Key Takeaways
- Shiro and the Coal Town surpasses Me and the Professor with 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 Professor on Summer Vacation, Shiro and the Coal Town, sees Shin chan on another laid-back, summery adventure. This time, he doesn’t just have a village to explore, but also the strange and mysterious Coal Town, which he’s taken to by his dog Shiro.
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Shin Chan: Shiro And The Coal Town Preview - Shin Chan's Next Adventure
Shin chan is back and has the mysterious Coal Town to explore.
As Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation was already a great cozy game, you might be wondering how the sequel stacks up in comparison. So, we’ve compared both games to see which title comes out on top as the winner.
9 Graphics
Shiro And The Coal Town
While Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation looks great in its own right and has the same quirky character designs as the sequel, Shiro and the Coal Town takes things to the next level. There’s an extra level of detail in all the environments that makes all the locations look stunning.
Shiro and the Coal Town looks particularly beautiful once the sun begins to set. Everything is soaked in a golden light, evoking the feeling of summer nights that don’t seem to end. Coal Town’s dark, purple aesthetic also looks fantastic thanks to the higher definition.
8 Story
Me And The Professor On Summer Vacation
Shiro and the Coal Town expands Shin chan’s world by allowing him to travel to a new location as well as Unbent Village, and this is where the majority of the story takes place. Sadly, you don’t learn much about the villain, Chuck Discardson, until the very end, so the narrative ends up feeling rushed.
In Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, however, the Professor is a key part of the story from the beginning of the game, and he’s a consistent presence, which makes his story with Shin chan feel more coherent and consistent.
7 Side Content
Shiro And The Coal Town
The side content in both games is fairly similar - you catch bugs and fish and earn pocket money - but it’s much more developed in Shiro and the Coal Town. First and foremost, it has proper side quests recorded in a quest log, which helps you feel more connected to the characters in both Unbent Village and Coal Town.
You also have a reason to keep catching bugs and fish as they’re required for a variety of quests, even in the late-game, whereas you only really needed to catch the first of a species in Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation. The side content in Shiro and the Coal Town feels much more rewarding and worth your time.
6 Journal Record
Me And The Professor On Summer Vacation
In both games, your progress with collecting creatures and other items is recorded in a journal - in Shiro and the Coal Town, it’s written by Kazuko, and in Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, it’s written by Shin chan himself.
Kazuko’s information on all the creatures and items you collect is interesting (and helpful for finding more of said items), but it doesn’t have the same charm as Shin chan’s own words. In Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, you could choose between two captions when adding something to the journal, with the second option being a fun or witty caption.
It’s not just things you collect being recorded in Shin chan’s journal in Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation, either. Memorable encounters with the townspeople are also noted, which made it nice to look back on towards the end of the game.
5 Characters
Shiro And The Coal Town
Shin chan is of course the main character in both games, but the wider cast of characters (besides Shin chan’s parents and younger siblings) is different in the sequel. Shiro and the Coal Town’s characters are much more memorable, especially those in the titular Coal Town.
Sumi, the first person you meet in Coal Town, has an adorable character design and is determined to bring Coal Town back to its former glory. Back in Unbent Village, characters like Sora, who runs the curry van, and Kazuko, who loves fireflies, are interesting too.
4 Minigames
Shiro And The Coal Town
The main minigame in Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation involves battling dinosaurs with the local kids. It’s a fun game, but it’s also largely based on chance, as it’s a glorified game of rock-paper-scissors. You can also play around with the records at the bar to play different tracks, but there's no rewards for doing so (other than hearing your mix as you walk around).
Trolley racing in Shiro and the Coal Town, however, is much more developed and fun to play. There’s a variety of courses to unlock and achieving the high scores to receive prizes can be a challenge. You can also customize your cart with different equipment, which adds a layer of depth the dinosaur battle minigame didn’t really have.
3 Slice-Of-Life Vibes
Me And The Professor On Summer Vacation
One of the best parts of both Shin chan games is how relaxing they are to play. It’s like stepping into a summer’s day in your childhood (if there were also dinosaurs and mysterious coal towns, but still).
While Shiro and the Coal Town still maintains this atmosphere, it’s much more present in Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation. Almost every day in the first game is spent talking with the locals, catching fish and bugs, or playing games with the kids, whereas Shiro and the Coal Town focuses more on taking down Discardson.
2 Locations
Shiro And The Coal Town
Within the towns both games are set, there’s a number of different places to explore, from back alleys to mountain paths. Naturally, as Shiro and the Coal Town is a bigger game, there are more locations to uncover in both Unbent Village and Coal Town.
Unbent Village’s locations are tranquil and serene, particularly when you walk up the mountain and along the river. Coal Town is the complete opposite of this, with dark alleys and mine cart tracks. The stark contrast between both keeps exploration fresh as you discover more about both places.
1 Winner
Shiro And The Coal Town
Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation is a great game and still worth playing, but as a sequel, Shiro and the Coal Town improves on it in all the right ways.
It (somehow) looks even better; its cast of characters is more memorable and a delight to get to know; and it adds even more side content to keep you entertained. Though Shiro and the Coal Town is let down by its story, it's an improvement in almost every other way.