Cosy games are commonplace nowadays, offering relaxed and wholesome experiences intended to distract from the bustle of daily life. It’s a genre, if you can call it that, with a lineage that can be traced further back than you may think. The Harvest Moon farming series made its debut on the SNES in 1996, for instance. Then, just a few years later, Milano no Arubaito (Milano’s Odd Job Collection) launched on PlayStation, being the kind of cosy experience anyone can see through to the end regardless of age or skill. You’d be forgiven for having never heard of it before considering this re-release marks its first official debut in the west.
Our high spirited, purple haired, protagonist Milano suddenly finds herself completely independent after her mother is whisked into hospital and her uncle unknowingly decides to go on vacation. Despite being only 11 years old, Milano must work odd jobs to bring in cash, clean the house, prepare meals for herself, and feed the cat. Worry not, as there’s opportunity for a spot of ‘me time’ too. In fact, most of the hardship is completely optional – it’s up to you how Milano spends the next 40 days.
Everything here is presented using 2D pixel art, which is well-animated for PS1 standards, and daily actions are mostly command driven via a row of icons. This re-release sees it translated for the first time, complete with twee voice acting authentic to the era. It’s also now possible to save anywhere, activate a rewind tool, and view an artwork gallery direct from the crude but functional UI.
The titular odd jobs are, of course, mini games. Every day you’re presented with a single screen image of the town and can pick a part time job from whatever is available that day. Alternatively, it’s possible to sit in the park and feed the birds – with this colourful world home to an array of peculiar creatures. Every job lasts around two minutes and has a text-based tutorial, involving a mixture of button bashing, quick reactions, logical thinking and memorisation. There are floating cows to milk, falling apples to collect, pizzas to deliver, dishes to wash, and orders to collect at a burger bar. The controls for all of these take a minute or two to learn, not exactly being intuitive, but once mastered you’ll be well on your way to maxing out your pay cheque.
See, completing jobs successfully bestows cash which can be spent decorating Milano’s temporary homestead. As an entire day is needed to place items once they’ve arrived, it’s wise to save up for a shopping spree. Some items are merely cosmetic, such as wallpaper and tablecloths, while others such as a TV, stereo or musical instrument will increase Milano’s skill and energy levels when interacted with. Only two interactions can be performed after work, so you need to think carefully about which stats to boost – a task not too easy considering the cat occasionally demands to be fed. Then at bedtime, an additional action can be performed, with a choice of shopping, wishing upon a star, or reading a children’s book.
As the days tick down towards Milano’s family returning home, increased difficulty levels for the mini games unlock, along with more part time jobs – including a shift as a nurse, which involves matching buttons to cure illnesses. The mini game I enjoyed the most took place at the bakery, taking the form of a match-three style puzzler. None are particularly taxing though, easily beatable within their time limits. If you do happen to make too many mistakes, it’s possible to rewind and try again. There’s an ultimate goal of sorts to work towards, with it suggested that Milano can become a pop star if you nurture her skills in advance.
It takes around three hours to finish a playthrough, at which point you’re presented with an animated ending to round everything up, along with a ranking based on your performance. An arcade mode unlocks too, giving chance to play the mini games again and log scores on a high score table. It’s doubtful anyone playing on Xbox/PlayStation will unlock every achievement/trophy on the first playthrough, requiring a second run to mop everything up.
It’s easy to see why Milano’s Odd Job Collection has been plucked from obscurity and given a digital dust off. Its relaxed premise fits in well with today’s landscape, while being an experience with lots of fun touches and pixel art that compare well to today’s 2D standards. It isn’t as compelling as today’s offerings, however, as the daily loop isn’t too engaging – it’s a simple case of playing a short mini game, choosing how to spend the evening, and then calling it a night. It’s still likely most players will want to see the ending at least once, meaning you can guarantee an evening or two of light-hearted fun in this throwback world at the very least. If the going gets tough this winter, you can count on Milano to put a smile on your face.
XSEED Games/Marvelous’ Milano’s Odd Job Collection is out 9th December on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Switch and PC. Developed by Implicit Conversions.