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Tanuki: Pon’s Summer
Developer Denkiworks • Publisher Critical Reflex • Release November 10, 2026 • Platforms PS, Xbox, Switch, PC
It would be a pretty fun life to be a lazy little tanuki living alone in his beautiful shrine. Of course, the upkeep might be a bit of a challenge. And if you let it go too long because you’re busy playing video games all day long, you might just have an ancient tanuki god wake up and scold you. And while he’s scolding you, he might remind you that the Great Tanuki festival is only a few days away and the shrine is in no shape to welcome visitors! Okay, so maybe it’s not always fun and games being a little tanuki.
In Tanuki: Pon’s Summer you play as the titular Pon, a sweet little guy who loves snacks, video games, and BMX. Your main goal is to fix up and decorate your tanuki shrine in time for the Great Tanuki festival. Money doesn’t grow on trees, unfortunately, so Pon gets a job at the local post office in order to earn some cash for decorations, a new torii gate and much more.
Making deliveries is your main task in the game and you’ll do so by grabbing packages at the post office each day and hopping on your bike to bring them to their respective owners. The area of Japan where Pon lives is conveniently full of great places for him to jump around on his bike and do some awesome moves to get points, earning you some extra money. I found it hard not to make extra sound effects as I pulled off impressive rail grinds and 360 flips. You’ll also come across BMX challenges where you’ll have to complete certain objectives in order to earn a prize.
Your mail job is only one part of the gameplay in Tanuki: Pon’s Summer though, as the townsfolk are all hoping for a helping hand. Pour drinks at the local bar, poke meat and veg on some skewers at a yakitori restaurant, help bring the art of fishing back to the town – you name it, and Pon will probably be helping with it before the end of the summer.
The gameplay loop is really simple. In the morning you’ll pick up your packages, but from then on, you can really get things done in any order you wish. You can goof off and go try to land some epic tricks, go fishing or bug catching just for fun, or complete side quests for extra money.
It’s really up to you. When you’re ready to end the day, you just have to complete your final delivery and then you’ll head back home to the shrine for some much needed rest.
Additionally, its your responsibility to use the money you earn to fix up the shrine. You can earn or buy decorations for the shrine and then use the game’s build mode to decorate as you please. The system is very easy to use and the areas for decorations are made up of gridded squares so it’s easy to get the perfect measurements. With a little spit and polish, you’ll be sure to have the shrine ready for guests in no time.
Tanuki: Pon’s Summer is a joy to play from the moment you pick it up. Its characters are charming and funny and the world is full of awesome surprises. I’m nearly four hours into the game and I’m still discovering new activities and meeting new people.
This isn’t a simple delivery game – it’s a world teeming with new things to do every day. And when you master those BMX tricks, you’ll be flying through town earning more money that your little paws know what to do with.
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