Revive a shrine via BMX! CRITICAL REFLEX's “TANUKI: Pon's Summer” is 95% done, tanuki's “summer” nears [TGS 2026]

The “Tokyo Game Show 2026” (hereinafter “TGS2026”) was held at Makuhari Messe over four days, including the Business Day on September 17.

In this article, we bring you a hands-on report and developer interview for *TANUKI: Pon’s Summer*, which was on display at the CRITICAL REFLEX booth.

Our magazine previously interviewed the developers to learn about the game’s development history and world-building. Several months have passed since their last event appearance (BitSummit PUNCH), and they shared an update on the current state of development.

A cute tanuki delivery person soars through the sky on a BMX! “TANUKI: Pon’s Summer” Play Report & Interview: Racing Through a Japanese Summer [BitSummit PUNCH] | Game*Spark - Domestic & International Game News Site

Born from 10 years of living in Kyoto, the game offers a sense of freedom as you roam freely on a bicycle with a cute tanuki.

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Pull off spectacular BMX tricks! A nostalgic summer spent with a tanuki deliveryman

First, let’s take another look at what kind of game this is.With the Tanuki Festival just one month away, your goal is to restore the torii gates, purification fountains, ema plaques, and komainu statues to bring the dilapidated shrine back to its former lively state. Pon uses funds earned from delivering mail and by helping out to gradually restore and develop the shrine.

The game’s biggest appeal is the incredibly satisfying feeling of riding a BMX. The nostalgic and vibrant scenery is designed in an open-world style, allowing you to explore nearly the entire island with Pon on your BMX—not just riding on roads, but also grinding on railings, making huge jumps from roof to roof, and speeding along power lines.

Challenges are scattered throughout the area where you can test your BMX trick skills, offering a high degree of freedom that lets you lose track of time while honing your techniques.

Don’t worry if you get so absorbed in the challenges that you lose track of where to go next. In addition to the minimap and compass, a navigation feature has been added to show you the route. The real thrill of this game lies in the exhilarating action of checking the delivery route while figuring out how to pull off cool tricks along the way.

Although we weren’t able to experience it during this demo, we’ve been told that each island is dotted with charming locations tailored to the various activities Pon can enjoy—such as areas with ocean views, wooded areas where you can catch insects, and ponds where you can fish.

The island residents to whom Pon delivers packages are also full of personality. There are times when they’ll ask you for favors beyond just deliveries, so be sure to make a detour and help them out along the way.

Pon’s nostalgic, laid-back movements are brimming with a soothing power that naturally brings a smile to your face just by watching him.

Pursuing the Joy of Pulling Off Tricks from Start to Finish

Here’s an interview with Ari from DENKIWORKS, the studio behind the game’s development.

—We’ve heard that the main goal of this game is to restore the shrine. How does the restoration process link to the expansion of the playable areas?

Ari: There are stages to the shrine’s restoration, and you’ll gradually unlock major objects like the torii gate, the water ablution pavilion, ema plaques, and komainu guardian dogs. As Pon helps out through his interactions with NPCs, the shrine will expand little by little throughout the game.

— Does the amount of luggage you’re carrying affect the behavior of actions like tricks?

Ari: You’ll be able to pull off tricks right from the start without being affected by the amount of luggage. The parts where you race around on a BMX are a fun aspect of the game, so we’ve designed it so you can enjoy them regardless of how heavy your luggage is.

—Regarding interactions with the residents, does the story change based on how you communicate with them?

Ari: The overall framework hasn’t changed significantly, but the residents actually have various hidden connections behind the scenes. Through your deliveries, you’ll gradually realize, “Oh, so these two people are actually connected in some way,” so I hope you’ll enjoy discovering that.

—In our previous interview, we talked about the animations and art style. Could you tell us about your attention to detail regarding the sound design, such as the background music?

Ari: In the game, there are two main states: when Pon is walking around and when he’s riding his BMX. When Pon is walking, the music is very relaxed, but when he rides his BMX, it becomes a bit more upbeat.Actually, the two BGMs use the same melody, but the musical style changes seamlessly. We put a lot of effort into this, so I’d love for players to pay close attention to how the music shifts in each situation.

—Are there any customization options for the BMX and other elements?

Ari: Yes, there are! You can tweak them down to the finest details, so you’ll be able to create your own original bike. While the performance remains the same—it’s just a visual change—you’ll be able to play with them later on, so please look forward to that as well.

—I hear the game’s setting is modeled after Japan. Specifically, what parts did you draw inspiration from?

Ari: As mentioned in our initial announcement (that it’s modeled after Kyoto, Aomori, Sapporo, and Beppu), rather than saying, “This part is inspired by this specific place in Japan,” it’s more like each area on a single island has its own distinct feel.As we built the world by combining various elements, we broadly categorized it based on the activities that could be done there—for example, “I want players to enjoy the ocean view in this area,” “There are lots of trees here, so it’s a great spot for catching insects,” or “There’s a pond, so let’s go fishing.”

—There’s a one-month deadline to restore the shrine. How is the freedom regarding the passage of time handled?

Ari: We’ve included activities you can enjoy even without making deliveries, so if you want to do those, you won’t actually run out of time in real-time. If you feel like doing another activity while making a delivery, it’s perfectly fine to focus on that instead. We’ve also prepared quite a few challenges, so we’d love for players to complete them all if possible.

—To get right to the point, how is development progressing right now?

Ari: We’re at 95%! Right now, we’re in the final stages of polishing the game. We’ll do our best to get it to you as soon as possible!

—Finally, please share a message for our readers!

Ari: Summer is almost over, but I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of it with Pon.

—Thank you very much!

"TANUKI: Pon's Summer" is currently in development for PC (Steam), Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. A demo is currently available.