More anime should have cozy tie-in games. If we can convert gacha and musou games into energy sources, they could single-handedly meet the world's energy needs for years to come. What we need is more non-serious fun, like Animal Crossing. And that's where Shin chan: Hiro and Coal Town (hereinafter referred to as Coal Town) comes in.
© USUI YOSHITO/FUTABASHA,SHIN-EI,TV ASAHI,ADK/© Neos Corporation
I don't necessarily dislike Shin chan, but I also can't call myself a Shin chan fan. Back when they aired the show, I remember occasionally watching it on Adult Swim, but it was always something I would watch if I had nothing else to do or if I was just waiting for something else to happen . It's never been a show I've gone out of my way to watch if that makes any sense. And if not, then suffice it to say, I haven't seen Shin chan in a few years, I remember very little about it, and I wouldn't say I have a strong opinion about it one way or the other. Furthermore, I haven't played Shin chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation The Endless Seven-Day Journey.
I mention all of this because I know some of you might be wondering how much familiarity with Shin chan is needed to not feel like a loser when playing this game. And the answer: not at all. The story of this game seems very self-contained and the premise of Shin chan is so simple that even a completely unfamiliar audience can jump right in without any problems. In short: no context needed.
But finally to discuss the game: you play as Shinnosuke (Shin chan) who is spending time in Unbent Village with his family to work for his dad in the summer. Since you play as Shin chan I guess that technically could make this an RPG, but it's mostly a life simulation game like Animal Crossing in the sense that the Most of your time will usually be spent fishing and catching bugs. , gardening, and doing jobs for others that almost always involve you searching for specific items/bugs/fish. And I say “often” because later in the game there is also racing my car, but more on that later. That said, Coal Town isn't as big as Animal Crossing—not only because Animal Crossing games tend to be quite expansive, but also because Coal Town is definitely smaller.
© USUI YOSHITO/FUTABASHA,SHIN-EI,TV ASAHI,ADK/© Neos Corporation
Typically, one of the main features of life sims is that they allow for endless play or at least enough content to reasonably keep. it would have taken you dozens—if not hundreds—of hours. But Coal Town is too small. Your mileage may vary, but I completed the game (as follows: completed the story, did all the quests/collected all the stuff I wanted to do; this earned me most in-game trophies) for 15–20 hours (the closest I can get to being more specific is to say my Switch says my playtime is over 15 hours).
On the one hand, there's nothing wrong with a game wanting to be short and sweet. Especially depending on how busy you are, it can be really refreshing. For the right player, this game's short length is arguably its greatest asset. But on the other hand, I know that their limitlessness is a big part of the reason some players like life sims. So I guess it's up to you to decide whether the game's relatively short length is a feature or a bug. But personally, I don't mind having my life briefly taken over by a game like this just for a change.
In any case, to get back to talking about the game itself, you have two areas to play in: Unbent Village, and then Coal Town. Although similar in some ways, overall, these two fields offer you completely different ways to pass the time. As mentioned before, in the Village (where you will probably spend most of your time) you can do things like bug catching, fishing, gardening, etc. Meanwhile in Coal Town, two Your main activity will be helping the local diner by collecting ingredients for new dishes and taking orders, followed by mine cart racing.
© USUI YOSHITO/FUTABASHA,SHIN-EI,TV ASAHI,ADK/© Neos Company
Activities like fishing and catching bugs are often done through simple button presses—just aim your net/fishing rod, maybe press the button a little if you're fishing. Meanwhile, the cart race would need a little more explanation. You are given light customization options, but other than that, it's pretty simple. You just need to accelerate as much as you can until you enter a turn — this may require a bit of good timing depending on how fast you're going. Because this all happens on mine tracks, no controls are required. Most of the gameplay just comes from timing your turns well and making effective use of the few tools your customizations can give you (For example, there are lasers you can shoot at your opponent). Most of the tracks are quite short and a few of them require a specific amount of skill/strategy. So you definitely don't get the original Mario Kart or D experience through cart racing, but it's still fun enough that I rarely get annoyed when I have to race again on certain tracks to Get better rewards.
© USUI YOSHITO/FUTABASHA,SHIN-EI,TV ASAHI,ADK/© Neos Corporation
In any case, somehow I've talked a lot about Coal Town without talking about its image. Graphically, this is a truly impressive game. More specifically: while the camera doesn't necessarily always work as well as I'd like (camera angles are fixed, and they're a bit disorienting at times—especially during cart races), the overall gameplay It looks and moves very much like an anime—combining 2D and 3D almost seamlessly. It's incredibly smooth, stylish, and really makes you feel like you're in the anime world.
There were a lot of great games released this month—the Silent Hill 2 remake, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Dragon Ball: Shine! ZERO among many other things. And honestly, I can't help but worry that Coal Town will be operating under the radar of so many people. However, I hope not—I hope it still has its moment to shine and that audiences will find it. Charming and atmospheric, Coal Town is a great game to help you relax without spending 300 hours of your life.