Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is a stunning slice of life cosy game set in the world of popular manga and anime character, Crayon Shin-chan. Shin-chan, or Shinnosuke Nohara, is a five-year-old boy from Kasukabe in Tokyo. The stories follow Shin-chan’s daily life with his family, dog Shiro, neighbours, and friends, many of whom feature in the game.
Shiro and the Coal Town is the second game released by Neos Corporation in the Shin-chan series, and after previewing the game, I promptly bought the first one as it hooked me good. The combination of stunning scenery, quirky quests, and a heart warming story made me thoroughly enjoy reviewing this game.
A Minor Mining Mystery
You play as the titular Shin-chan staying in Unbent Village in Akita with his family. As you take in the scenery, your grandfather teaches you how to catch bugs and fish to pass the time. While exploring the Village, you discover a tram that takes you to Coal Town, a mysterious mining town that no one seems to know of. The residents there haven’t heard of Unbent Village either…
Time plays a key part in Shiro and the Coal Town, and it’s nice to see that it factors into gameplay. The day is split into the afternoon, evening, and night. Your day always begins in the afternoon, providing a vibrant backdrop for exploring. The mystery continues. You can only spend a limited time in Coal Town, which is always in a perpetual state of twilight, even if you go in the afternoon. You always get sleepy, and then wake up back home. Is Shin-chan dreaming? You’ll have to play to find out.
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The overarching storyline presents an interesting backdrop for Shiro and the Coal Town’s gameplay, drawing you deeper into the world as you complete main storyline missions. There are also several interesting side missions on offer by the Unbent Villagers and Coal Townies.
A Cosy Gamer’s Dream
Shiro and the Coal Town is made for cosy gamers. It includes all the typical cosy features such as fishing, bug-catching, harvesting, gardening and cooking — it also has a Trolley Racing mini-game, unlocked later in the game. This I didn’t enjoy as much, it took a little of the cosyness away and found it a bit finicky for my liking. That said, others might relish the challenge!
Much like Animal Crossing, you can only find certain bugs and fish at certain times of day, so make sure you head out at different times and go to different areas to find more varieties. The game makes fishing and catching bugs seamless by automatically switching to the correct item you need for corresponding activities.
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Unlike Animal Crossing though, Shiro and the Coal Town gives players an unlimited pocket to store everything you collect. I love this as there’s nothing I hate more than having to give away something I might need for later; I’m an in-game hoarder. However, you’re unable to sell unwanted items — some extra money would’ve been handy.
Harvesting Hell
Once you’ve collected most of the items, finding the remaining ones can become a grind, requiring constant farming. After 12 hours, I was still hunting for one last elusive fish, despite fishing religiously every day. You also can’t tell what plants are new because they all sparkle, so you just have to pick each one. I’ve got so much Japanese Parsley I don’t know what to do with it. Though, it’s not all bad. Some missions focus more on collecting.
Catching bugs was pesky too. As you couldn’t adjust camera angles, it was sometimes difficult to tell if you could catch a bug or not. It took several swipes at times but luckily there’s no consequences for missing. I just swiped away like a madman.
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Some vegetables took time to grow too, so some missions took longer to complete. This plays into the whole countryside vibe the game has though, so it could be intentional. I didn’t find it off putting and probably would’ve enjoyed it more if I wasn’t on a deadline.
Countryside Calm
The game is interspersed with idyllic scenes of the countryside, making you feel like you’re truly there. The visuals beam with life and are lovely interludes between different scenes. They can get a bit repetitive, but you’re able to skip them if bored. There’s new visuals too as you progress throughout the game, so it doesn’t get too bland.
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I found hours whittled away quickly when playing this on holiday, and was reluctant to leave Shin-chan’s world. Shiro and the Coal Town also did a great job of introducing new little mini games or quests that kept it all fresh and fun.
Should I Buy Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town?
Judging by the fact that I’ve already gone and bought the first game, you can take that as a resounding YES. I loved the time I spent in Coal Town with Shin-chan and his family. It made me nostalgic for anime, the country, and for the simple life. The story wraps up in a heart warming and touching way that left me with a little glisten in my eye.
The graphics played a big part in making this game super enjoyable; I’m quite picky with visuals. Coupled with the soundtrack and addictive gameplay, playing Shiro and the Coal Town felt like I was in a meditative state.
This is a game I want to keep playing forever.
Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is out October 24th on PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch. I highly recommend console play, and it ran perfectly for me on the Steam Deck.
Quest Daily scores Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town:
8/10
A copy of Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town was supplied to Quest Daily for this review.
