An independent game that tells the story of American survivors colonized by Japanese culture fighting against zombies in a doomsday setting. But its creator is a Chinese who has never been to Japan or America! Follow Overheat and explore the infinite source of inspiration of creator Xiangyu Luo.

In April 2024, Indie Game Showa American Story officially announced that it will be launched on PS4, PS5, Steam and other platforms at the same time and will be released simultaneously globally.

This game released a pilot trailer in September 2021. In the video, references to Japanese culture can be seen everywhere in California, which has become a post-apocalyptic wasteland: passers-by wearing kimonos, large Japanese billboards, and a McDonald’s selling sushi. Zombies are wandering around in it, and the protagonist is a survivor fighting everywhere.

The game is set in the late 1990s. With its strong economic strength, Japan bought most of the United States and carried out reverse colonization. In the game, the entire California became Japan’s “overseas territory.”

The gaming background is set in the late 1990s. With its strong economic strength, Japan bought most of the US territories and carried out reverse colonization. In the game, California became Japan’s “overseas territory.”

Once the trailer was released, it aroused heated discussions among gamers in the United States and Japan due to its excellent game graphics and unexpected background settings. Players began to discuss the creators behind this game – NEKCOM Studio, the only game they developed. However, its production is not inferior to AAA masterpieces, and its familiarity with the fusion of Japanese and American pop culture made people laughed.

However, when some gamers continued to investigate further, they discovered this was not a game developer from the United States or Japan but a Chinese studio! Even more surprising is that their core creator, the conceptual designer of the entire game, is a Chinese who has never been to these two countries.

Xiangyu Luo, the creative director and leading producer of Showa America Story, shared his journey of creating this “controversial” game:

“This project started in 2019 when we were preparing to make a unique game. Although this game is produced by a Chinese team, it does not necessarily tell a Chinese story.

“But unfortunately, the arrival of the COVID-19 epidemic shattered our plans. Our team was unprepared in Wuhan (where COVID-19 originated), and it happened to be during the Chinese New Year. After Wuhan’s emergency lockdown, we all didn’t take the computer home, but the data was on the company computer.

“So, we stopped working for a long time. During the lockdown, we couldn’t go to the company to move the computer, so we had to stop working at home. Although it was frustrating, I thought it was better to brainstorm than idle. So I started to collect and watch a lot of videos and game videos from countries like the United States and Japan.”

Xiangyu recalled the details of his game design with a proud look on his face.

“I am a native of Wuhan and have never lived abroad, so there are definitely some differences between the actual production of games like Showa American Story and the actual Japanese and American culture. But what we show in it is our Understanding and viewing Japanese American culture from your own perspective.

“I think a game like this, with this sense of integration, can not only bring back some childhood memories of players of this era but also allow players around the world to find some resonance in it.”

Xiangyu’s infinite inspiration exploded in a small apartment building in Wuhan, China, during the epidemic lockdown. Although he has never been a national of these two inspirational countries, he used the most direct and understandable method for players from all over the world—integrating stereotypes into the game.

For European and American players who have never set foot in Japan, the sight of zombies clad in kimonos, bowing respectfully, is an unmistakable nod to Japanese culture. Similarly, Japanese gamers would recognize the American influence in the game’s setting, with its sports cars and white signboards dotting the hillsides near sunny beach.

The game’s unique blend of cultural elements was an instant hit, sparking lively discussions upon its trailer release. The success was further underscored by the unexpected invitations for collaboration from various game release platforms, including PS5 platform, a prospect Xiangyu had never anticipated.

This incident made him even more convinced that his insistence on creating game content was the right decision.

“Several of our most important creators all love the console game industry very much. At the same time, we ourselves are also very core console and stand-alone gamers. My personal dream before was to make excellent console games, like those famous games Like producers, they express their inner thoughts so that players all over the world can play their games.

“In some of our ideas, there are still a lot of interesting contents that have not been made. The trailer now reflects only part of the current version of the game. I hope we can put in the contents that we find very interesting first. Some good ideas will be presented as Easter eggs, so players may find them more interesting.”