Sometimes you play a game that feels so carefully catered to your tastes that it’s a bit uncanny. I had a chance to try out Tanuki: Pon’s Summer demo, which mixes deliveries, BMX tricks, and a tanuki in a cute uniform into a cozy, mechanically satisfying adventure that left a really strong impression on me.
You can now play through its first chapter thanks to a sizable demo now available on Steam.
Tanuki: Pon’s Summer Feels Tailor Made for Me
In Tanuki: Pon’s Summer, you play as Pom, a lazy but well-meaning tanuki tasked with maintaining and preparing the Tanuki Shrine for the Great Tanuki Matsuri festival, which is only a month away. Unfortunately, Pom has been slacking off on his duties, playing video games and munching on snacks, leaving the shrine in disarray and its account empty.
After being scolded by the spirit of the shrine’s previous guardian, Pom takes up a job at the post office to earn cash by making deliveries in style thanks to his exceptional skills on a BMX bike. The entire town is essentially one big playground for Pom to grind and trick across as he delivers parcels, takes part in side activities, and wins the hearts of its residents.
Image via Denkiworks
While your ultimate goal is to restore the shrine to its former glory, the delivery aspect is the main draw. The weight, size, and shape of packages determine how you’re supposed to carry them, and there’s a level of strategy involved in preparing for each delivery. Characters in towns have their individual stories, and completing deliveries sometimes ends with some activity associated with them. This keeps things fresh, and you’re never overwhelmed with tasks or markers. It’s just a nice place to be around thanks to the charming writing and cozy presentation.
You can take the calm, peaceful route, and to be honest, it has its own appeal. Simply riding your BMX along clean roads while taking in the scenery feels fun. Still, you’re presented with opportunities to put your BMX skills to use at every turn, and the simple but satisfying control scheme makes it hard to resist taking the shorter path whether you’re grinding, shredding, or tricking your way to elevated ground.
While it takes a bit for things to really start going, I had a grand time playing Tanuki: Pon’s Summer and can’t wait to make more deliveries when the full game is out!
Tanuki: Pon’s Summer Demo
You can now download the demo on Steam and enjoy Pom’s opening story and first few days of deliveries.
It’s a chunky demo and comes with around two to three hours of content with plenty to do. The developers have confirmed that the progress made during the demo will be carried over to the full release as well.
