Summary
Shin Chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation effortlessly captured how summer felt as a child: endless and sprawling with the sense of potential adventure, while at the same time filled with small routines that you create for yourself.
The sequel, Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town, expands on this idea and adds even more for you to explore. Playing as five-year-old Shinnosuke, nicknamed Shin chan, you split your time between the ordinary town of Unbent Village, Japan, and a mysterious place known as Coal Town.
An Easy Life In Unbent Village
You spend the first day walking around Unbent Village, talking to the townspeople and local kids. Since Shinnosuke isn’t from the town, the kids all think you’re “suspicious”, and won’t let you pass certain areas until you ‘prove’ yourself to them in one way or another, such as finding secret words or catching a specific fish.
Later in the day, you spend time with your Grandpa, who teaches you how to catch bugs, and meet Kazuko, who has an affinity for insects and wants to record all the creatures you discover in her book.
I spent the rest of the day walking around town, catching more bugs (species you’ve yet to catch are helpfully highlighted by a glittering animation), and returning to Kazuko to record my finds and even receive some pocket money for my efforts.
I also spent a lot of time playing with Shiro, the family dog.Yes, you can pet him.
It was a simple start, but the stylised graphics (that are somehow a step up from Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, which already looked great) and carefree atmosphere drew me in straight away.
It gave me the same feeling as watching a good slice-of-life anime, managing to evoke something magical in ordinary things. Every character I met in the village was distinct too, not just in their quirky designs, but also in their dialogue, making the village feel alive and fully realised.
Kazuko is a bit of a nerd about bugs and fish, but gets embarrassed when she gets too excited; Shin chan’s Grandpa has a cheeky side, like a grandparent in real life slipping you money; and Shin chan himself is an expressive and fun main character as well. He often mishears what other characters say, resulting in some funny misunderstandings.
The next morning, Grandpa teaches you another important skill -how to fish. Unlike games like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley that punish you for a mistimed push of a button, Shin Chan lets you try as many times as you need to catch the fish without it swimming away, which in itself is a testament to its laid-back vibes.
The afternoon was similar. I caught a Masu Salmon and received a ‘secret word’ in return for handing it over to one of the local kids, and met a new townsperson, Sora, who’s planning to open up a new curry shop.
The first two days sucked me into the pleasant town life of chatting with the locals, fishing, catching bugs, and having dinner with Shinnosuke’s family, but the morning of the third day quickly added another layer to the game.
Now Entering Coal Town
The family wakes up to find Shiro, the all-white family dog, covered in charcoal. Shinnosuke’s mother tells you to bathe him, but Shiro has other plans - he escapes and runs across town. He leads you to what seems to be an abandoned track in the forest, where a mysterious train appears and takes you to Coal Town.
The journey sees you crossing gorgeous green landscapes until you arrive at Coal Town, which looms across a bridge with glowing lights and smoke pouring out of numerous chimneys. You’re greeted by a girl called Sumi, who says she asked Shiro to bring you here, and she believes you can “save this town”.
Though it’s not quite the same, Coal Town instantly reminded me of Professor Layton’s St. Mystere. There’s a strange vibe emanating from the place - the paths and buildings are slightly off-kilter, and the townspeople are secretive, blocking off pathways the same way the children do in Unbent Village. It’s something that I’ve not quite gotten into yet but can’t wait to explore.
Sumi quickly takes charge to show you around Coal Town. First, she takes you to a diner and introduces you to the owner, who admits that the place has been struggling to find customers as of late. Next, Sumi wants to take you to the town’s laboratory, but it’s surrounded by junk.
After a brief detour to gain passage through the back alley and into the lab, you meet Yuri, the self-proclaimed “genius inventor”. She asks you and Sumi to find a material she needs for an invention she’s working on for a client, but warns that it’s rare.
As soon as I returned to the main area of town to begin my search, Shiro sniffed it out and found it for me, introducing a mechanic that will no doubt come in useful often.
Rare material in hand, I made my way back to the lab and threw the materials into Yuri’s invention machine, which created a ‘Street TV that’s also a Street Lamp’. Catchy. I was all too soon taken back to Unbent Village, just in time for a family dinner and bedtime, with Shiro now following me everywhere I went.
Coal Town is just as lively as Unbent Village, with nooks and crannies to explore and vibrant characters to get to know, but the two places are completely distinct from each other, which helps to keep things new in both places. Where Unbent Village is relaxed, focusing on catching bugs and fish and getting to know your neighbours, Coal Town gives you a purpose to your days as you investigate this strange place and assist the locals - as much as a five-year-old can.
The first three days of Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town have already shown me there’s a lot more to it than Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, and that it’s expanding on the unique concept established in the first title. After meeting the townspeople in Unbent Village and getting my first glimpse of the titular Coal Town, I can’t wait to uncover more about the characters and the mystery of Coal Town itself.
Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town launches on October 24 on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
