Recently, news about the next generation of Switch has begun to flood the screen, which also indicates that this somewhat legendary game console has officially entered the end of its career.
At this juncture of the transition between old and new machines, Nintendo is fully preparing for the next generation, so it has not announced any previews or sales plans for games in the second half of this year.
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This extremely long gap has caused many switch players to fall into a long period of grass-roots.
But who would have imagined that there was another NS-exclusive game two days ago, which became quite popular——
“Crayon Shin-chan: Novice of Coal Town”.
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As an IP derivative game of Crayon Shin-chan, the previous game “Crayon Shin-chan: My Summer Vacation with the Doctor” was also released on Switch. However, due to its single gameplay and empty content, many people complained about the gameplay. It is difficult to say how much it has. Out of the circle.
But this time “Coal Town Novice” is really a bit popular.
Many core gamers may be a little confused when they hear this. They have been visiting the game community tomorrow and every day, but they have never heard of this game?
Don’t be surprised, because the main communities for this game are on Little Red Book.
Recently, Xiaofa’s Xiaohongshu has been full of this game.
Just browse through a post related to “Coal Town Novice” and there will be at least dozens of comments underneath.
This popularity even made it become a financial product in the short term. The original price of a physical disk was around 360, but it once soared to 400 to 500, and it was still unavailable.
This kind of grand occasion is even worse than the “King of Holy Beasts” some time ago.
Even several colleagues around me who don’t usually play games come to ask Xiaofa every day if they have played it and whether it is worth buying a digital version to experience it (because the physical version is not easy to buy).
In this case, Xiaofa will do what he says and become Nohara Shinnosuke again.
Let’s do some research on this new game and why it’s sold out.
What needs to be explained in advance is that this time “Coal Town Novice” was released in February this year, and it cannot be regarded as a new game in the strict sense.
But the reason why it only attracted attention in China in May is because it has just been updated in Chinese.
Moreover, it is not only the culture in the in-game text, but the most important thing is that like the previous game, the original Chinese voice actor lineup of the animation was invited, and all Chinese dubbing was added, as well as everyone’s favorite Taiwanese dubbing.
Everyone will know how important this update is by watching a video.
As for the taste of this dubbing, you can tell whether it is right or not.
Cute Xiaoxin's pronunciation, plus NPC's standard Hong Kong and Taiwan dubbing accent.
It can bring people back to their childhood in just one second, and it can be regarded as a killer shot.
The restoration of animation dubbing is one thing, and the graphics of this game are also a plus.
Compared with the previous work, Xiaofa personally feels that the hand-painted scenes are of higher quality and more varied.
The process of playing this game is basically just various screenshots.
The small rural villages and towns and the leisurely natural environment seem to be covered with a fairy tale filter.
It's very realistic and very endearing. I wonder who can read it without getting confused.
Coupled with the just-right BGM, it’s also a plus.
I have to say that wandering around a map like this is quite therapeutic.
Especially after a long day of work, when I get home and curl up on the sofa to play for a while, I immediately feel relaxed.
And this kind of cute and cute painting style, as well as the very light game positioning itself, supplemented by the super IP of “Crayon Shin-chan”, must be the reason why “Coal Town Xiaobai” can become popular in Xiaohongshu, not B. The reason why gaming communities such as the website, Little Black Box, and Tieba are heavily discussed.
And I have to say that Xiaoxin’s butt-twisting running is really magical.
As long as you hold down the ZR button, you can switch to the butt running form, which makes people suspect that these two butts are the real body of Shinnosuke.
While running, he was always mumbling various mantras, which was quite hilarious.
But when it comes to gameplay, “Coal Town Novice” is actually not much different from its predecessor.
To put it bluntly, even the content of this game is considered barren.
Although it is an improvement compared to the previous game, it is still a bit boring.
It only takes about 10 hours to complete the entire game, and only 15 hours to collect it all. There is also a lot of time spent wandering around the map and collecting things.
If you look at the plot alone, it might only be as long as a theatrical version.
The main gameplay is a combination of daily collection like “My Summer Vacation” and “Animal Crossing”.
Fish, catch bugs, or grow vegetables every day, and then help the villagers complete some cooking side tasks.
Because some of the judgments for catching and fishing are loose and particularly friendly, it’s fun to get started.
However, if the system depth is too thin, it will become boring if repeated dozens or hundreds of times.
The way to unlock the map is also very simple and direct, that is, a person stands blocked at the intersection and must complete specific tasks to unlock it.
It would be fine if there were only one or two, but the operations are the same, which makes people feel like they are cutting corners.
The only change worth talking about is the addition of a new map – Coal Town.
When the plot progresses to this point, it can be considered the main line of the game.
The gameplay and collectibles have been supplemented, and many branch lines have been added.
It can be said that it is the main line, but it is just the same boring collection.
Keep running the map to refresh it, then pick it up, over and over again.
In the middle of the game, looking at this pile of materials makes my head ache.
The most fun among them is the minecart racing mini-game, which is where “Coal Town Noob” really gets a bit hardcore.
Players can not only race to challenge all achievements, but also modify mine carts. The level difficulty is also quite challenging, and you need to be familiar with each track.
Even in the main plot, it plays a pivotal role.
It can be seen that this is the gameplay part where the production team really spent time.
However, this still does not change the fact that the content of “Coal Town Novice” is empty.
This is no problem in itself for a casual all-ages game.
But combined with the price of several hundred, it's really a bit humorous.
Therefore, this game may only be recommended to true fans of Crayon Shin-chan.
After all, there are a lot of little easter eggs, and there are also a lot of lighthearted and humorous daily routines.
For example, I watched Nohara Hiroshi take Xiaokui and Xiaoxin to take a bath, and play with underwater volcanoes and fart together.
Or do a twerk dance next to your mother while she is watching TV.
And without giving away any spoilers, I can tell you that more familiar characters will appear in the later stages.
These sentimental designs should be worth the price paid by fans.
In short, the art style and music of the game “Coal Town Novice” are top-notch.
The cute and silly voice acting and lines are also very interesting.
If you like this style, just running the map will surely satisfy you.
However, the overly lightweight gameplay and lack of a game system worth exploring make the gaming experience too simple, and the process is really a bit short.
So, unless you are a big fan of Crayon Shin-chan.
Otherwise, Xiaofa would definitely not dare to easily recommend a 400 RMB game with only about 10 hours of main content.
If you follow the trend and want to try it because you see a lot of people playing it, it’s not even worth it.
The best thing is to wait for the price to drop and then consider buying one after this period of popularity.
Nohara Shinnosuke
What a charming man
Pictures and data sources:
“Crayon Shin-chan: Xiaobai of Coal Town”, Little Red Book