Open-world delivery game TANUKI: Pon’s Summer out now, featuring a cute little tanuki on a BMX 

First announced all the way back in 2023 under the working title Project Tanuki, the open-world postal delivery game TANUKI: Pon’s Summer was released on November 10. The game, which at a glance resembles Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater as reimagined by Studio Ghibli, was originally targeting a 2025 release window, but was delayed near the end of last year to allow the devs at Denkiworks time to further polish its systems and expand its scope. 

As the title suggests, players will step into the role of an anthropomorphic tanuki named Pon, who spends a summer working for the postal office of a Japanese town situated on a small island, earning funds to repair the local shrine in time for the village’s tanuki festival at the end of the month. Along the way, Pon will befriend a wide cast of characters as he delivers their mail and helps them with a variety of tasks.  

The core gameplay involves Pon riding around on his bicycle, traversing the island as he doles out packages each day. Although the game’s trailers and promotional materials highlight the potential to string together tricks and precariously balance on railings and power lines, Famitsu notes that these more technical elements of cycling are purely optional and are not required to complete the game’s main quest. That said, the devs boast that the game features 101 BMX challenges for those feeling up to the task. 

On the other hand, there are numerous minigames that involve Pon stepping off the bike and switching over to a totally new style of play. These include fishing, baseball, making sushi, and even playing the drums.  

As players accumulate funds from Pon’s postal job and helping out around town, they’ll be able to put that money towards restoring and customizing the shrine Pon calls home. Numerous decorations such as torii gates and stone lanterns can be arranged freely within the shrine grounds, allowing players to express themselves and enjoy the fruits of their labors when the day of the tanuki festival comes around. 

TANUKI: Pon’s Summer is available now on Switch, Switch 2, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X|S, and PC (Steam). The game supports 15 languages including Japanese and English. 

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