Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid

Genre: Open-World Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid, released in 2024 on PC and Nintendo Switch and from here on just called Natsu-Mon, is a family-friendly Open-World Action-RPG that puts players in the role of a pre-pubescent kid named Satoru who is brought to a small Japanese community along with his family, who runs a traveling circus troupe. As his family sets up their performance and tries to work out their recent money problems, Satoru is set free to explore the area, meet the locals, do kid stuff, and just generally enjoy the summer however he wants.

The game takes place over the course of one in-game month, and it’s not entirely aimless as there is some structure here for those who seek it. There’s a morning exercise you’re encouraged to come to, and an evening meal you’re obligated to head back to your lodging house to partake in, as well as a bedtime you’re forced to observe (albeit a very late one). And beyond that every day has scripted events that you can opt to head to so and spend time with a specific character. There are also tasks you can opt to find and partake in to help locals, as well as an overarching goal of trying to collect enough money to help your family with their financial woes. However, out of all of this, the only things you’re actually required to stick to are the evening meal and bedtime, and the latter only if you don’t go to bed at a more reasonable hour so you can get up early.

In between all of this, you can catch bugs or fish, you can climb atop houses and look around for loose change or objects to sell, you can chat with villagers and see how their summer is going, you can look for hidden secrets and “play” with a mischievous ghost girl who pops up around town, or visit the area’s noteworthy landmarks.

If you’re wondering how this all plays out… I suppose it’s like an odd combination of Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, although please understand when I say that, not only does this game not excel at the things each of those games focuses on, but it has its own personality that sets it apart. Animal Crossing gives players more ability to customize their home and the area around it, and Breath of the Wild gives players far greater capacity to explore a much larger world.

These limitations can make Natsu-Mon a bit frustrating at times – being able to climb almost anywhere doesn’t mean as much when the kid barely has enough stamina to get up to the second story of a house, and while you can sometimes kick a tree and be rewarded with something falling out of it, most of the time nothing will happen.

However, in place of these things, Natsu-Mon focuses more on story, although it’s a story that’s a very relaxed low-stakes “slice of life”-style tale. It’s more charming than truly compelling.

On that note, Natsu-Mon’s presentation uses colorful but somewhat simple 3D visuals for its world and characters, making use of a simple anime style for those characters reminiscent of the Doraemon franchise. Again, this makes the game seem really charming, but in no way impressive. This is all backed by a relaxed soundtrack appropriate for a game built on chill vibes.

Overall, Natsu-Mon doesn’t leave me with an especially strong impression, but it does leave me with a positive one. It would have been nice to see this game filled with more things to do, more tasks to do for your neighbors, and a better ability to explore the environment, but as is this is still a wonderful relaxed game with a positive atmosphere that succeeds in what it aims to do.

tl;dr – Natsu-Mon is a family-friendly Open-World Action-RPG where players take the role of a young kid running free in a rural Japanese community and filling his summer days with whatever activities players choose to partake in. This game has a wonderful relaxed atmosphere and pulls elements from Animal Crossing and Zelda games while still retaining its own sense of identity. While this game doesn’t reach the same heights of those franchises, it’s still an enjoyable game well worth a look for anyone wanting something low-key and chill.

Grade: B

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2024 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Action-RPG

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