Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid Review

You know what sucks? Getting older. Though I personally don’t mind the physical signs of ageing as much as some, what I do mind is how much faster everything moves! Months fly by, vacations feel like days, and you get caught up in that ever-deadly rut many of us find ourselves in. It’s no wonder some of us recall the freedom of youth with bittersweet sorrow. Well, if you do find yourself pining for days gone, you may find some small comfort in Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid.

Developed by TOYBOX and Millennium Kitchen, this wholesome adventure platformer puts you in the shoes of a 10-year-old son of a circus ringleader thrust into a rural town in Japan and left to fill out their summer days doing whatever you find entertaining! The town in question, Yomogi, features a fair bit of land to explore and offers many interesting places to visit, ranging from the local castle, factory district, and lighthouse! Each morning, you start the day eating breakfast with the owner of the guest house you’re staying in, as well as other townsfolk and circus performers (your parents, being busy, often are absent). As you look about the town doing whatever you fancy, the time of day and weather will dynamically change until it’s finally time for dinner and bed.

Though not the biggest town, Yomogi does have some locals to get to know, including other children around your age, old retirees, and even a touch of the spiritual, though we’ll get back to that in a bit. As the days go by, more mechanics are added to your growing list of things to do and the area you can explore is also widened bit by bit. Now, the summer holiday is all well and good, but as many of us have experienced, school always finds a way to ruin our fun! As such, you are charged with a summer research project. It doesn’t matter what you research, as long as you research something, ranging from collecting bugs and fishing to documenting your many adventures in a handy dandy picture book!

At certain points during the game, often during a key action or event, you will be prompted to write down something in your picture journal. As you do, you can select how lengthy the entry will be as well as add a fun little sticker to each section. Newly caught insects and fish are added automatically, along with some fun facts. In addition to all this fun nature stuff, you can also join the local detectives club and research the mysteries of Yomogi along with your newly made friends!

In addition to the aforementioned, you will also find little and big Adventures to perform. These are often tied to characters around the town, but may also be as simple as catching a certain number of new bugs. Little Adventures typically don’t give rewards in addition to the fun little stories they tell, but big Adventures give you Stamina stickers which allow you to climb longer and run further. Finally, as you meander the area, you may run into little spirits called Zashiki-warashi. These mischievous, but ultimately harmless, spirits often want to either play or task you with small errands to earn their favour.

All of this may sound like a lot to keep in mind and to do, and it can be! I myself stressed out quite a bit at the beginning of the game since the days don’t last very long. However, after playing for some time, I think I came to understand where I went wrong. This is not a game about doing everything possible but instead a game about the childlike freedom and wonder a vacation brings with it. Instead of worrying about my daily checklists, I instead did whatever took my fancy and sometimes even wandered aimlessly for a whole day, running into weird events and collecting mushrooms. With this new laid-back playstyle, I felt like I was having a lot more fun!

I do, however, have some small gripes with Natsu-Mon. As platforming, climbing, and precision are somewhat important in the game, I found the camera and movement a bit finicky, especially when clambering up a wall and trying to jump onto a platform. This is a small thing, and falling ultimately costs you little more than time, but the clunky controls did seem a tad infuriating after I spent half a day clambering atop a stone lantern post. Catching bugs could be annoying too, as the “aiming” of your bug net was a bit unruly. Additionally, once it’s dinnertime, a member of the circus hunts you down no matter where you are and drags you back home. While a great mechanic for not having to worry too much about getting back home, this can be incredibly frustrating if you finally climbed that big cliff and were on the cusp of looting a new item. Completely theoretically, of course.

Though I complain, Natsu-Mon actually does do a lot to let players set their own pace and style, which I found impressive. For example, you can set how long the days themselves are, allowing you to take your time and explore, or making each day a short snippet of summery goodness. There’s also the constant knowledge that you can just goof off and that's still valid! I also enjoyed how varied and surprising the events were that triggered a picture journal entry. Hop into the sea, find a crab, or land from a high spot? That's a journalin’.

The game also does a fantastic job of helping players out if they’re having a rough time thinking up what to do: for example, after a certain point, a character can give you hints on where to go and what to do during the day. You can take the local train or bus to get to locations quicker, and as your stamina increases, you’ll also be able to cover an impressive amount of ground in a short time! It also helps that you do not take fall damage even if you fall from fairly high up… maybe it is true: if no one sees the wound happen, a child is indestructible.

One final little bit of awkwardness did make this experience lack a bit of something for me personally… I’m not Japanese. This is a small thing, sure, but the Japanese childhood experience is very different from my own. I did not, for example, go to the local shrine (I don’t think we have shrines?) to do radio exercises each morning, nor was I ever given a net and insect cage and told to go nuts. I’d love to know if Japanese summer holidays are actually like this and getting to experience it has been a pleasure, but it also doesn’t quite fill the “ah this is my childhood” feel the game is trying to convey. It's in no way, shape, or form a dealbreaker, but may affect your experience!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid. Playing at a leisurely pace, familiarising myself with the town and its inhabitants, and unravelling the many fun events found out and about were both relaxing and entertaining (after getting over my FOMO). Though there were some minor annoyances, the charm and cosy atmosphere more than made up for it, making this a game I came back to more often than not!