Many of Japan's biggest games have been open world-ized, but I wouldn't have expected the next to be—*checks notes*—summer vacation adventures. Sony's Boku no Natsuyasumi ("My Summer Holiday") series was a life sim trailblazer in the early 2000s, and now there's Natsu-Mon: an enjoyable adventure giving a seldom-known subgenre new life. As a longtime devotee of the Sony games, I welcome the change rather than demand purity. It still isn't getting old strolling through a virtual sunflower field, even if I've done it enough times to be a seed farmer.
What is it? A charming open-world adventure set in a remote Japanese town during summer 1999
Release date August 6, 2024
Expect to pay $39.99/£39.99
Developer Toybox/Millennium Kitchen
Publisher Spike Chunsoft
Reviewed on Threadripper 3960X, RTX 3060 Ti, 64GB RAM; Steam Deck
Multiplayer No
Steam Deck Not Verified
Link: Steam
