TANUKI: Pon's Summer Review Summary

Fun BMX tricks and a beautiful, charming village make this a relaxing ride, but awkward keyboard controls, steep difficulty, and boredom after shrine restoration hold it back.

Fun BMX tricks and riding: Players enjoy performing BMX tricks and stunts, as well as simply riding around town on a bicycle, especially as a tanuki.

Beautiful art and charming village: The hand-drawn UI, cartoon 3D art style, and the quaint Japanese countryside village setting are frequently praised for their beauty and charm.

Charming and relaxing experience: Frequent praise highlights the game as cute, fun, and chill, with a cozy atmosphere that makes it easy to pick up and enjoy.

Cute tanuki protagonist: The tanuki character, often named Pon, is repeatedly described as cute, charming, and lovable, with endearing animations and expressions.

Enjoyable minigames and challenges: Many reviewers praise the variety of minigames, such as fishing, bug catching, and sumo, as well as the fun challenges provided by NPCs.

Keyboard controls hinder trick execution: Performing tricks with keyboard is awkward and counterintuitive, requiring keys on both sides and feeling weird for bike handling. Players find trick combos difficult without a controller.

Challenges become very difficult: Despite the cute graphics, some challenges are extremely difficult, and the 100 missions get hard from the middle stage. Trick score events with time limits also feel like a struggle.

Game becomes boring after shrine restoration: After restoring the shrine somewhat, the game becomes boring due to repetitive daily tasks that are mostly simple minigames. This reduces long-term engagement.

Game cannot be played leisurely: Players expecting a relaxed shrine restoration experience find the game cannot be played leisurely as desired. The difficulty and mission structure prevent a laid-back pace.

Fishing and bug catching lack clues: Fishing and bug catching only have a compendium without any clues to find creatures, making these activities frustrating and less enjoyable.

BMX tricks and stunts: The game features a BMX trick system where players perform stunts, acrobatics, and tricks on ramps, rails, and in skate parks. This is a core gameplay mechanic often compared to Tony Hawk games.

Play as a Tanuki: Players control a cute tanuki character, often named Pon, as the protagonist. This character is central to the game's identity and is frequently mentioned in reviews.

Challenges and minigames: The game includes various challenges, mini-games, and side activities such as fishing, bug catching, sumo, and BMX challenges. Some challenges are described as intense or hard.

Restore a shrine: Players work to restore an abandoned shrine or temple, often preparing for a festival within a time limit. This provides a overarching goal for the game.

Package delivery gameplay: A main objective is delivering packages by bicycle as a mailman. This delivery loop is tied to the story and progression.

Runs well on Steam Deck: One player reports the game runs well on Steam Deck. This indicates good compatibility and performance on portable hardware.

Smooth performance, no lag: A player notes that the game does not lag. This suggests stable performance during play.

Controller recommended for tricks: Multiple reviewers recommend using a controller to fully enjoy the trick mechanics, noting that keyboard controls are inconvenient for tricks.

Strong overall recommendation: Several reviewers give an easy recommendation or urge immediate purchase, with one rating it 9.8/10.

Summer vacation game vibe: Players who enjoyed the summer vacation atmospheres in Yokai Watch 1&2 or Shin Chan games are specifically recommended this title.

Appeals to cozy game fans: Reviewers highlight the game for fans of cozy games featuring errands, side quests, fishing, and critter catching.

Niche genre appeal: Recommended for those who like or are interested in this type of game, suggesting it caters to a specific audience.

Session length: 2.0h.

Cozy Errand Relaxer: Casual wandering, side quests, fishing, catching critters, and relaxed delivery-style movement. Motivation: Unwinding through low-stakes exploration, errands, and cozy side activities. Stance: buy.

Japan Summer Nostalgia Seeker: Immersive exploration, cultural roleplay, and community or shrine-related story activities. Motivation: Reconnecting with Japanese summer vibes, cultural atmosphere, and nostalgic memories. Stance: buy.

Guidance-Dependent Side Quest Explorer: Following map markers and detailed route guidance to explore and complete objectives. Motivation: Clearing side quests efficiently without navigation frustration. Stance: buy.

Tony Hawk comparisons frequent: Multiple clusters compare the game's trick system and gameplay to the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series and similar skateboarding games, with one reviewer noting the trick system alone makes it worth playing.

Compared to classic extreme sports games: The game draws comparisons to classic sport trick games like SSX, Matt Hoffman BMX, and Dave Mirra Freestyle, suggesting a nostalgic arcade sports feel.

Summer vacation atmosphere praised: Reviewers liken the game's summer vacation vibes to Yokai Watch 1&2 and Shin Chan summer games, while also comparing it to Animal Crossing and Okami with BMX and a tanuki.

Small Japanese town setting: The game is set in a small town in Japan, and its setting and music are described as wonderful.

Developed by Kyoto indie studio: The game is the debut title of Denkiworks, a three-person indie studio based in Kyoto, Japan.