PlayStation original Moon: Remix RPG Adventure arrived on Switch yesterday, giving Western gamers their first opportunity to experience the previously Japan-exclusive adventure, which never received a complete translation, official or otherwise. But like many arthouse games, youâre probably going to be lost for the first hour or so figuring out what to do. Thatâs where the manual comes in handy.
In addition to localizing the game (with help from former Kotaku video producer Tim Rogers, no less), Moon publisher Onion Games scanned and translated the manual of the original Japanese PlayStation version. As was common for games before the proliferation of the internet, the manual has everything you need to understand Moonâs basic game mechanics and controls, a decidedly old-school approach for a game that remains very of its time.
For instance, have you run into issues with your characterâs movement slowing down before they eventually pass out, sending you back to your last save? Thatâs because you reached your Action Limit, a sort of stamina gauge that restricts travel around the game world. This is represented by a meter in the upper-left corner of the screen that also tells you the day and time. If the little dot on the clock is flashing, that means time is passing, so get moving!
Speaking of saves, you may have wondered how Moon keeps track of your progress. Any time you go to sleep, either in your Grambyâs house or a home another NPC gifts to you later, the game saves. If you turn off the game or accidentally game over, thatâs where youâll pick back up, though anything youâve done since the last save will be lost.
Sleeping is also how you gain levels. Upon climbing into bed, youâll be transported to a dream world where any LoveâMoonâs take on experience pointsâyouâve accumulated since the last time you slept will be tallied and applied to level-ups. This increases your Action Limit, giving you more time to do stuff and earn more Love.
Iâll admit to being completely lost during my first couple of hours with Moon. While I was very much planning to give myself over to the old-school adventure, I constantly worried if I was doing something wrong or missing crucial information. Iâm glad I eventually stumbled upon the manual through Onion Gamesâ own Twitter feed, so do yourself a favor and check it out too. Thereâs a ton of useful tips in there and it wonât make you feel like you cheated yourself out of the intended experience.
