The Xbox Tokyo Game Show broadcast saw the reveal of TANUKI: Pon’s Summer, a laid-back adventure starring a lazy tanuki who always means well.
True to its name, it’s set in a Japanese town over the course of a hot and hazy summer. The developers pooled inspiration from their time spent in Kyoto, Aomori, Sapporo and Beppu.
Pon happens to be the town’s part-time mailman, choosing to spend their days delivering mail and performing tricks on their BMX, catching bugs, fishing, playing various sports, taking photos, and generally annoying the townsfolk – with an emoji-based dialogue system in place.
They soon find themselves with a greater purpose – to restore the town’s Great Tanuki Shrine in time for the end of summer festival. By taking on odd jobs, items can be earned to assist in the statue’s restoration.
TANUKI: Pon’s Summer is in development at the Kyoto based Denkiworks, best known for Cursed to Golf, and is set to be published by CRITICAL REFLEX on Xbox and Steam.
There’s no release date yet – hopefully, we won’t have to wait until next summer for it. The trailer can be found below: