As someone whose formative years were spent playing the Tony Hawk games, I’ve always been drawn to games that involve extreme sports. Recently, I discovered an indie game that not only features BMX trick mechanics but also another passion of mine: raccoons. 

Okay, so not actually a Raccoon, but a Tanuki, which is close enough visually to appease my raccoon-loving mind. Yes, I know they’re not the same thing.

Tanuki: Pon’s Summer is a game by Kyoto-based Denkiworks that takes those BMX trick mechanics and combines them with a heartwarming story and a whole bunch of engaging mini-games, and now there’s a demo available to try for the very first time. 

Familiar, but improved

When the remake of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 was released, I immediately bought it and dove in, only to find that it felt… Pointless. Thankfully, Steam is pretty good when it comes to refunds. I figured that perhaps nostalgia is best left in the past, and I’d grown past the point-scoring gameplay, instead needing more to capture my attention. Pon’s Summer has absolutely made me rethink that theory. 

The trick mechanics in Pon’s Summer are almost identical to those in Tony Hawk; tricks are performed by combining button presses with directional use of the left stick, but it just feels… Better. It’s smoother, more consistent, and more intuitive. While you can faceplant and come off your bike at any given moment in Pon’s Summer, it’s so much less likely, and therefore everything just feels a whole lot less frustrating. 

I think what really sets Pon’s Summer leaps and bounds above other games that use these mechanics, though, is the ability to stop and stand still, to enjoy the world around you. Other games put you in an arena, give you a time limit, and mindlessly drive you to perform as much as you can to earn those points. Pon’s Summer doesn’t do that, which is a beautiful change of pace. 

But wait, there’s more…

While BMX tricks are, admittedly, a key feature in Pon’s Summer, I found that they tend to fade into the background given everything else that’s going on. The main aspect of Pon’s Summer is parcel and letter delivery, which sees Pon stacking a physics-defying number of parcels into his bike’s basket before setting out to get them delivered on time. 

Every parcel you deliver results in a little bit of backstory for each recipient, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to take part in a fun mini-game. As part of the demo, you get to practice sumo wrestling, pour drinks, and perform a myriad of other fun tasks. They’re not as easy as you’d think, either. Each is a challenge in its own right, and they serve to break up the monotony of being a Tanuki mailman. 

With a massive open world map to explore and an entire shrine to decorate, Pon’s Summer manages to be not only one hell of a BMX game, but also a time management game, and a cozy game on top of everything else. That combination is what makes Pon’s Summer stand out from the crowd, and in my eyes, makes it a true indie gem that’s worth watching and waiting for. 

Tanuki: Pon’s Summer doesn’t have a release date for the full version just yet and is still under development by Denkiworks. If you want to dive in and give it a try, I cannot recommend the demo enough. You should also wishlist and follow on Steam to be the first to receive updates as development progresses.