RPG heroes tend to act decidedly un-heroic, don’t they, what with all of the creature killing? Moon wants you to heal the world through love instead.
Moon World seems to be lacking in moonlight these days. Sounds like something a hero should fix, but the hero of this place is kinda busy breaking into homes to steal stuff and killing local animals to gain experience. I mean, that’s what RPG heroes do, don’t they? It’s a bit more violent and evil than one might expect from a hero, but that just seems to be how things go in video game land.
Luckily, a little boy with a big heart has been drawn into this world instead, and he’s got a better idea on how to fix things. As this boy, you’ll be recovering moonlight by drawing the power of love into yourself. To do that, you’ll need to rescue the souls of the world’s fallen animals, saving them from being cast adrift by the hero’s violence. You’ll also bring further healing and love to the world by helping out the realm’s inhabitants. How to do that? By following their routines, learning about who they are, and using that knowledge to bring good to their lives and finding what makes them feel love.
Moon is a captivating look at the ways we interact with game worlds and the casual violence we often commit in games without thinking about it. It asks us to think about how we treat others, and how real heroism can be about helping your neighbors feel safe, or taking care of the living things around us. It’s a wonderful game to see in English for the first time (it initially released in Japan in 1997), and to understand the effect its themes have had on many other excellent games.
Moon is available now on the Nintendo Switch.
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