Boku no Natsuyasumi 3

NCS Game Notes
» The ranch house features conventional Japanese style with sliding doors and tatami mats. Inside, it's darkly lit darkly but looks comfy and cozy. There's no television in the house which means the kids keep themselves occupied outdoors.

» There's one point in the game where one of the cows gives birth to a baby cow with spindly legs and the family gathers around to check it out.

» Chickens peck realistically at the ground when they're eating.

» Insects and plants can be collected and then categorized into a virtual scrapbook. When exploring the outdoors, the chatter and buzzing of insects may be heard permeating the air.

» When auntie performs her daily household chores, her baby is always slung to her back. The baby is quiet and never cries. The nursery is immaculately rendered with a little crib, a desk, a lamp, and a "Breezes" poster. When Boku spends time in the nursery with his aunt or girl cousin, the drapes slowly billow from the breeze outside and the hanging toy ducks above the crib slowly rotate. It's a beautiful scene that's somewhat evocative of a Norman Rockwell painting. One complaint that we have is that there were too many plush toys in the baby's crib which can be potentially hazardous.

» Boku uses a net with a lengthy handle to catch insects. Stand around and swish the net around and he'll catch butterflies, beetles, dragonflies, and other insects. Once a bug is caught, Boku will lay the net down and then squat down to retrieve the insect with his hands. The screen then shows which insect was caught with a short description and a photo. In order to catalog and save an insect to HDD, Boku must take the specimen home and bring it up to his desk. Press the "O-button" and select the first choice to mount the bug to a specimen case. Once Boku has collected a good number of insects, it possible to pore over them with a magnifying glass and check them out.

» To travel around quickly, Boku can sit down on a piece of cardboard and then slide through the fields and grounds with wild abandon.

» The beetle battles are entertaining to watch and generally last for a few seconds. Note that Boku has no control over the outcome of a contest but it's wise to collect as big a beetle as possible to ensure consistent victories. In the wild world of insects, size matters.

» The alternate name for the game is Boku no Natsuyasumi: Summer Holiday.

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