Is Shiro and Coal Town better than the first game?

Key Takeaways

  • Shiro and the Coal Town surpasses Me and the Professor in terms of improved graphics, side content, and memorable characters.

  • While the narrative may feel rushed, Shiro and the Coal Town excels in character design, minigames, and overall gameplay depth.

The sequel to Shin-chan: Me and the Summer Vacation Professor, Shiro and the Coal Village sees Shin-chan go on another leisurely summer adventure. This time he not only has a village to explore, but also a strange and mysterious coal village with his dog Shiro.

relevant

Shinchan: Shiro and Coal Village Preview – Shinchan's Next Adventure

Shinchan returns and explores the mysterious coal town.

Me and the Summer Vacation Professor was already a very relaxing game, so I'll be curious to see how the sequel stacks up in comparison. So we compared the two games to see which title came out as the winner.

9

graphics

Shirowa Coal Village

Me and the Professor in Summer Vacation looks great on its own and has quirky character designs, just like its sequel, but Shiro and the Coal Town takes things a step further. Every environment has an extra level of detail that makes every location look amazing.

Shirowa Coal Village looks especially beautiful as the sun begins to set. Everything is bathed in golden light, creating the feeling of a never-ending summer night. Coal Town's dark purple aesthetic also looks fantastic thanks to the high definition.

8

story

Me and the summer vacation professor

Shiro and the Coal Town expands Shin Chan's world by allowing him to travel to new locations as well as Unbent Village, which is where most of the story takes place. Unfortunately, the story feels rushed, as we don't learn much about villain Chuck Discardson until the very end.

However, in Me and the Professor of Summer Vacation, the professor plays a key role in the story from the beginning of the game and appears as a consistent figure, making the story with Shin-chan feel more coherent and consistent.

7

Additional content

Shirowa Coal Village

The side content of both games is quite similar – catching bugs, fishing, earning pocket money – but it goes much further in Shiro and Coal Town. Best of all, there are appropriate side quests recorded in the quest log, allowing you to feel more connected to the characters of Unbent Village and Coal Town.

There's a reason you need to keep catching bugs and fish even late in the game because you'll need them for various quests, but in Summer Vacation with Me and the Professor, you only need to catch the first species. The side content in Shiro and the Coal Town feels much more rewarding and worth your time.

6

journal entry

Me and the summer vacation professor

In both games, your progress in collecting creatures and other items is recorded in a journal. Shiro and the Coal Town is written by Kazuko, and Me and the Summer Vacation Professor is written by Shin Chan himself.

Kazuko's information about all the creatures and items you collect is interesting (and helps you find more of those items), but not as engaging as Shinchan's own words. Me and the Professor of Summer Vacation give you two captions to choose from when adding content to your journal, the second option being a funny or witty caption.

In 『Me and the Professor's Summer Vacation』, not only what is collected in Shin-chan's diary is recorded. Memorable encounters with villagers were also mentioned, making it fun to look back on the end of the game.

5

character

Shirowa Coal Village

Of course, Shin-chan is the protagonist of both games, but the sequel has a different wider character cast (excluding Shin-chan's parents and younger brother). The characters of Shiro and Coal Town are much more memorable. The character named Coal Town is especially memorable.

The first person you meet in Coal Town is Sumi, who has an adorable character design and is determined to restore Coal Town to its former glory. In Unvent Village, characters such as Sora, who runs a curry van, and Kazuko, who loves fireflies, are also interesting.

4

mini game

Shirowa Coal Village

The main mini-game of mine and the professor's summer vacation involves fighting dinosaurs with the local kids. It's a fun game, but it's primarily based on chance as it glorifies the game of rock, paper, scissors. You can take a record from a bar and play a variety of tracks, but there's no reward for doing so (other than listening to the mix while walking).

However, the trolley races in Shiro and Coal Town are much more advanced and fun. There are many different courses to unlock and it can be difficult to achieve high scores to win prizes. You can also customize your kart with a variety of equipment, which adds a depth to the dinosaur battle minigame that wasn't really there before.

3

slice of life

Me and the summer vacation professor

One of the best things about both Shinchan games is how comfortable they are to play. It's like stepping into the summer days of your childhood (if only there were dinosaurs and a mysterious coal town).

Shiro and Coal Town still have this vibe, but it's much more present in Me and the Professor's Summer Vacation. While almost every day of the first game is spent talking to locals, catching fish and bugs, or playing games with kids, Shiro and Coal Town focuses more on taking down Discardson.

2

location

Shirowa Coal Village

Both games are set within a town, and there are a variety of locations to explore, from back alleys to mountain trails. Naturally, since Shiro and the Coal Town is a bigger game, there are more locations to discover in both Unbent Village and Coal Town.

Unbent Village's location is quiet and tranquil, especially when climbing the mountains or walking along the river. Coal Town is the complete opposite, with dark alleys and minecart tracks. The stark contrast between the two places keeps exploration fresh as you discover more about them.

1

winner

Shirowa Coal Village

Me and the Summer Vacation Professor is a great game and still worth playing, but as a sequel, Shiro and the Coal Town improves in every way.

It looks a lot better (somehow). The characters are more memorable and fun to get to know. And we're adding more side content to keep you entertained. Shiro and the Coal Town was disappointing in its story, but it improved on it in almost every way.

shinchan-shiro-and-coal-town-tag-page-cover-art.jpg

adventure

casual

point and click

system

Super grayscale 8-bit logo PC-1

released

October 24, 2024

developer

hand

publisher

Neo Corporation

ESRB

everyone

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