109) Kabuto Park (2025)

Oh, to be a child again, in the long, halcyon days of summer. The sun shining brightly, the world rife with the orchestra of life as each day sprawls before you filled with wonder and adventure. While it's easy to take these moments of tranquility for granted, as an adult I often find myself yearning to return to simpler times where my only concern was what to do with all of the excess free time afforded to me. It's these feelings that Kabuto Park aims to evoke, and it's safe to say that that it more than succeeds.

We play as a young girl who is spending her summer at the titular Kabuto Park. Once there, we're informed of the latest craze that has swept through the park: catching and battling bugs. After a brief rundown, we set off with our trusty net and magnifying glass with the singular aim to catch and raise the best team of bugs so that we can climb the ranks and become the very best, like no one ever was. At the end of each day, we battle against a different child and their team of bugs in order to advance, earn money, and ultimately rule of the park with our iron fist.

We quickly fall into a simple yet satisfying gameplay loop wherein we explore the park, hunt and catch bugs, battle them for sport, then use the prize money to further develop our bugs and upgrade our gear, which in turn allows us to do it all over again. The park opens up to us gradually, with new bugs appearing at regular intervals to keep things fresh. Gameplay is simple with just enough complexity and challenge to keep things interesting without overwhelming the player. It's easy to fall into the trap of wanting to play "just one more day," which honestly goes back to evoking the feelings of childhood summer days in which you plead with your parents for "just ten more minutes."

Though the stakes of the game are admittedly pretty low and failure is a minor setback more than anything, it's impossible to deny to the charm that simply oozes from every orifice of the game. The art style is cute and expressive, the writing is charming, even if a bit corny, and the overall vibe is nostalgic and cozy. The experience, much like childhood summers, is regrettably short. However, also like childhood summers, I can't help but look back on my time with the game fondly, as it provides a perfect, peaceful respite from the drudgery of adult life.