darksnowman Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 Quote Enjoy life as a care-free 10 year old in the Japanese countryside, partaking in every day life, special events and getting to know and befriend the people around you! During their Anime Expo 2024 panel, Spike Chunsoft, Inc. announced the release of the heartwarming summer holiday adventure Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid. The game will be released exclusively as a digital download for Nintendo Switch and Steam in North America and Europe on August 6, 2024. A demo will be available exclusively for Nintendo Switch beginning July 30, 2024. The game is developed by TOYBOX Inc. and Millennium Kitchen Co., Ltd. , with the story, script, and direction by Kaz Ayabe of Millennium Kitchen Co., Ltd.. Satoru, the son of a circus ringmaster, just arrived in a seaside town surrounded by nature. Enjoy a special summer in rural Japan, where you'll meet many people and have amazing experiences. In the game's open world environment go to various locations without loading times or screen changes. Swim in the sea, climb up the mountain, take a train to the neighboring town... Immerse yourself in this seamless world as you go on your adventure. Have fun interacting with both the people who live in the town and your fellow circus troupe members. As you spend your summer days in town, you will even be asked to direct the circus. A heartwarming summer vacation adventure awaits you. https://www.n-europe.com/news/natsu-mon-20th-century-summer-kid-announced-for-nintendo-switch/ Nice to see Natsu-Mon getting some coverage on N-E. Maybe we've an audience for it...? It came out a year ago in Japan and this surprise one months heads up on the western release got me poking around on the demo over the weekend. What you see is what you're gonna get—it's a chill game that controls fine. You just fill out your book (choose your comments, add an icon), catch bugs, meet people to learn about things you might want to look into and generally put your days in as you see fit. As long as you aren't expecting high-octane action adventuring. Stamina feeds into how much you can climb so that's a mechanic that'll be familiar to everyone. It's set in August 1999 so the August release is perfect for anyone that gets in on it immediately. Even though there's no physical announced at this time, I kind of want to hold fire and see. You may be familiar with these games from the Shin chan Summer Vacation game that came out on the eShop a few years back (we had a thread for it too). If that's anything to go by, a physical edition won't be forthcoming. I didn't get around to it yet due to that and because I find Shin chan pretty vile, so Natsu-Mon will do nicely. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julius Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 (edited) Thanks for sharing @darksnowman, it looks lovely (as the Shin-Chan games did too) and so long as it's not too long in length or too pricey, it's definitely one I'll be keeping an eye on. I always find it crazy just how consistently Japan releases games, films, and anime which perfectly capture that summer vibe – it's also kind of mental just how synonymous cicadas feel with the summer for so many living outside of Japan because of it. It does make me wonder a little what a similar game set in England would be like during the summer...probably just a bunch of people hoping for a heatwave before a spot of rain hits and we all go on about how that's our summer over now Edited July 8 by Julius 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh64 Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 I was going to mention it's connection to the Shin Chan game and link back to it, but I inexplicably couldn't find a news article about the Shin Chan game! I was certain I had posted about it at some point, but apparently not! I'm still waiting to pick up Shin Chan when it's on sale, you'll be glad to know it isn't vile in the game, I've heard there's a weird divide of normal/wild Shin Chan stuff, I think it possibly has to do with the TV shows western release being different to the Japanese one, though I'm not totally sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksnowman Posted July 8 Author Share Posted July 8 1 hour ago, Julius said: Thanks for sharing @darksnowman, it looks lovely (as the Shin-Chan games did too) and so long as it's not too long in length or too pricey, it's definitely one I'll be keeping an eye on. Probably somewhere in the 10-15 hour range. I'd estimate days average out at ~30mins depending on what you get up to. From what I understand, since these games are open-ended it makes them replayable so one go through shouldn't be excruciatingly long. It will be €40/$40 so we will have to see what they are asking when the eShop page goes up—maybe £34 like Shin chan? 1 hour ago, Julius said: It does make me wonder a little what a similar game set in England would be like during the summer...probably just a bunch of people hoping for a heatwave before a spot of rain hits and we all go on about how that's our summer over now Hosepipe ban and a quiet village fête for those not in Ibiza. 1 hour ago, Josh64 said: I'm still waiting to pick up Shin Chan when it's on sale, you'll be glad to know it isn't vile in the game, I've heard there's a weird divide of normal/wild Shin Chan stuff, I think it possibly has to do with the TV shows western release being different to the Japanese one, though I'm not totally sure. Could very well be that I happened to be exposed to less savoury episodes of it. Exposed being the operative word because that little cartoon dude couldn't keep his shorts up! Plus other vulgar aspects caught me off-guard and have forever coloured my opinion of it. Kept his summer vacation game from bubbling up to the top of my must-buy list so I'm unsure if I ever looked into it to find out if it's any more innocent. Here's some video messages about Natsu-Mon: There's some more info on the site: https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/natsumon/en/ The option to have your fish prepared at night reminded me of Dave the Diver. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcubed Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 Millenium Kitchen you say? You have my interest. Loved Attack of the Friday Monsters and I'd be well up for another similar game from the same devs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh64 Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 @darksnowman Well looking at a trailer just now of sc, I see that his running animation is pretty odd, so you could be right to think that the game will be lewd The gameplay in Natsu-Mon looks to be more free and open, so I'm tempted by that, but the art-style of Shin Chan is just so great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 On 7/8/2024 at 2:03 PM, Julius said: It does make me wonder a little what a similar game set in England would be like during the summer.. Wet barbeques, people drinking in the park with their top off and teenagers hanging around in town. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julius Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 A free demo for the game has been made available on Switch from today, with save data carrying over to the final game. Quote A free demo of Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is now available exclusively for Nintendo Switch. Immerse yourself in this open-world adventure and enjoy a relaxing summer holiday in Japan. Meet local townspeople, explore mountains and the sea, catch insects, and more. If you wish to continue your summer adventure, save data from the demo can be transferred to the full game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinist Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 I really enjoyed the 3DS one and that shin-chan summer vacation game a few months ago. I should take a look at this sometime. The art style looks really nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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