Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town Review

Shin-chan was quite a part of my childhood while I was growing up. I remember in third grade, after gathering with friends during recess, talking about the latest antics of that cheeky 5-year-old kid and his misadventures in Kasukabe, the show was an everyday staple for us.

My friend named her dog "Shiro" after Shin-chan's ever-loyal pup! So, I was really eager to play the game. When I started to play, the nostalgia of those afternoons watching the show came flooding back. I was excited to see how this new adventure, developed by Japanese studio h.a.n.d., would pan out, and I wanted to see if it would capture the same magic as it once did.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is the sequel to the 2022 Shin-chan title Shin Chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, blending light-hearted casual exploration with the show's signature humor. In Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town, Shin-chan embarks on a journey with his dog Shiro, and much like the show, the game has a quirky, heartwarming, goofy charm.

Whether you're a longtime fan or you're experiencing Shin-chan for the first time, this adventure brings something for everyone. But is it worth diving into? Or does it simply lean on nostalgia without delivering much? Let's dig in.

If you haven't checked out the earlier Shin-chan games, I'll tell you this much: they're just extremely cozy and vibey; you get to explore different areas and gather all sorts of random stuff. This time around, the game wants you to focus on completing the mission, but the plot remains the same – collecting stuff.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town does a good job of moving the story and making it clear what it wants you to do to progress. Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town still gives you time to explore the beautifully crafted environment where you'll catch bugs and gather plants, minerals, and fish without it feeling like a rush.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town feels familiar to Shin Chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, but it does a great job of building on its gameplay mechanics. You don't have to worry about missing out on the previous game, as the stories are pretty much standalone.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town starts when Hiroshi, Shin-chan's dad, has to go to Atika Prefecture for work. Since the place is close to his hometown, he brings along his entire family from Samaita to this rural spot in the prefecture called Unbent Village. While Shin-chan's parents are busy working and looking after his little sister Himawari, Shin-chan has the liberty to wander around, lend a hand, make new friends, and have fun.

One day, Shiro, Shin-chan's dog, comes home all filthy and covered in soot. He then ends up following Shiro, and they end up finding a cool, mysterious train that takes them to a place that appears to be frozen in time – Coal Town. Shin-chan is on a mission to help out folks in both of these regions as he traverses between them. You'll find all the fun and silliness that comes with the show, such as the playful chats and interactions with the locals.

The gameplay of Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is fairly simple. When you run around, Shin-chan turns into this hilarious butt-morph; the mechanics are pretty much like the prequel. When you walk around town as you look around, you'll find shiny things on the ground that might be plants or minerals.

You'll have a net that you can use to catch various bugs and a fishing rod; there's this new feature where you can catch crabs as well. You can work on gardening, and in Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town, Shiro will follow you the whole time; he'll also fetch rare items for you from time to time.

At Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town's core, you'll be collecting items, just like the prequel. However, the game is more mission-based this time around, but most of the missions are about gathering items. It's not about getting each type of an item anymore, though; sometimes, there would be missions where you'll need to collect 50 of the same items, which can be pretty grindy and repetitive.

A lot of missions need you to find a specific rare time; even though you might know where these items might appear, the spawns of these items are completely random, so sometimes you'll end up switching screens a lot, hoping that the item you wanted would pop up, which isn't really ideal.

But fear not; gathering those items isn't the only way to get them; you'll find a few sellers in Shin Chan, Shiro, and the Coal Town who sell different things, and a lot of the time, you'll end up finding what you need.

The message boards in Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town also work a tad differently than the prequel; it used to be all about money, where if you put something on the bulletin board, you would get paid in money. In this game, it's more like trading; you can put items in exchange for others, and you can still get money sometimes.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town does a few things better than the prequel. This time around, there isn't a hunger meter, so you won't have to worry about fainting in the street when you starve. There is no time limit either, and you can stay on the same story quest for as long as you like, which is nice as it adds to the cozy vibe of the game. You can also choose how fast or slow the time flows, so you'll never be in a rush or have to wait for things for an extended period.

In Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town, you can do a whole bunch of side quests, and they offer valuable rewards, even though the side missions are about collecting items. Rewards include unlocking cool new locations or letting you carry more money in a larger wallet, which is always handy.

The menu in Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is much better than in the prequel. Everything is so much easier to deal with, and the items that you need to finish the missions are clearly written. For serious completionists, there are always optional objectives that you can fulfill to complete all the missions.

The only really intense part of Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is the trolley-cart race. In this minigame, you race against a CPU-controlled opponent in Coal Town. It has simple controls, and you have the ability to use a barrier, projectiles, speed boost, and many more. The races are fun to play, but I'm not sure how this minigame fits into the theme of Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town; but to each their own, I guess.   

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town even have boss fights! Which was a shocker to me. In the fights, you'll have to avoid attacks and press buttons to either throw snowballs or hit it another way. It's small, but it adds a nice, fun little touch to the game, which is neat.

Everything works together to give Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town a nice flow where you're always moving through the story, doing side quests, or playing minigames – there is always something to do. Alright, that's enough for the gameplay. Let's talk about visuals and audio.

The gorgeous graphics are what first drew many people to Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town. The game gives you an idealized glance of what it's like in rural Japan. The stellar visuals capture the aesthetics of the Japanese countryside as well as the industrial streets of Coal Town, from the rice terrace and the beautiful greens of the forests to the family's traditional Japanese home. The character models are great as well, very similar to the show, and have lovely animations. The only thing that I would have liked to see was the variety of weather.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town uses only the original Japanese sound effects; there is no spoken English conversation, which, in a way, makes the experience more authentic. Most of the cutscenes are voiced, but while exploring, the game only hints at a few one-liners from the characters. I was cool with that. Other than the personalities, the settings sound authentic, perfectly capturing and fitting the visual portrayals.

Overall, Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is a light-hearted, nostalgic adventure made for its fans and anyone who delights in casual games of exploration, such as Animal Crossing. Its cozy rural village, Unbent, and the mysterious, dreamlike Coal Town provide a very nice backcloth to Shin-chan's quirky interactions and simple tasks.

While it does not take any awful lot of new risks in its gameplay, there is a notable degree to which it extends the predecessor's formula-most noticeably in its quest-based progress and its more fully fleshed-out storyline. The result, at times, is a game that feels just a little repetitive, relying perhaps too heavily on item collection, with not tremendous variety in its gameplay.

The heartwarming simplicity of the game and humorous interactions provide a title that's easy to pick up and enjoy without feeling rushed. Though it doesn't offer much in terms of depth, this is an undeniably cozy experience, perfect for those who want to kick back and unwind within a beautifully crafted world.