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 bushes, mountains, and sea. In case you’re in search of 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 may properly scratch that itch.
The general pacing of Satoru’s summer season break is a relaxed one, and the sport’s biggest power is the way in which through which it genuinely emulates the sensation and sensibility of a youthful summer season. The primary story is mild and takes a backseat to gameplay, nevertheless it revolves round a circus troupe that has come to city and desires to boost cash to proceed working. It is also a gaggle that Satoru is finally supposed to steer, so you have got a vested curiosity within the troupe’s success. Far more than this single narrative is the numerous others you discover as you discover your environment and communicate to the locals.
For instance, you encounter a gaggle of children who’re taking part in at being detectives, and as an outsider to the group (one among whom actually labels you “Customer”), you’re tasked with aiding the group with a wide range of quests. Different townsfolk have jobs for you, too, and lots of of those duties reward you with objects, cash, or stamina-boosting stickers. You will need to collect a bunch of those stickers early on as a way 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 typically makes for good motivation to lend a serving to hand.
If you’re not taking part in white knight, you possibly can go fishing, catch bugs, and gather 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 web, 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 actually 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 massive 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 possibly can see who’s the place on the map display, and even throw down a marker to information you in direction of them, however these conversations are much less attention-grabbing than the exploration facets of the sport. This could possibly be chalked as much as the idea of a kid chatting with adults, which makes some sense. Whereas there’s a allure 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 gathering seashells by the seashore and an equally highly effective sense of guilt from lacking morning train. This can be a countryside that lives and breathes, and an expertise that actually is not meant to be rushed. If you’re not sure of what to do subsequent, the subject of the meal time meal will typically flip to an occasion to come back or job to be accomplished, getting you again on observe. That mentioned, should you deal with taking part in the sport similar to dwelling by way of your personal childhood summer season trip, you could possibly get much more out of it. Simply choose a path and see the place it takes you.
Regardless that I have never skilled all that Natsu-Mon: twentieth Century Summer time Child has to supply, I’ve seen sufficient to know that it ought to properly serve a distinct segment in search of 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 supply throughout a single playthrough. Nearly each single in-game day brings one thing new, although, and in case you have endurance sufficient to purchase into the premise, you will be rewarded with your personal chill summer season break. It has some tough edges, nevertheless it’s arduous to not jive with the small city vibes of Satoru’s summer season dwelling.
