Shin Chan: Shiro And The Coal Town Review

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town takes second place for depicting the Japanese countryside. First place goes to the real thing. That's a respectable position for h.a.n.d. Inc.'s wholesome adventure featuring Japan's favourite chin-chin spouting Shinnosuke Nohara - a crude five-year-old with a penchant for older woman and dropping his pants.

Shinnosuke, or Shin Chan, started out as a manga in the early 90s, spawning into an anime shortly after that, with plenty of movies and games to boot. Shin Chan is crass, often talks about his penis, chuckles at fart jokes, and is disrespectful to his elders. Yes, he's five. That said, there's a lot of charm to the character, and the series features a lot of good-spirited interactions with others, and this game follows suit.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town Review

After Dad gets assigned to Akita prefecture for his job, the family join him, and Shin Chan sets out on an adventure in the countryside. Nothing much happens in the Japanese countryside, and while the themes here have a parallel world on par with Spirited Away, there's a timelessness most will be familiar with My Neighbor Totoro. Unfortunately, Studio Ghibli is the comparison we all draw, but the watercolour scenes and world-building here are on the same level; well, the narrative isn't, but the artists have nailed the countryside perfectly.

With the missus coming from up North in Japan, Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town was immediately on the radar - more so after spending Summer there and clutching onto those memories for as long as possible. The same applies here: the game clock is essentially the day/night cycle; no urgency or anything like that. When it gets dark, you come home, have dinner with the family and get ready for a bath. There's a huge emphasis on community, security and basking in the beauty of nature.

ぶりぶり

Shin Chan isn't interested in video games (the fool), so embraces in the wonders of the outdoors, collecting bugs, going fishing, and learning how to grow veg and sell it on the open market. He's five, don't you know? Grandpa teaches him a few skills, so too does Grandma, as well as the locals. Everyone plays there part, and there's simply no rush but to enjoy life. Ahh. And then his dog goes missing and a mysterious train takes him off to the Coal Town of the title.

This could be the Spirited Away moment of intrigue, but it's not. Sure, Shin Chan helps out the locals with their needs, yet there's no underlying doom or need to do anything other than reach your personal quota of most fish caught. The main quests in Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town involve working with the local inventor based in Coal Town, whom Shin Chan has a crush on. You'll search for elements and parts to chuck into a pseudo 3D printer and use the device to solve a problem in the community. Most of the time, you'll be running around collecting the bugs an wiggling your bum.

The Trolley Problem

Items are scattered throughout and appear randomly. Leaving an area and returning will spawn new stuff, and effectively, you can run back and forth doing this to collect everything. The only restriction is getting back for nightfall, and in this case, a parent will be waiting for you near home, or if in Coal Town, he'll fall asleep and then wake up at home. Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is very much rinse and repeat and is in no hurry to get you to the end and you watch all the cosy transitions of rice fields, family enjoying their meals together, and ethereal sunsets.

There isn't much in the sense of narrative, and gameplay isn't challenging in the slightest - which is it's biggest selling point. It's predominantly Shin Chan interacting with the locals and completing fetch quests of local cuisine, collecting bugs, fish and plant life, and enjoying the simpler things in life. Further down the line, a trolley minigame is introduced which is slightly out of place with minecart racing on rails with associated power-ups and whatnot to add some life to it. However, everything leading up to it is so low-key and chilled that one has to wonder if that part was worth it.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town Review Summary

Featuring the original Japanese voice actors, there are a few lines in Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town that don't translate so well to English, and people unfamiliar with Shin Chan and Japanese nuances might find it a little odd in places - a five-year-old sharing a bath with strangers, trying to woo an older woman, and fishing on their own for crabs might raise a few alarm bells, yet anyone who is familiar with the character and the Japanese countryside will find this a joy.