The Most Beautiful Game

A while ago I decided to play through Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 (My Summer Holiday 2, or Boku's Summer Holiday 2) when I discovered that this special little game had gotten a fan translation. It's a simple, atmospheric game about being a little boy visiting his aunt and uncle for his summer break, and you spend it wandering around the serene island, catching bugs, and chatting.

It's a very relaxed game with a laid back structure which predominently expects you to explore. You can see a little bit more of the island and maybe talk to a new person each day, but time passes and soon you have to go home and have dinner. I like the way this gets at the restricted, regimented feel of being a child, even though you're allowed to run off freely each day.

One of the main things you can do in the game is collect bugs and fish, and so it's often compared to games like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, but Boku no Natsuyasumi is more of a relaxed, breezy RPG in that the focus is really on your conversations. It's all about gaining a little bit of insight into those around you, and the game makes it really satisfying to explore that narrative and environmental detail for its own sake.

Catching fish and/or bugs, though, is straightforward and satisfying. It just feels good to grab 'em.

Got one!

There are plenty of charming details and funny pieces of dialogue, but it's also this unique visual aesthetic that makes it really wonderful to play. I love the lush, complicated backgrounds, brimming with light, satisfyingly cluttered. There are streams, varied houses, and lots of interesting little nooks to explore. It's a beautiful game, and you end up really feeling like you're in a real place.

I also adore the cute 3D models of the characters. They contrast so nicely with the gorgeous, naturalistic, detailed backgrounds. Boku, the player character, is so cute. Look at him.

Aww.

It's a very sweet game, and I've never played anything remotely like it before. There is a subtle complexity to it, and a sense that Boku is at the edge of understanding in many ways - he's privy to a lot of conversation that is slightly out of reach to him as a young child, a lot of adult understandings that are passed over his head, directly to the player. It creates this wonderful feeling of nostalgia, as Boku's innocence is ever-present and colours everything that we see and hear.

It's a lovely look at all the joy and sadness and strangeness and silliness of being alive.

The entire world is a puzzle with no solution. And endless insects. How true.