The year is 1971 and a ten year-old boy named Sohta has just moved into a quiet suburb in Tokyo. Like most children his age at the time, he is a huge fan of giant monsters. While this sounds mundane, keep in mind that giant monsters appear every Friday night within the city limits of Fuji no Hana.

Attack of the Friday Monsters! is a lighthearted adventure game about childhood. Developed by Millennium Kitchen, the makers of the Japan-only My Summer Vacation series of life simulation games, Attack of the Friday Monsters! is the kind of game that would appeal to middle-aged Japanese men who are nostalgic about their own childhoods. This game also shows a composite on what being a child growing up in 1970s Japan was like: playing outside with friends and watching kaiju and tokusatsu shows on television.

Like most Level-5 games, Attack of the Friday Monsters! possesses a cartoony aesthetic. It looks like a slice-of-life anime with a dash of science fiction with brilliantly-drawn backgrounds and it even has its own opening and ending themes with credits. It’s charming, really.

The gameplay in Attack of the Friday Monsters! focuses on exploration and interaction within Sohta’s surroundings. Being the new kid in town, Sohta makes sure to check out his new hometown during an errand and soon makes some new friends. All of his friends are into the card game “Monster Cards” that plays similar to rock-paper-scissors. He can’t play the game with them unless he collects at least five cards. Much of the game is spent exploring town looking for shiny gems called “Monster Glims”, which are essential for creating these cards. Once five cards are made, Sohta battles the other children in hopes of becoming their “boss”. The loser becomes the boss’ “servant”, in which they’re in the receiving end of the boss’ “magic spell” in which they have to fall down and arise on command. Some roadblocks in the game involve beating someone in a game of Monster Cards in order for them to move out of your way or give you the information needed during your quest.

As the story develops, you’ll notice that everyone in town has been discussing the phenomenon of giant monsters fighting by the hill every Friday night. The adult are more or less displeased about it while the kids find it cool and watch the fights from the top of the hill. Giant footprints, a scary noise coming from the well, a TV station and a strange visitor makes the adventure more interesting as you figure out what’s going on.

However, the game is extremely short. The main story takes around three hours to finish and a little bit more if you’re interested in completing every quest and finishing your Monster Card collection. The card game does add some life into the game, but unless you’re the type of person who enjoys the card game and watching monsters fight in the countryside on a regular basis then this game would most likely be finished in one or two sittings.

Perhaps the most experimental title of the Guild series, Attack of the Friday Monsters! is more of an interactive diorama than an actual game, but it’s evident that the game is also a labor of love by the developer, combining specific nostalgic themes such as giant monsters, friendship, made-up spells, and falling for the sixth-cutest girl in your class. 

Hint: If you have at least one of the Guild01 games (Aero Porter, Liberation Maiden, Crimson Shroud) installed on your 3DS, you’ll get a bonus notebook when you select “Linked Content” in the game’s main menu.

by Ray. N