Tanuki Sunset Review

Do you love flying down a twisty road at breakneck speeds, on a tiny piece of wood on wheels? Doesn’t sound appealing, right? What if I tell you that you are playing as an adorable raccoon, named Tanuki, who you can dress up with hats, shirts, and sunglasses? Tanuki Sunset is about Tanuki, a thrill-seeking skateboarder who dreams of getting onto the cover of the biggest magazine on Sunset Island, FISH! You will have to master this third-person longboard-skating game full of sharp turns across mountain ranges, through the city at night, and down to the beach.

Tanuki Sunset is procedurally generated, so every attempt will be different. You won’t be able to memorise all the turns and obstacles coming up, as they are constantly changing. Tanuki has to avoid any vehicles that get in the way; slamming into one of these means your run is over, and you start back at the last checkpoint. Hazards like garbage bags, boxes, and traffic cones will only slow you down, so you don’t have to worry about wiping out. If you feel like you are going too fast and can’t control yourself, hold back on the thumbstick, and Tanuki will step on the back of the board, slowing them down. Or if you are a speed demon and want to go faster, then push forward on the thumbstick, so Tanuki crouches and leans forward, increasing your speed as you fly down the road.

The colour palette that Tanuki Sunset uses screams 1980s. It is full of purples, bright pink, and blues, it even has the music that you are listening to during your runs on cassette tapes. When a song finishes, you hear the tape fast-forwarding to the next song; if you decide you don’t like the current song, pause the game and fast-forward or rewind to the next track. The music was calming and relaxing, probably contrasting the extreme adrenaline I felt while skating down these roads. I was so scared of flying off the edge of one of these crazy, twisting roads and sending my poor raccoon flying! At least if you run into a car, you see them falling off the board. If you are nice, you will at least equip Tanuki with a helmet!

When you aren’t skating down these treacherous roads, you will be in Bob’s Skate Shop. Bob is a sloth who used to longboard but now encourages others to pick up the sport and complete the courses on Sunset Island. He sells you various equipment like wheels, decks, and trucks to customise your longboard. There are new items all the time, so it is worthwhile checking back to see what other cool stuff he has in stock. Chad works with Bob, taking care of the clothing and accessory part of the store. You can select different shirts, hats, sunglasses, and even cassette players to equip on Tanuki. Having a bright blue or pink tape player on your hip was so fun. The Skate Shop has an arcade machine to play Tanuki Sunset Classic. It’s essentially the game you are playing now, but with a more retro feel., It is currently available to play on an internet browser.

Graphics-wise, the backgrounds and locations that you are skating through look more simple. I appreciate the simplicity as too much detail would have been distracting as I’m trying to pay attention to the course and ensure I stay on the road. During your runs, you pick up items called Tanuki Bits, used as currency in the skate shop to customise your character and longboard. There are opportunities where you can do tricks to earn more points and extra bits. The course doesn’t require you to pick up a certain amount of these bits to progress; it is totally up to you. If you want to be risky, try to get the more out-of-the-way treats, or stick to the safer road areas. I played it safe a lot of the time as I didn’t want to spin right off the course by slamming into a hazard — like a car — and end my run. There are checkpoints throughout the course that, when reached, will determine where you begin. It just marks how far down the course you got because with it being procedurally generated, that area won’t always be the same.

Tanuki Sunset is not a racing title like you may expect. It’s all about riding down the course as fast as you can. It’s incredible how fast you feel like you are going! Some of the turns are incredibly sharp, and until you learn how to effectively use the drift, you are sure to fly right off the course. The controls are simple, but they definitely take time to master! It’s been a long time since I have played a game that would make my hands sweaty and make me feel so paranoid and anxious simultaneously. Though it is all worth it for the moment, you cross the finish line and get to do a victory photoshoot. There are only three different courses: Sunset Peaks, Midnight City, and Sunrise Beach, but they are sure to give you a challenge until you get used to the controls and practise but there is a lot of replayability if you always want to improve your run times and point scores. At one point, a seagull named Charlie shows up and wants to challenge you to a race. It seems like the most unfair race ever as they fly and don’t have to worry about flying off the course, but whatever, it was a fun challenge either way!