TANUKI: Pon's Summer Review - Is This Cozy BMX Adventure Worth Playing?

Yes, it is that cute.

Platforms: PC/Steam+Microsoft Store, XBOX, PS5/PS4, Switch 1+2

Release Date: 11/10/26

Developer: Denkiworks

Publisher: Critical Reflex

Show of hands, how many of y’all have had a life-changing trip to Japan, or have it at the very top of your travel list? Oh dang, that’s literally every single hand.

Well, if you’re also in the mood to bring some joy to your life, then TANUKI: Pon’s Summer has your number. On paper, it may look like another run-of-the-mill cozy slice-of-life sim. But in practice, it’s a truly special little gem that I’ll happily put right up there with my favorite games of the year. It’s definitely the most charming, no contest. Let’s break this down.

We start off with a peek at Pon’s day-to-day life. Pon, as you can see, is pretty much a raccoon. I say “pretty much” because, for one, I believe he’s actually (true to the title of the game) a tanuki, which is a dog that only looks like a raccoon. For another, and I’m going to butcher this, he’s actually something of a mystical creature who cares for the shrine he also takes up residence in. Either way, he’s adorable.

Anyway, at the outset, we see that Pon doesn’t really do much to fill his days. He sleeps and plays video games. That’s pretty much it. Well, sometimes he sleeps and plays video games. Other than that, that’s pretty much it; he’s the physical manifestation of me when I was super depressed for a year...Sleep, play Xbox 360, walk down the street for a burrito, repeat for all of 2014.

Back to the game, though. That all changes one day when the god behind this shrine rather forcefully gives Pon an important assignment: get the shrine back up to snuff for a festival at the end of the month. No small task, seeing as how Pon has been slacking off in his caretaker duties for the past who-knows-how-long. The whole place is in disarray, falling apart, and devoid of interesting things to do. It’s quite a task, but where do we start? We need money for all that.

And that’s when Pon gets a job at the local post office.

That’s the general setup, but each day brings with it an assortment of quests and stories that deepen your connection with the town and its people. Some deliveries are just simple hand-offs. Others come with their own detours: help a guy to fish, help a photographer rediscover her inspiration, help a sushi restaurant out when all of its employees quit right before the lunch rush, etc. Pon gets to be the most helpful little not-really-a-raccoon around.

I have to give props to the team for Pon’s design–everything from his demeanor, to his emoji communication, even down to his little waddle and Naruto run–they pulled every lever to make him as endearing as possible. Take note, Denkiworks: I would pay real money for a Pon plushie.

That sense of endearment extends to the township and island at large, which is bright, vibrant, and delightful; the perfect backdrop for the colorful, quirky cast of characters Pon will be helping. It didn’t take long for me to fully buy into the setting. This became a place I looked forward to revisiting at the end of a long day. It refreshes the soul.

So what does the game loop look like? Well, yeah, a big chunk of it is deliveries, which you make on your BMX bike! That’s right, Pon also loves doing sick tricks on his bike. I found this to be a pretty smart design choice for a couple of reasons. Yes, there is nothing cuter than Pon riding his bike around with his little blue postman hat. But also, it keeps things from getting stale. The island is not tiny (only expanding with time) and doing sick tricks and grinds as you get from point A to point B really kept me from checking my phone like I perhaps would with other games. What struck me is how the island is crafted around this mechanic. There’s never just one route to get anywhere you need to go, and you’re free to get as creative as you want. You eventually unlock a fast travel system, but using it cuts out on a lot of fun. Basically, if you’ve been wondering, “Well, what if I also want to play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater?” then there’s your answer.

Hand-in-hand with that, I was impressed with the dynamic soundtrack that shifts depending on whether you’re on or off your bike. Off, it’s serene and chill like the island landscape. On, it takes on a much more rad, “shredtastic” vibe. It’d be one thing if the music simply switched tracks on the fly, but if you listen carefully you’ll notice that they share the same melody, with a seamless transition between musical genres. It’s attention to little details like that, man. That’s what captivates me. Still, if you’re not about that you can turn it off, opting for one or the other to play throughout.

I’m not gonna lie, I got sucked into being the most helpful little postman raccoon I could be. I fell into a good groove: wake up, decorate my shrine a bit, grab my deliveries for the day (which incorporates a few Tetris skills), and head out–exploring and shredding along the way. I got into a pretty good flow state.

But it’s not all about postman duties and BMX shredding. You’ve got a festival to prepare for, remember? There are four main features of the shrine that need repair (which you accomplish over the course of the narrative) along with ample dead space that needs filling. This is where you can really get creative. You gain a few decorations via questing, but there’s also a vendor from which to purchase a variety of stuff. Feel free to get as wacky with it as you want. Want to make an outdoor arcade? Do it. Want to put a dozen grills around a massive sumo statue? More power to ya.

I mentioned you’ll be helping out various townsfolk with things that go beyond simple deliveries. This translates to an assortment of mini-games that are easy to pick up, but surprisingly difficult to master: sumo wrestling, carpentry, sushi-making, drink pouring–just to name a few. Pon wears many hats. Like, literally. There are a lot of hats to be worn and he looks absolutely lovable in every single one. Again, Denkiworks: ball’s in your court. At the very least do a Build-a-Bear tie-in.

Thinking of any snags I ran into, there weren’t very many. You can set waypoints and follow what I can only describe as Wolverine fart vision to your destination. Pretty standard feature, and it only confused me once.

Fishing and throwing both rely on similar mechanics, which I found to be a tad imprecise when it comes to aiming. You can’t adjust your sideways orientation once you’ve started your “windup,” which would’ve been more frustrating, were the game not so forgiving at the same time. When it comes to throwing things, as long as you’re within, like, a few feet of the target it’ll be fine.

The game runs very well, I don’t think I ran into any glitches or hiccups; certainly no crashes.

My wife made an observation just before I started writing this review. She said, “You seem like you actually like playing that game. I can tell you really like it.” Come closer, dear viewer. Here’s a little bit of inside baseball that may shock you.

I don’t always like playing games for review, even if I like the game itself. I don’t have a glut of free time, and I typically have things I’d rather be doing when I sit down for a review–I usually have to calibrate my brain to account for that when I put my thoughts together at the end of it. Tanuki: Pon’s Summer, though? I enjoyed sitting down with it. I don’t know if that tells you anything, but it certainly does for me. I think I’ve only had two other games like that so far, games that made work feel like free time: Echo Generations 2 and Forever Ago. Add Tanuki: Pon’s Summer to that list. What makes this title unique, though, is it’s not focused on narrative progression–which is typically what I look for when I have an hour to play here and there. This game has so much charm, so much character, and so many ways to make me smile that I didn’t mind slowing down to exist in the moment. It made me feel better coming away from it than I did going in. Tanuki: Pon’s Summer is a special piece of art that any aspiring game developer, animator, composer, whatever should look at. If you know anyone from Denkiworks, give them a pat on the back for me because Tanuki: Pon’s Summer earns itself the gold genie lamp from me, meaning I think it’s an essential addition to your library.

ESSENTIAL