In 2000 called a game Boku no Natsuyasumi (“My Summer Vacation”) was released on the PlayStation. As the name suggests, it was about being a kid on summer vacation, and its slow pace and cozy setting made it a cult classic that sadly never saw an official Engl ish-language release.
A number of other games in the series have been released over the decades, on PlayStation 2, PSP and PS3, and each has been essentially the same experience, asking players to guide a young boy through the day and do things like fishing , collecting bugs and going to do a swim.
Based on a calendar, I think the best way I can describe the games to anyone who hasn’t played them is by imagining them person 4 Daily routine and idyllic rural setting, and then imagine a game where all you had to do was walk around town talking to people and doing idyllic side quests. No monsters, no fights, no RPG stuff.
Here is the intro of the second game released on the PS2. Please enjoy how beautiful the hand drawn backgrounds are.
And here’s the third game, this time with very helpful (and fan-made) English subs:
The latest game in the series Crayon Shin-chan: Ora an Hakase no Natsuyasumiwas released in Japan last year, but last month was the first to ever receive an official western release and was released on PC, PS4 and Switch. This is good news for the most part! It shows someone took notice when westerners said we wanted to play the games, and at least on a structural level it allows people to finally experience one of the most relaxed gaming experiences out there.
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However, there is a small problem. During this game – called Shin Chan: Me and the professor on summer vacation The endless seven-day journey in English – has the same calendar-based design as its stablemates and mostly lets them engage in the same leisurely pursuits, the fact that a cartoon license has been slapped over it robs it of some of its appeal.
Sure you can still fish and catch bugs, and sure you can still just walk around and enjoy the sounds of cicadas and running water, but the overall tone of the game feels slightly different, from the character designs to the crazier storyline, that runs through the events.
A big part of the appeal of the Main My summer vacation Games was you just playing as a normal kid and hanging around with normal kid stuff for a month. There were no crazy professors, fancy gimmicks, or dinosaurs to mess with. Here, the presence of it all Colored pencil Shin-chan
It is not Poorly game because of that; There is still a wonderful sense of humor here if you are one Colored pencil Shin-chan Fan, and like I said, this plays pretty similar to others My summer vacation Title, so if the routine and setting are what appeal most to you, you’ll likely find little to complain about here.
But I don’t know, I feel like part of the appeal here (for me at least) is how much we can all relate to a normal kid having a normal summer and it would have been awesome if we would have been able to enjoy the previous games in the series first before getting what is essentially this unbalanced spin-off. I can only hope that this one sells enough or at least gets enough attention to convince someone to release some of the older games in English as well.
