Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
We reported on the Switch 2 version of Kuukiyomi 4: Consider It having arrived with new features, including a bunch of exclusive mouse-mode content, and as a result of that, well, I agreed in writing in the comments that I’d review it. Thanks, past me. Thanks a bunch.
I jest, of course. This is an off-kilter Japanese series that had completely passed me by, and after seeing the Switch 2 port trailer, I simply had to give it a go. It’s right up my street.
So, what have we actually got here? Well, Kuukiyomi 4: Consider It is the latest in a series that has already seen a few releases on Switch 1, and the entire concept revolves around you being placed in situations where you must consider a suitable action or solution to often awkward — or just plain weird — social situations. Will you consider being considerate? Or will you take every opportunity you can to mess people around?
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
There’s a coming together of a very funny art style here; it’s the sort of game that does a very good line in incredibly stupid facial expressions that amuse whilst also nailing precisely an awkward feeling, with situations that manage to raise, at the very least, a wry smile. You can see the pain in the eyes of these NPCs at points. The terror of human interaction writ large. I can’t stop laughing.
Starting with the original game’s contents, which you play with the Switch 2’s normal, non-exclusive inputs, you push through some 100 scenarios that, well, I’m not going to spoil many of them here, because the entire fun is in seeing what comes next. But I have howled at my screen a few times due to the underlying social tension being nagged at.
This is a game that asks us, “Why do humans read the air?” And those facial expressions I was just on about, combined with the oddness of the scenarios, and then multiplied by the very real awkward silence (we all know the one) that transpires as you consider what to do…man, this game nails the squeaky bum tension so hard.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Will you shift seats on a train to let a couple sit together? Will you put your dirty mouth around the water font and drink from it when nobody is looking? Will you sit at the table beside the girl in the cafe or go sit alone at the bar? I’m sweating already.
Alongside these social aspects, you also have lots of curveballs, one or two of which I’ll admit to not really even understanding, and honestly, there’s something about sweating over sitting next to a stranger one moment, and then moving your Joy-Con around to simulate trying to find a Wi-Fi phone signal the next, that really brings things right down to the level of crushing reality. In the best way possible, you understand.
Playing through the game’s scenarios in the main solo campaign mode, you’ll be graded after every handful of levels to ascertain just how considerate you are being, or as the game puts it, your “ability to read the atmosphere will be diagnosed.”
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
This is where the main sticking point with this game will be. You see, it’s not taking itself particularly seriously, and so even when you’re presented with the ludicrously in-depth results of your attempts to be nice, it’s mostly all played for laughs. So don’t expect to find seriousness for even a second. It’s really all just for japes, and so there may not be enough of a hook for those who don’t gel with the humour. Luckily, I’m covered in gel right now.
Aside from the vanilla game’s 100 main mode scenarios, you also get a ‘Consider It Together’ multiplayer mode that asks you and your associates a bunch of questions before diagnosing your ‘compatibility’, plus a handful of quick games that you’ll unlock as you play (again, no spoilers) and a few extra minigames to boot. So there’s plenty to do, even before you add in the Switch 2’s new sections, where the mouse mode fun happens.
In the main new mode, you use either one of your Joy-Con in mouse mode to navigate 20 new levels, and I’m happy to report that they are some of the best in the entire thing. Mostly aimed at the console itself, I got a lot of laughs out of cheeky takes on 120fps gaming, how the console’s mic works, and what HDR stands for.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
It’s all very silly and delightfully tongue-in-cheek. The Switch 2 port also lands with five two-player mouse-made games to play against a pal for added value. Again, I’m not going to ruin them here, as seeing what pops onto the screen next is what it’s all about.
Being that the art style is so stark and spartan, there are zero issues in terms of performance, and really the only negative that I’d level at Kuukiyomi 4 is that, as much as it’s great that it doesn’t take anything too seriously, it does have an inherent lack of focus or drive. If you want something with some challenge, this is not that, even if it does let you re-run and improve your results. However, even this has been remedied to a degree in the NS2 Edition by the addition of achievements, which give you something to work towards, whilst also providing a few more laughs by challenging you to consider it in some not-so-obvious ways. Did I just unlock a ‘cheevo’ for letting my head fall all the way to one side during a haircut? You’re goddamn right I did.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Given its cheerful pricing, honestly, it’s a hard thing to knock if you’re looking for some cheap laughs that can also hit home harder than you’ll expect at points.
Now, prepare to relive the unbearable tension of…moving out of the way to let someone off the train!
Conclusion
Kuukiyomi 4: Consider It! is a delightfully silly little game that also provides plenty of dark laughs, clever digs, and unbearable social tension thanks to a brilliantly executed collection of scenarios.
Not every level is gonna have you howling, and some of them don’t even really make any sense, but I’ll be damned if I haven’t been well-entertained for my money and made to laugh plenty whilst also being reminded that, at best, I am deeply inconsiderate.