa American Story returned during gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 with a fresh in-game trailer after nearly two years without a new look at the game. Chigusa Choko’s cross-country journey through California now includes Michael Hero, Bubba, and the mysterious Mutsuki Akitora.
The trailer begins with narration from the United States’ anime-obsessed President before moving into story scenes, road travel, and some extremely violent encounters. Choko fights with swords, firearms, a drill arm, executions, counters, and improvised weapons. At one point, she even uses an American flag to beat down an enemy.
The trailer also confirmed the Japanese voice cast. Yoko Hikasa voices Choko, Hideo Ishikawa plays Michael, Hochu Otsuka voices Bubba, and Hikaru Midorikawa plays Akitora.
Choko has more to do between fights
Combat is only one part of Choko’s routine. Showa American Story includes the arcade games SpaceBunny and ShowaRun, both styled after 1980s games. The trailer also shows a hopscotch activity and a Space Harrier-inspired arcade sequence. Training activities and other minigames can raise Choko’s stats or unlock abilities, giving players reasons to spend time away from the main road. The game’s official site also highlights weapon combinations, dialogue choices, and survivor relationships that can affect the world around Choko.
NEKCOM first announced the game in January 2022. Its setting is an alternate 1991 where Japan’s economic boom never ended and the country purchased most of the United States. Choko, a 19-year-old stuntwoman, is killed soon after arriving in Neo Yokohama, a transformed version of Los Angeles, then wakes from the dead in an America filled with zombies and monsters. Her journey takes her across the country in search of her missing sister and the truth behind the disaster.
The game went quiet after its debut before returning with a road-trip trailer in late 2024. That footage showed Choko passing through San Francisco, Las Vegas, Neo Tokyo-4 in Austin, and other redesigned American cities.
NEKCOM moved Showa American Story from 2025 into 2026 last November, explaining that development had reached its final stages but needed more time. Gamescom did not bring a specific launch date, so the game remains tentatively scheduled to arrive sometime in 2026 on PS5 and Steam.
What do you think of Choko’s latest journey? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
