Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid

Thumbs down for fans of the original, but thumbs up for people new to this. If you, like me, are a fan of the original Boku no Natsuyasumi produced by Millennium Kitchen and are hoping for this game to re-create that experience, then you are looking in the wrong place. Natsu-mon is not without its own charms, and content that wasn't in the original, like exploring in a 3d environment, climbing, and hunting for relics, grew on me unexpectedly, and it's still worth playing one round of a whole August playthrough at least, especially if you're unfamliar with the series, but the price is pretty steep for its relatively flat characters, events and mini games. Its lack of that hard-hitting nostalgia atmosphere and elements will particularly disappoint long-time fans. Personally I still enjoyed this for what it is but it does leave me wanting.

Heartwarming: this classic ex-Sony developer still pulls a Sony the old fashioned way: by blatantly copying Nintendo and doing it worse. Natsu-Mon is game-ified to an extreme fault. Part of me doesn't entirely want to blame the open world nature of the game, but it doesn't help that this game has the exact same questing system, stamina system, and movement states as BotW. It even has the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ paraglider for God's sake. It all contributes to the facts you're given too much control, and too much information. The very idea I'm playing as a "20th Century Summer Kid" goes out the window when I can constantly pause the game to check a map and a clock, or when the second I catch a bug it starts a checklist, or that I can approach an ore and mine it with a pickaxe I didn't have to find or earn, or when I can go into the settings and literally control the flow of time, or when I can still explore massive chunks of the map at 5:00 without being called in for dinner. Sure the game is still fun in a sense, but stepping back to look at all this, it just makes me ask what's the point? I can go anywhere and do any chore I please without consequence, and let's be real, without action too.…

Natsu-mon is a modern take on Boku no Natsuyasumi, a game that many people have and will continue to stumble upon as they delve into gaming as a medium. Natsu updates the spirit of that game faithfully and is a great mood piece that suns itself in nostalgia for the summers of our childhoods. This is not a high thrills, high action title, and compared to most cozy games, this is a little more aimless and even has some strict deadlines that might add more pressure compared to other games in the genre. This is the encapsulation of the memories of summers long past, portraying things for how they sit with us when reminiscing about them as opposed to being more true to life. You scale mountains, soar across fields, and collect every bug and fish under the sun. With the purpose of emulating the feeling of revisiting memories of the summers from our youth, Natsu-mon hits home that feeling of being 10 again and summer vacation feeling full of endless possibilities. As opposed to Boku no Natsuyasumi which is the more sentimental and gentle of the two games, Natsu-mon is gamified but not so much so that it feels like it loses what made Boku no Natsuyasumi special. It is genuinely fun explori…

A very cute and cozy game. You play as the son of two circus performers and spend a month travelling with them. You can catch insects, go fishing or even join a detective group and uncover mysteries. The possibilities are virtually endless.

Its a virtual summer vacation with everything that includes. Kind of reminds me of Persona 4 without the murder and dungeon crawling.

Fun and relaxing time even when you try to get everything done.