Moonless Moon

wow i’m posting a lot more than I usually am, shout outs to short games that I enjoy I guess!

I finished Moonless Moon recently which was a VN I had seen on my steam front page a while back and initially wishlisted it because two cute girls on cover (so hey maybe it’d have yuri! (it didn’t)). It was a relatively short read, I finished the entire thing in under 3 hours.

It’s a very melancholic and gentle read to put it lightly. It waxes some philosophy and does it with a gentle and beautiful OST accompanied by really great art. The translation and prose felt pretty good, there were a few minor typos I noticed but overall it didn’t feel like a chore to read which is always a good thing. The presentation for a VN is nice too, albeit a shame that the characters really only ever have one sprite. They do a good job with framing them in certain ways and cutting them off to give a distinct vibe though.

Now, as to what the VN is about, I think it can ultimately be summarized by saying its about a girl growing up and experiencing the broader world (or in the case of the VN, multiple worlds).

When I initially had started reading the VN and saw how the main character hopped worlds and commented on how they were better than her home world, I had thought this would be a commentary on escapism. The main character, Yomichi, even acknowledges what she was doing was harmful and temporarily stops jumping to other worlds.

However, in the final chapter and epilogue, to me I think what the VN calls worlds is what we would consider in our day to day lives different… perspectives? I’m not sure what the best way to put it is haha. But ultimately, in our own ways, every human lives in their own different world. What we classify as a world can vary from person to person, but in the case of Yorimichi it’s the town she’s growing up in. She lives in it and only temporarily escapes at night time when she hops to other worlds. These other worlds, one moon desert place in particular, feel more comfortable to her than her own home world. This bothers her though. Shouldn’t she live in the world she was raised in? All her family, friends, and other people live there. Is it ok to jump to other worlds?

And that’s essentially the crux of the VN. It turns out that everyone can jump worlds, not just her. It’s just not something they talk about. Madobe, the other girl on the cover, tells her how it’s ok to travel to other worlds, live there even. She’s done the same.

When I think about how this relates to “our” world, I remember thinking about how as a kid I basically lived in the same town. My worldview was so small, that visiting other cities let alone living in them felt like travelling to a new world. I imagine Yorimichi felt similar, where her school and the town she lived in was all she really knew before she jumped to other worlds.

And when she learns that other people jump between worlds too and that it’s ok to do it herself, it’s a lot like how growing up I as an adult start learning that its ok to leave and live elsewhere. The first time I did so I was nervous, but it was like an exciting journey. It’s a normal thing for people to “jump” between “worlds”, and it’s not something to be scared of or ashamed of. At least, that’s the vibe of what I got from the VN.

There’s also other interesting characters and stories, but I think they mostly sell the idea of what different worlds are like to Yorimichi. People paying in weird currencies, different rules applying, different sceneries, etc.

All in all, this was a neat little VN to read. While not very deep or anything, it’s a chill read and I enjoyed my time with it!