Onion Games have announced the release date of the previously Japan-only “anti-RPG” Moon for Nintendo Switch.

The game originally launched in 1997 for the PlayStation in Japan, and focused on flipping then-established RPG tropes on their head. A game-within-a-game, players find themselves trapped in the game of Moon, and quickly learns the cliche world is not so black and white.

The monsters of the world are actually innocent animals, whose souls you can save to level up with “Love.” Players can also aid various NPC’s desires for more Love, and these NPCs will also have weekly and daily routines to keep track of.

You can find the release date trailer below.

You can find the full rundown (via the official website) below.

About moon

Have you ever played an RPG and wondered…
“Why does the ‘hero’ kill thousands of innocent monsters?”
“Why does the ‘hero’ break into homes and steal their items and gold?”
moon is a game that turns those ideas upside down, to see
what really happens behind the scenes of your favorite RPG videogames.

Story

One night, under the light of a full moon, a young boy is sucked into his TV.
He wakes up inside the videogame ‘Moon World’. The boy levels up by saving
the souls of the monsters killed by Moon World’s so-called ‘hero’, observing the lives of the oddball inhabitants of the world, and gathering their secret love. That’s right, in this game you level up with love, not through battles.
“Now, please, open the door…”

An RPG without battles!
Save the monster’s souls

All the monsters killed by the ‘hero’ are actually just innocent animals. As you explore the game, you will encounter the bodies of these pitiful creatures. But, if the boy can catch their souls, they can be saved.

A living, breathing world!
Peek into the secret lives of the NPCs

Moon World’s residents go about their routine lives, depending on the time and day. The florist goes to work in the morning, and the castle guards arrive at their posts. Some folks have secret midnight hobbies, and others just spend their days fishing.

MD System
Choose your own soundtrack

In moon, you can choose your own music. By using the special music playing Moon Disc (MD) function which appears in the game, you can walk around the map listening to the tracks you like in the order you set them.

Moon launches August 27th on Nintendo Switch.

Image: Moon official website