Tanuki: Pon's Summer is the BMX Flavored Cozy Game You Didn't Know You Wanted
Remember those endless summers as a kid? Especially when you started to get a little bit older, and instead of being able to lay around all day playing video games you actually had to (or wanted to) get a job? That’s exactly the vibe I get with cozy game Tanuki: Pon’s Summer.
Tanuki: Pon’s Summer is about doing awesome BMX tricks, working part time at the post office, and playing lots of minigames as you meet, help, and hang out with townsfolk and get ready for the big tanuki festival at the end of summer. You also get to play as an absolutely adorable tanuki named Pon—lazy, well meaning, and surprisingly able to perform most tasks thrown at him.
Each gameplay section is divided into a day, and each new summer day has a whole bunch of new stuff to do. From carefully balancing awkwardly shaped packages on your bike so you don't damage them, to participating in a number of different activities—all of which represent a new minigame to play.
These activities include everything from sumo wrestling, to playing baseball, to doing specific tricks or actions on your sweet BMX bike. This also gives you the opportunity to meet the cast of characters found throughout the island's four distinct towns, which draw heavy environmental inspiration from Kyoto, Aomori, Sapporo, and Beppu. While not all of them are great, everyone is wholesome. Despite Pon taking his commitment to getting the Tanuki Festival ready pretty seriously, nothing is ever too serious in Pon’s Summer. Mistakes are easily undone, and good vibes flow freely.
Each time you deliver a parcel, you get money. You can also get money for completing certain minigames—though not everything you do always ends up in monetary rewards. Sometimes you’ll get hats to show off, and these purely cosmetic items even feature official nods to massive indie hits.
Earning the right to deliver the mail while wearing crossover gear from Shovel Knight or Hollow Knight: Silksong is a perfect, unexpected reward. Finally, use the money you earn to get the shrine ready for the Tanuki Festival. Upgrade it and decorate it anyway you see fit. In practice, this means rudimentary building by placing items on a grid.
The entire town also doubles as a BMX playground for tricks, featuring over 100 distinct challenges. It’s not exactly Tony Hawk—er, whatever the bike equivalent would be—but it’s fun grinding on rails and doing various other tricks I can perform but can’t recall the names for. I think superman is one of them? Either way, watching a fat little Tanuki flip around on a BMX is great fun. But it’s also very casual fun, and doesn’t require a dedication to hard mechanics to get a hold of and enjoy.
Pon himself is one of the biggest draws to Pon’s Summer. He’s cute as hell, and good at most everything he tries. And despite the initial skepticism from the townspeople about this lazy little guy’s motivations, he’s loved by most everyone you meet.
If you love cozy, but want a bit of a change of pace—from farming to BMX tricks—Tanuki: Pon’s Summer is a great way to spend your time. It’s not a super in-depth game, but scratches that cute, pleasant game itch. Come for the cozy delivery mechanics, stay for the fact you’re a cute-ass Tanuki.
Tanuki: Pon’s Summer is releasing tomorrow on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch 1 & 2. If you want to test out your tricklines early, a free progress-carrying demo is available right now covering the first three days of summer.
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