Moon (1997 video game)

Moon
Cover featuring main character Ikumi Amasawa
Developer(s)Tactics
Publisher(s)
  • Tactics (Windows)
  • AI System (Windows)
  • Nexton (Windows, DVD)
  • Regolith Innovation (Android)
Artist(s)Itaru Hinoue
Writer(s)
Composer(s)
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, DVD game, Android
Release
November 21, 1997
  • Windows
    • JP: November 21, 1997
    • JP: August 21, 1998
    • JP: September 14, 2000
    • JP: July 12, 2002
    • JP: September 20, 2002
    • JP: April 2, 2010
    DVD game
    • JP: January 30, 2003
    Android
    • JP: June 14, 2012
Genre(s)
Mode(s)Single-player

Moon (stylized as MOON.) is a Japanese adult horror visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of Nexton, released on November 21, 1997, playable on Windows PCs. The game was described by the development team as a "Reaching the Heart AVG" (心に届くAVG, Kokoro ni Todoku AVG).[1] The story follows the protagonist Ikumi Amasawa, a teenage girl who joins a mysterious organization called Fargo in the hopes of discovering why and how her mother died, who was a member of the same group. The gameplay in Moon follows a branching plot line which offers predetermined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the three female main characters. The game ranked twice in the national top 50 for best-selling PC games sold in Japan.

Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel brand Key. Moon was the starting point for Key's origins, and was the first time the principal Key team was formed. A novel based on the game written by Midori Tateyama was released in July 1998 by Movic. The game's original soundtrack was released bundled with Dōsei's soundtrack in August 2000 at Comiket 58; Dōsei was Tactics' first game. Moon has been referenced in other media not directly related to the game, such as in Tactics' third game One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, and in the second anime adaptation of Key's first game Kanon.[2][3]

  1. ^ "Original Moon official website" (in Japanese). Tactics. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Moon-in-One was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Moon-in-Kanon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).