Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

It’s impossible to experience everything that Natsu-Mon has to offer in a single play-through – much like how it’s impossible to get everything done that you want to over a summer. They’re always over too quickly. But then the very best way to play is to put Natsu-Mon down for quite some time afterward and let that one run through the game be your memory of it. This is something to be experienced, not played, and as far as emergent narratives are concerned, this is the best example of that I’ve seen in many, many years.

Those who are looking for a ton of gameplay hours for their buck might find Natsu-Mon a little lighter than they’re after. It’s really the only caution I have to offer here. Otherwise, this is an excellent example of the kind of game it’s trying to be. If you want to transport back to a childhood you never had, there’s no better way to do it this summer. It really grabs on to you and carries you along at its pace, despite the whole game being structured around you doing things at your own speed. I really love this game, and I hope we keep seeing more of these in the future.

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid offers distilled Summer Break happiness in video game form, with its vast open world, boundless activities, and magnetic rural charm. I’ve played a lot of video games in my life, but I don’t know that I’ve ever quite played one like this. I can say one thing for sure, though—I’m already looking forward to my next summer adventure.

Natsu-Mon! 20th Century Summer Kid is a cozy game above the rest, exuding a charming vibe that just comes across naturally. It’s the ultimate pre-internet summer vacation time capsule. It’s one thing for a video game to help you escape the real world, but what about a game that ends up teaching you to appreciate your world a little more? It’s easy to take the grind of life as ordinary and for granted, but sometimes it’s worth seeing the world like a little kid again.

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid provides a gaming adventure as cozy as its name. Its stakes may be low, but it packs in plenty to accomplish and will have players feeling nostalgic for a time they may have never even experienced.

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is like living through your childhood summers: filled with adventures, friends, chores, and great memories to look back on. Though the controls could be finicky, the overall experience was a level of wholesome all its own!

Natsu-mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is a charming rural romp full of bug catching and recycling, perfect for a stress free evening.

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid launched at a time when I really needed it, and that made me appreciate this cozy life sim even more. The older we get, the rarer it is to enjoy weeks of freedom, discovery, and joy. I get so caught up in work, especially around summer events when there are events back-to-back. Millennium Kitchen and Toybox really captured the magic of a peaceful summer where you can live at your own pace. Everything is new and an adventure. It’s refreshing and rejuvenating.

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid makes most commercial games feel like thankless labor. Set against backdrops of azure skies and verdant hillsides, the game lets you loose in a rural town. You can tackle kid-size goals if you’d like, or just spend your days capriciously, chasing butterflies and seeing where footpaths lead. This is the kind of open-world experience we need more of.

I truly recommend this game for fans of explorative adventures like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing, or those just looking to reminisce on the good old days, both real and imagined.