Natsu-mon: 20th Century Summer Kid

With thousands of video games throwing peril, bullets and mayhem your way, sometimes you just need a break from that pressure. While many associate gaming as a hobby with competition or tests of skill, sometimes you just want to kick back with some laid back vibes and just relax in a lovely cosy bubble. That’s where games like Natsu-mon: 20th Century Summer Kid come in, with a nostalgic and vibrant childhood romp through the month of August.

Our protagonist Satoru has just arrived in Yomogi town, but this isn’t just an everyday house move. This is because Satoru’s dad is a ringmaster, and that means that life involves moving to new towns and constantly hitting the road as the show goes on. Our carefree hero doesn’t really mind this though, and is just excited to get to relax in a rural location on his summer break.

Although the vacation vibes are well and truly on display in Natsu-mon: 20th Century Summer Kid, that’s not to say there isn’t a bit of overhanging drama. The financial situation at the circus is a bit concerning, to say the least, and after hearing his parents and their colleagues stressing about this Satoru hatches a plan. If he can make enough money during the summer break maybe the circus will be fine, and thus begins an adventure to make money by doing odd jobs for the townsfolk and recycling discarded litter.

You’re pretty much allowed to spend every day of the August that makes up the game doing whatever the hell you want despite this overarching mission, and with a big open map full of people and animals the world is your oyster. The first few days of the game try to guide you in the right direction of fun activities, but if you’d rather wander the streets looking for plastic bottles and lifting up cinder blocks to find worms underneath then you’re more than welcome to do so.

For me the best way to spend your time in Natsu-mon though is catching animals, in a variety of ways. Your bug net can be used to grab butterflies from the sky or beetles and cicadas from the ground, but you may need to be a bit stealthy to sneak up on them. Fish are caught (as you might expect) with a rod. It’s not particularly hard to do so though, by just choosing your bait and depth and pressing to reel in when you’ve got a bite. Lots of games have bugs catching and fishing, but very few I’ve played have hundreds of different fish and moths to catch (each located in different areas of the map) and a way to view each of them afterwards in your collection.

If you’re looking for a bit more structure to keep you invested in Natsu-mon: 20th Century Summer Kid though, the odd jobs are what you’re looking for. Side objectives come in all shapes and sizes (from helping the local kids play detective to watching street musicians play) and will generally reward you with a bit of money for completing them. Yomogi town is a living breathing world where everyone has their own schedule to keep, so you’re expected to check out different places at different times of day to find everyone who might need you. Perhaps the best thing about these activities is that you get to record them in your diary, complete with adorable pictures drawn in crayon and a selection of quotes and stickers you can attach to the entries. This adorable feature is so lovely and charming, and every single time you do anything from chatting with someone to catching a new fish you’ll get to write about it.

If side objectives aren’t enough for you then the big boy main objectives might be more your speed. The best reason to complete these tasks (which are often to do with catching a large total amount of fish or bugs) is that you’ll be awarded stamina stickers. These handy stickers let you run for longer, as well as enabling you to climb for longer without letting go and sliding down a hill. There are a few out of reach areas you’ll need a nice supply of stamina stickers to access, so keeping them in mind is essential.

A game featuring the circus wouldn’t be much of a game if it didn’t include it in the gameplay, but thankfully that isn’t the case in Natsu-mon. Since you’ll one day likely be running the circus yourself, you’re tasked with organising the show with acts and songs to choose from. The circus will thrive if you do a good job of this, and you’ll get more options to choose from in future performances.

Natsu-mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is a gorgeous game that oozes country living charm and breaks free of the stressful shackles of modern life, but for some that won’t be enough. A lack of direction might mean that those who aren’t into exploring every nook and cranny find little to enjoy in this game, and especially early on you aren’t really told much about how to get the most out of your time. It took me a few nights to even figure out how to go to bed, and that meant waking up late and missing out on early events through no fault of my own.

Natsu-mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is a lovely laid-back game that will cure those real-life blues with a healthy dose of charm and optimism. Its twee characters and lack of direction might not appeal to everyone, but if you’re just looking for a cosy world to wash over you after a rough day then there’s not a lot I’d recommend more.