Shin chan: Shiro And The Coal Town review: a nostalgic collectathon I can’t stop thinking about

Cicada Summer

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Neos Corporation

• Developer: h.a.n.d., Inc
• Publisher: Neos Corporation
• Release: October 24th, 2024
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: £26/€30/$30
• Reviewed on: Steam Deck

When I was little, I really liked what I saw of Shin chan, even if it was just largely flashes of his bare arse on Japanese TV. He seemed mischievous, a bit of a menace, and part of a fun family dynamic. Flash forward to now and I can only describe the lad as… jarring. At least, I think he’s an odd flag-bearer for a series of games where you live out a nostalgic, Japanese summer in the countryside.

And I think it’s doubly weird that Shin chan: Shiro And The Coal Town opts for a collectathon approach, that doesn’t necessarily make the act of living out a Cicada Summer all that mesmerising. But, and this is a big but: I can’t stop thinking about it. Of all the games of 2024, Coal Town may have left the biggest impression on me. In a way, I hope it does for you, too.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Neos Corporation

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Neos Corporation

Coal Town, like its predecessor, is a spiritual successor to the Boku no Natsuyasumi (My Summer Vacation) games. Where Natsuyasumi starred a harmless young lad who stays with his extended family in the Japanese countryside, Coal Town mirrors this setup but Shin chan-ifies it. You stay in a traditional country abode in Akita prefecture and you’re to fish and to catch bugs and to, largely, exist in a pleasant manner.

Except that no, you’re not a pleasant young lad, you’re Shin chan: a five year old who shouldn’t know the concept of horniness, but it lives ever present within him and bursts forth whenever he interacts with a woman (his family are also perpetually horny, so it makes sense). Every time he talks, it is like thick slime oozes out of his mouth and muffles the pleasant chirps of summer. Hold the “run faster” button and he transforms into an arse-wiggling hovercraft (this is good, to be fair).

At night you can head out for a more confined potter around the town. Maybe do a bit of fishing, snatch some fireflies out of the air, and deliver them to the woman who’s obsessed with wildlife and, in turn, keeps records of all your finds. It’s worth having a wander at night, as certain things only come out in the dark… |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Neos Corporation

Being Shin chan is jarring and at times, a bit exhausting. But the general rhythm of the game is nice, and illustrated by frankly gorgeous art. Early on the town is split into manageable vignettes: an over-the-top shot of irrigation channels and rice paddies, a bus stop nested atop a cliff view of Akita, vegetable stands and lovely benches, and each room of the traditional house itself (the genkan, the tatami floors, the sliding doors looking out onto verdant green, all bringing back fond memories of my own grandad’s place). You run between these artworks, collecting wildlife and picking herbs for the townsfolk. And each time you move between spaces, it’ll run down the clock, until day turns to an amber afternoon, and Shin chan’s parents tell him to come back inside before it transitions into a starry night.

No, Coal Town doesn’t play like Animal Crossing , in the sense that in-game time continues alongside real life time. Put down Coal Town and things will resume where you left off, but it shares a similar philosophy to AC. Gradually, you create a daily routine that grows alongside the town’s expansion. As you collect horned stag beetles and shiso leaves and carp for people, previously blocked pathways open up. For instance, kids might budge out of the way of a mountain path, which leads you to more folks, more checklists, and rarer ingredients to collect.

With progress locked behind the act of “getting stuff” that can take multiple days to blossom or harvest or appear in many cases, you absolutely shouldn’t play Coal Town in lengthy Steam Deck sessions (runs like a dream) like I did for this review. Much like dipping your jam-crusted hands into a picnic hamper, this is a game to be chewed in leisurely bursts, otherwise the time-gating can lead to you gorging yourself too quickly and burning out.

And the collectathon doesn’t stop at Akita, either. Sooner or later you’ll board a mysterious train to the once industrious Coal Town, which now lies quiet and destitute. As with Akita, you can head on over to Coal Town at any point during the day to complete tasks for its townsfolk by collecting non-wildlife things: turbines, shafts, a variety of gems and minerals. It’s here where a lot of your main quests reside, as you must provide a genius inventor with big ‘ol lists of things needed to rejuvenate the town.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Neos Corporation

There is a ‘villain’ in Coal Town who you’re trying to stop, but he pops up very rarely, and it’s as if the game sort of forgets he’s there. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Neos Corporation

Again, the checklists can grate as you portion each day to optimise your earnings as much as possible and RNG gives you the finger. But once you’ve got access to the whole of Akita and Coal Town, Shin chan does become somewhat of a clever economic tango. Thanks to trading posts (trade a butterfly for a fish, for example) at both Akita and Coal Town, you can find those elusive shopping list items through cleverly signposted links. Like say, grabbing a nan’s twenty ferns in exchange for some milk, which you’ll then trade at Coal Town’s post in exchange for a turbine. It’s undeniably satisfying when it all comes together.

The game also semi-recognises that you can’t just keep lining grandma’s pockets with cabbages, so it introduces trolley racing, which is a simple mini-game where you race against others in a minecart. The winner isn’t the person who finishes first, but the one who collects the most coins before the time limit ends. Bash into your opponent, beat them in a lap, don’t accelerate too fast around corners, and you’ll wrack up the points. It’s a good time! But it’s once again tied to the collectathon. To win those mandatory tougher races, you best collect the parts needed to fashion your cart with snazzy gear.

So yes, if you approach Shin chan like I did, the beautiful art eventually becomes a colourful blur as you motor around each vignette with a singular purpose. Harvest the tomatoes. Trade the corn. Reel the eel. Ten of those for twenty of those. I said get the fck outta my way nice old man, this fcking wheeler dealer has places to BE.

This opening OST in all-timer.Watch on YouTube

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Neos Corporation

Really, the act of collecting bugs and whatnot in Coal Town is a middling experience, perhaps elevated to “perfectly fine” if you’re a checkbox sicko. And yet, I find the game occupies a spot in my head I can’t seem to shake. And I think it’s down to what the game stands for, which is this: the Japanese countryside deserves your attention.

When I told my mum (she’s Japanese) about Coal Town trying to capture folks’ nostalgia for Japanese summers spent in the countryside, she made a good point. “Lots of Japanese kids nowadays won’t have had this experience when they grow up”, which I hadn’t thought about before. In a way my mum’s point is quite sad and, almost certainly, a reflection of Japan’s current relationship with the countryside. Chill in Coal Town’s onsen and you’ll overhear a miner mention it’s a shame his son has moved away to the city. Townsfolk around Akita are surprised to see you, a visitor of all things.

Of course, Coal Town is a representation of rural Japan’s forgotten industry. A rusted, dwindling community of people succumbing to the winds of change. For Shin chan, it’s a reality, a place he and his pup Shiro explore on the daily. To the adult members of his family? It’s nothing but Shin chan playing pretend; a dream. And as your presence as a member of the new generation uplifts both Akita and Coal Town with more visitors and vibrancy and a rediscovery of their histories, it makes you wonder - is it all , in fact, a futile dream?

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Neos Corporation

No, Shin chan: Shiro And The Coal Town doesn’t pretend to find a solution to Japan’s societal issues. But what it will do is, hopefully, make more kids interested in the countryside. Perhaps induce in those who have nostalgia for Japanese summers a desire for rediscovery, a need to get back out there and experience it again - or even to share that nostalgia with their loved ones. Maybe, it’ll just help everyone else discover even a slice of sunny joy through a screen.

So no matter if the game’s a bit of a grind, it’s a rather gorgeous one, all things considered. And I know for certain that if I visit Akita, it’ll be impossible not to think of Shin chan… and his bare arse.

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Shin chan: Shiro And The Coal Town

PC , Nintendo Switch

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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