Kioku: Last Summer reminds me of an upgraded, populated version of a lifestyle game I played a while ago, but I can’t seem to remember what it was called, though I think it began with a ‘J’. It was like an Animal Crossing-type cosy setup, which this game very much is, but with little real life, the kids in the game move like they’re on a diet of Skittles and 7-Up. They move too fast.
That was my first impression of this game by Lugn Games – why on Earth is she moving so quickly like I’m playing a boomer shooter? And why is my Steam Deck having a bit of a panic attack? Isn’t this supposed to be about chill vibes? It is, but technically, it is a bit pushy on Valve’s pricey rectangle.
You play as Asti and are more or less free to explore the island however you see fit. You and your old man have arrived, and it’s about integrating with the locals. As a kid, this is easy peasy. The other kids are relatively welcoming, and there’s an innocence about them that plays this card-based game using marbles, which has a slight Pokémon feel to it. There are no signs of mind-numbing video games (as if!), and the kids can enjoy their youth by venturing into nature and going crabbing, among a host of other nature-led minigames.
That element of exploration and finding things out is a theme here in Kioku: Last Summer – naturally, however, it’s not always clear what you’re supposed to do, and you may find yourself wandering for too long. While this is annoying, there aren’t any real feelings of frustration, but thinking, ‘Am I the target audience?’. Absolutely not, and that’s obvious, but that applies to lots of games and can still be objective about it. The best way to be objective about this experience is by passing it to my 9-year-old for an appraisal. This is precisely for her.
For those who’ve read similar views, or want a comparison to draw upon, Kioku: Last Summer is sort of like Calico – not in its themes, but in its freedom. I recall handing over the controller to my daughter when she was watching me play Ghost of Tsushima, then proceeding to see her entertain herself for a solid 20 minutes running in circles on the horse (mine was called Nobu), catching the rays through the trees. She then did the same thing in Calico, and to this day, Calico is one of her go-tos on the PS5.
Likewise, she didn’t really get what she was supposed to do, but if supposed to meant explore and do her own thing, then she nailed it. Whether or not this reaches the heights of Calico is probably more to do with not being able to actively use Daddy’s Steam Deck than anything, but it hit the spot for her, and if that’s who the target audience is, then the devs have succeeded.
