Rarely in games do use the word 'pleasant'. That's not because they aren't pleasurable experiences, far from it, it just not a word that describes the majority of the titles many people play. The current exception to that, though, is Attack Of The Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale, and it really is one of the most pleasant games you will play.
Set in a small town just outside Japan's capital, you play as new kid in school Sohto, the son of the local dry cleaner. It is the 1970's and as per the games title, every friday at 7pm monsters appear in the town and battle. The story is extremely Japanese, but that is not a bad thing, as it is a love letter to childhood, and the TV shows kids in Japan would have grown up with at the that time.
The basic gameplay, much like sister title The Starship Damrey, is a modern take on the point and click adventure, with a collectable card game thrown in. The CCG is the main form of 'combat' in the game, allowing you to battle other kids in the town once you collect enough 'glims' to create five cards. The 'glims' are simply shiny balls scattered on the ground and picking up a certain amount of the same one creates a battle card.
The card system is basically rock - paper - scissors, but it works and can be surprisingly deep if you choose to go that way. There is no real peril to the game, it is a title you relax and play through on a sunday afternoon, just getting lost in the pleasantries it puts in front of you.
Story plays a great role in the game, and though I found it especially Japanese, I could also relate to what it was evangelising, and could really get behind it. This is a game made from the heart, and it shows in every aspect of the world it creates. The childhood innocence and naivety that pours out of the kid characters feels exactly how it should and it really adds to the game.
It is only short, maybe three hours at most, but that is all you need to come out satisfied. If you are one of the those people who want to get the maximum time to cost ratio out of their games, maybe Attack of the Friday Monsters isn't for you, but if you can get past that, you wont be disappointed. You might not leave the game having it change your life, but you will have had an enjoyable afternoon.