Tanuki: Pon’s Summer Review – One of the Most Delightful Games of the Year

There’s something magical about summer. Getting some proper sun after the cold winter, hanging out on the beach, and, of course, going to the Tanuki Festival. Just in time for cozy season, Tanuki: Pon’s Summer is probably the perfect game to cozy up with.

Pon is a wonderfully lazy tanuki who just loves snacking, playing video games, and doing BMX tricks around town. The issue is, it’s time for the Matsuri Festival and the local tanuki shrine is in complete disrepair. As Pon, you have a month to scrounge up every bit of cash you can by working at the local post office and any other odd jobs you can find, so you can get that shrine looking spiffy in time for the festival.

I can’t stress enough how much charm this town oozes, from how adorable Pon is to the quirky denizens you’ll grow to love. Hours into the game, you’ll still be introduced to new, quirky townsfolk that you’ll get to work for; whether it’s the kind former sumo wrestler Tetsuo or the rat bastard Kacho who’s only interested in capitalistic gains. There’s always someone new to meet with their own personality, and I found myself getting excited whenever I got to deliver packages to some of my favorite folk.

You’ll work random gigs throughout the month before the festival, but the core of the game is delivering packages to folk. Tanuki: Pon’s Summer doesn’t want you stressing over things, though. You’ll start each day of the week by riding into town, filling up your bike with the day’s packages, then you’re free to tackle them in whatever order you want. Some are simple one-and-done deliveries, but sometimes you’ll meet someone who might need extra help.

I had to deliver something to Taiga one day, and got roped into competing in a baseball game against a rival island town’s team. You’ll also find yourself serving beers, exploring caves for ghosts, making skewers, or even playing in a band. There’s always a new minigame to discover when delivering packages to folk, which really helps keep you from getting bored. The only downside is sometimes I wish I could replay some of the more fun ones.

Between deliveries, you’re free to do a variety of other activities outside your day job. You can collect bugs, go fishing, or do one of a massive variety of BMX challenges littered across the island. These could range from finding the letters “TANUKI” (Tony Hawk style), racing to the goal, or beating a trick goal, and they all come in different difficulty levels as well. You’re never required to engage with the BMX stuff besides using the bike to ride around with, but I wholly encourage you to.

Tanuki: Pon’s Summer has a shockingly in-depth trick system, and the entire island is built to let you take advantage of it. You’ll hit grind rails, then hop off and launch off a ramp that might land you on someone’s house, which you’ll jump off of to perform a spin trick before landing back on the ground and continuing your delivery. Not being forced to engage with the system made me want to engage with it more, as I was always looking for spots to trick off of as I rode around the island. You don’t get anything beneficial from doing it; it’s just a fun mechanic that’s there for you if you want it. And trust me, you will. If you’ve played any Tony Hawk game, you’ll feel right at home with Tanuki: Pon’s Summer BMX.

So you’re working that job and making money, but what are you to spend it on? Well, the shrine of course! Tanuki: Pon’s Summer features a sizable shrine area you can fully customize with a wide variety of decorations. There are massive landmarks like the torii gate that will get repaired as part of story progression, but the shrine also has a half dozen empty “zones” where you’re free to build whatever you want. I turned one of them into a nifty hot spring area and another into my arcade/gashapon space, for example. It’s nothing too crazy in terms of customization; you’ll simply acquire decorations and plop them wherever you want, but the variety of items available can really help make your shrine feel like yours.

I don’t normally mention music in my reviews, but I’ll make an exception here because it’s so good. It’s rare that I play a game and immediately want to rush to see if the soundtrack is available to listen to, and I know it’s going to be heavy on my work playlist rotation. It’s full of these delightful jingles that then transition into harder rock tracks when appropriate. Navigating the island as the music plays feels serene, especially as you get a clear view of some of the game’s gorgeous vistas and Pon races down a road on his bike.