Relive your childhood summer season, however now in smalltown Japan.
From writer Spike Chunsoft comes cozy journey recreation Natsu-Mon: twentieth Century Summer time Child. You play because the titular candy summer season little one, Satoru, who’s spending his trip within the Japanese countryside, particularly Yomogi City, which is surrounded by timber, mountains, and sea. For those who’re on the lookout for a lightweight and breezy expertise within the vein of Animal Crossing or 2021’s Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer time Trip (additionally developed by Millenium Kitchen), then Natsu-Mon would possibly effectively scratch that itch.
The general pacing of Satoru’s summer season break is a relaxed one, and the sport’s best power is the way in which through which it genuinely emulates the sensation and sensibility of a youthful summer season. The principle story is mild and takes a backseat to gameplay, however it revolves round a circus troupe that has come to city and desires to lift cash to proceed working. It is also a gaggle that Satoru is finally supposed to guide, so you might have a vested curiosity within the troupe’s success. Rather more than this single narrative is the various others you discover as you discover your environment and communicate to the locals.
For instance, you encounter a gaggle of youngsters who’re enjoying at being detectives, and as an outsider to the group (considered one of whom actually labels you “Customer”), you might be tasked with helping the group with a wide range of quests. Different townsfolk have jobs for you, too, and plenty of of those duties reward you with gadgets, cash, or stamina-boosting stickers. You will wish to collect a bunch of those stickers early on to be able to climb to greater locations and spend extra time sprinting round. As a lot because the tempo is relaxed, there are nonetheless sizable distances to cowl, and never having to take a breather as usually makes for good motivation to lend a serving to hand.
If you’re not enjoying white knight, you possibly can go fishing, catch bugs, and acquire treasures (like treasured stones/minerals). Whereas Animal Crossing asks you to indicate these pick-ups to a museum, Natsu-Mon focuses on the creation of a private journal. When Satoru fetches a brand new bug in his trusty internet, he’ll open up his trip journal and make a sketch of his discovering, together with a mini description. Now and again, you will hit a milestone variety of bugs or fish, which is able to full a sidequest and grant one other reward. One function that basically stands out is how bugs you have not but caught are highlighted with a transparent ring round them, drawing your consideration in direction of a worthwhile catch. On the finish of every day, simply earlier than you hit the hay, you will add occasions and accomplishments to the journal, every with their very own small, medium, or giant caption, and so it’s that your summer season exploits are chronicled.
The place twentieth Century Summer time Child stumbles is within the pretty plain dialogue and interactions with different characters and a basic sense of repetition. You’ll be able to see who’s the place on the map display screen, and even throw down a marker to information you in direction of them, however these conversations are much less attention-grabbing than the exploration elements of the sport. This may very well be chalked as much as the idea of a kid talking to adults, which makes some sense. Whereas there’s a appeal to the quaint world of the sport, it is discovered extra within the easy design of the environment and the sense of discovery from roaming to your coronary heart’s content material.
There is a pleasure in accumulating seashells by the seaside and an equally highly effective sense of guilt from lacking morning train. It is a countryside that lives and breathes, and an expertise that basically is not meant to be rushed. If you’re not sure of what to do subsequent, the subject of the meal time meal will usually flip to an occasion to come back or activity to be accomplished, getting you again on monitor. That stated, should you deal with enjoying the sport identical to residing by means of your personal childhood summer season trip, you might be able to get much more out of it. Simply choose a path and see the place it takes you.
Despite the fact that I have not skilled all that Natsu-Mon: twentieth Century Summer time Child has to supply, I’ve seen sufficient to know that it ought to effectively serve a distinct segment on the lookout for a laid-back, Animal Crossing-like expertise. The sport follows a one-month summer season countdown, so it is unlikely that you’re going to see all the things on provide throughout a single playthrough. Virtually each single in-game day brings one thing new, although, and you probably have endurance sufficient to purchase into the premise, you will be rewarded with your personal chill summer season break. It has some tough edges, however it’s onerous to not jive with the small city vibes of Satoru’s summer season dwelling.
