Kyoto-based indie studio Denkiworks has announced its debut title, Tanuki: Pon’s Summer, as part of Xbox’s Tokyo Game Show broadcast. The cosy adventure game will have players taking on the role of a cute BMX-riding tanuki who also happens to be the mailman for a picturesque Japanese village.
The game shares some similarities with Animal Crossing, with summer activities including bug collecting and fishing, and a village full of quirky characters to interact with–but unlike Animal Crossing, the player character Pon is the only critter in a village otherwise populated by humans. Pon can build or break relationships with the other characters, interacting with a simple emoji-based interface.
While delivering mail and taking on odd jobs for the townsfolk, Pon can also pull off sick BMX tricks, flipping and grinding his way through a Japanese village inspired by real locations around Kyoto and Sapporo. Pon’s ultimate goal is to restore and decorate the Great Tanuki Shrine for the Matsuri festival at the end of the summer. Other summer activities Pon can enjoy include plating sushi, karaoke, sumo, and baseball.
Denkiworks was co-founded by three Q-Games alumni, Liam Edwards, Taku Arioka, and Jan de Graaf. Edwards was also the creator and director of Chuhai Labs’ critically acclaimed “golf-like” Cursed to Golf, which de Graaf also worked on as a programmer.
Tanuki: Pon’s Summer is being published by Critical Reflex, and will be released on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The game’s release window is still unknown.
