Across the sunflower field — Rewarding melodies: on the implementation of music in the Boku no Natsuyasumi series
As it happens with a lot of videogame franchises, a good deal of the atmosphere and environment design in the Boku no Natsuyasumi games relies on the implementation of music and sound; contrary to most series, however, hearing music in these titles is a somewhat rare occurrence, which makes the experience of exploring the different areas you can visit during your virtual vacation feel even more realistic and immersive.
Composed by Akiko Ukai (with only the third title getting an official soundtrack release), the scores featured in the four Bokunatsu games can often be described as cute, warm, and simple in terms of melodies and instrumentation, with wind instruments often adding a fresh layer of livelihood — a perfect fit for a rural summer — to the music that accompanies some of the game’s scenes. This simplicity, along with the way several of the songs include fanfare-like elements to them, manages to evoke the childish curiosity expected of the different Bokus, while also reflecting the mundane quality surrounding most of the activities each boy will partake in during their respective vacations.
Beyond its musical straightforwardness, each Natsuyasumi title makes an impeccable effort to avoid excessively relying on musical ambiance (with the first game’s score barely making it to 18 minutes, and each following installment including an approximate of 45 minutes of total music). Meaning most of the series’ sound design is instead built around subtly incorporating nature sounds; by doing this, scenes that do feature music end up feeling like special moments meant to punctuate the player’s progress within each title, a small reward of sorts for guiding little Boku on his quest of having a vacarion to remember.
Beyond its role as a narrative enhancer, each Boku no Natsuyasumi title has at least one moment that permanently associates particular songs (or instruments) with a specific character or moments in the story: be it Moe’s clumsy clarinet rendition of My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean used in the first game (which doubles as subtle hint of the young girl’s depression before explicitly revealing it to the player), or by using the traditional happy birthday fanfare to signify the moment when each Boku becomes an older brother, every title in the series makes sure that each of its music pieces (especially the nostalgic vocal themes that accompany each title) plays right when it has to, thus marking the appearance of these songs as really unique gameplay moments, regardless of how minimal some of these compositions might be.
Much like it happens with series’ minimalist — yet incredibly charming — visuals, music adds an extra layer of meaning to the nostalgic naiveté that’s so characteristic of the Boku no Natsuyasumi series, often working as the perfect way to add depth or even a slight touch of melancholy to many of the titular Bokus youthful experiences. Even if the way these games implement silence and nature sounds has always been a huge charming point to me, it is undeniable that Ukai’s scores contribute to making the franchise feel more alive, to the point where I can affirm much of the success at making mundane experiences feel like poignant narrative moments comes from decorating said scenes with the warm, rewarding melodies that accompany them.
