If you’re a fan of anime, manga, and Japanese culture and JDM: Japanese Drift Master wasn’t on your radar, it will be now.
The developers of the drifting simulator at Gaming Factory released a full-fledged anime-style opening, showing the protagonist and the rest of the cast.
We also hear more about the story, centered on Tomasz “Touma” Stanowski a young Polish man who moves to Japan after the loss of his parents to start fresh and become a drifter.
He starts working as a delivery driver at a local sushi bar where he meets Keiko, who runs it with her father. As he delivers the sushi every day, he takes every opportunity to improve his driving skills.
We also meet his rival Hatori “Scorpion” Hasashi, whom fans have already met in the demo. He’s arrogant and extremely skilled but doesn’t hesitate to throw obstacles in Touma’s way, as he doesn’t see him as a worthy rival.
If this sounds like a mix between the popular manga (and anime) by Shuichi Shigeno Initial D and a Weeb’s lifelong dream (and I mean “Weeb” in the most positive way possible. You likely know I’m one, and proudly so) that’s because it basically is.
Gaming Factory is a Polish studio, and it’s certainly interesting to see how they apply their perspective to a game set in Japan.
The Initial D homages are obvious even in the opening video, with the manga-style cuts and the iconic Toyota Trueno AE86 and Mazda RX-7 showcased as hero cars. Touma’s job as delivery driver couldn’t be more on the noose. It’s sushi instead of tofu, but you know what I mean.
You can watch the video for yourself below. The game will be available for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG in the spring of 2025. You can also check out what its developers achieved in 2024.
