found this super late and can't think of anything as long or smart as the other comments but I really love this thing :)
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Tsuki ga Gotoku - As the Moon's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Use of LGBT Themes | #2 | 4.514 | 4.750 |
| Story / Writing | #6 | 4.175 | 4.393 |
| Audio | #8 | 4.005 | 4.214 |
| Visuals | #10 | 4.073 | 4.286 |
| Overall | #10 | 3.903 | 4.107 |
| Concept | #19 | 3.700 | 3.893 |
| Gameplay | #23 | 2.274 | 2.393 |
| Challenge | #29 | 1.358 | 1.429 |
Ranked from 28 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Team Members
Akiko Osaka, Hexadezimal, Gan
Streaming Permission
Yes
Comments
A very polished and fascinating look at three characters through a unique lens. I found myself interested in the background of the story, as it seemed to be rooted in some other work, but was still able to more or less follow along with everything which was in front of me.
The influences are very obvious, which I don't think is a bad thing in this scenario, honestly. It lends a different angle of the Gensokyan lifestyle which I don't terribly think is explored very much in general. In that aspect, the story earns my respect; the characters are all down-to-earth and speak like long-time friends (and associates, when appropriate.) The world is built impeccably through dialogue, and reveals a very intricate sense of humanity, which I appreciate. It isn't often that the relations of humans and youkais are so frankly expressed and I was pleased to see it tackled here to an extent.
The characters are also peppered in personality. (Mokou being a smoker just feels right somehow, and Youmu setting her swords up next to her as if it were another person was also a nice touch.) Their motivations and intricacies are evident in how they talk and express themselves. Good touches, all around.
The use of LGBTQ themes is some of the best I've seen portrayed so far; it is willing to explore some very personal and invasive topics and does so with both respect and delicacy. You could really feel the plight of the characters as they danced around the topic and then confronted it in a reasonable manner. That's hard to pull off without coming off as a checkmark or otherwise feeling plastic, but you did here.
This is a great work and it's even more impressive when considering the polish it had while also being completed in the timeframe. Please continue to make games in this universe with us!
Submitted
Room of a Thousand PetalsThank you, we gave it our best. Especially with the topics handled, I couldn't rely on my own experiences, so I did a lot of research, as well as consulting friends who do have experience with this sort of thing.
The feeling that there is more to the backstory and lore of this particular take of Gensokyo might be because there is. Tsuki ga Gotoku is a sequel. You might then want to check out the first game, Houou ga Gotoku, made for the 2nd Touhou Pride Jam. Beyond that, I had this idea of a modern day Gensokyo where magic is real and youkai live among us has been rattling in my head for years now. Originally I wanted to write a Touhou TTRPG back then, but kinda struggled with finding a satisfying design that accurately represents what makes touhou special. The setting for that TTRPG was this Gensokyo.
Also, if you like my writings, we are working on an original cyberpunk visual novel called Code.Breaker(), which mixes Point and Click, Puzzle Game and Dating Sim Gameplay. It's currently on early access on steam, but there is also a free demo encompassing the first act of the story.
Wow, this was quite the VN! I really enjoyed it, I could see you all worked hard on it. I haven't played the previous instalment, but I guess I'll have to check it out soon!
I was really surprised by the dialogues! The characters speak very naturally, like actual real-life friends would, and their personalities are well represented in their speech patterns.
The story is really moving. I don't know if any of you guys had similar experiences, but it sure feels like it, because I was really impressed by how genuine both Reisen and Youmu sounded when talking about their feelings. You absolutely nailed the LGBTQA+ aspect in more than one way.
I also appreciated that you went deep into the characters' backstories, which can be handy to people who are not familiar with them. The first sequence narrating Reisen's story was especially well made: I really liked the final transition, when the background turned black.
You are one of the few developers I've seen that added a bit of "gaminess" to their VN. Granted, it simply consists in choosing options, but it goes a long way in making the game feel less heavy. However, for some reason the game went on without me being able to ask Mokou the first question in the category "Love", maybe I should have selected it first? I have this thing where I tend not to go "from first to last in order" when choosing dialogue options. It's not that big of an issue, I just thought I'd let you know.
I really appreciated the Yakuza references, it's one of my favourite videogame series! From the name of the game, to the logo, to the choice of music for the final credits! The last one in particular really surprised me! My mind went "wait, I know this one..." and I soon got Yakuza 0 flashbacks! It was an unexpected easter egg.
The drawings are all wonderful! All the characters ooze personality. The soundtrack was very well made, too! And I found all the sound effects very fitting (the rain was really pleasant).
My only gripe is that I found a few spelling mistakes, but it's not a big deal. Props to the team!
Hey, thank you for the feedback! While a lot in Houou ga Gotoku came from my experience (as the writer), Tsuki ga Gotoku did not. I'm a lesbian, sure, but what Tsuki ga Gotoku deals with I did not have to. I did my best to try and understand what it's like, did my homework, ran the story by some people. I'm glad it worked out in the end and I did my homework correctly.
I also believe that the VN genre can be so much and more, if you just think a little bit outside the box.
The reason Mokou cuts you off and progresses towards resolving the story, is because there are hidden triggers in some of the dialogue options. I believe if you read everything outside the love dialogue, Mokou cuts you off. That is intentional. Houou ga Gotoku had a similar system, where certain dialogue options made Mokou drink, and the more drunk she got the more open she got about certain topics. To progress to the ending of Houou ga Gotoku, you needed to hit a certain dialogue option that got unlocked by getting drunk. A lot of people complained about this, because it was kind of unintuitive and sort of "forced" the players to read everything in order to progress. This time around, I made it so Mokou cut you off and progresses straight into the ending. It's still not a perfect solution, but it works much better I think. Next time around, I might make it so that you get cut off, but have the option to loop back around (unlocking the dialogue option to progress to the ending in the process).
Yakuza, as weird as that sounds, was a huge inspiration for me while working on this as well as Houou ga Gotoku. These are obviously very different from Yakuza in terms of gameplay and story structure, but... well... Yakuza is a crime drama series. It's about tough guys doing tough guy things. But at the same time, these games manage to capture the rich inner world of these characters, their emotions and their feelings towards one another. I wanted Houou ga Gotoku, and now Tsuki ga Gotoku to capture a similar sort of vibe. You have these characters that are definitely strong and tough, they definitely haven't gone through their lives without doing some morally questionable things. However, they are still people at the end of the day, with thoughts and feelings, wants and emotions. I hope I captured some of that.
...and well, spelling mistakes are to be expected when you spend like 1 1/2 weeks drafting a story and then 1/2 week crunching down to get the words on paper lol. Sadly I did not have the time to get someone to proofread. I'll try to patch these out when I get the chance.
Anyways, I’ll pass on your praise to my fellow teammates. Thank you for playing!
In retrospect, it makes sense that the game doesn't necessarily expect you to read everything. I was so focussed on trying to get to know all about the characters that I didn't take into account that it would just be natural for Mokou to behave a certain way (i.e. go on with the story) after asking certain questions. Also, the mechanics you used for your previous game sound interesting, they make me want to check it out even more!
I can definitely see how Yakuza may have been an inspiration for you! Even though it's a crime series, it mostly revolves around the drama surrounding the characters. Some dialogue sections definitely gave me Yakuza vibes, in this sense.
Thank you for taking the time to reply!
Three years ago, I entered my first Touhou Game Jam, Touhou Pride Game Jam 2. From then on, my life was changed forever. During Pride Jam 2, I played a certain Visual Novel about Mokou in a bar, talking to Reisen.
Three years later, I opened this game, and knew exactly what I was in for after seeing the opening scene. It's inspiring to know that you have an Indie Team with you now, and yet, the World still feels exactly the same as you left it so long ago. The switch of portraits near the very end was a fantastic way to pay tribute to what came before.
The final theme also really resonated with me, and reminded me of my days discovering that I was Pan-Romantic in High School. There have been stories I've loved from jam games before, but this was one of the first ones where I truly saw myself in it.
All around, you did a fantastic job. I hope you and your team stay in the world of Gensokyo. (It's also nice to know that my team wasn't the only one who made a vocal theme for this jam ;) )
Submitted
Touhou Chaotic Couple ComedyThank you, I'm glad my writings could help someone in their life. A lot of Houou ga Gotoku was channeling my own life experience, so I'm glad it gave you something that you could take away for yourself.
We are still a very tiny team and we are still figuring things out, but then again, as an indie dev I think you never stop learning.
Thank you for playing!
I went in mixing and exploring different conversation topics, and despite there being many options, almost all of them flow very naturally in this way, and everything that Mokou and Reisen have to say is very interesting. They each have their own unique lives. Music and art is nice and sets the mood well. Having a song with vocals for a jam game is impressive.
Reading about Reisen’s worries and difficulties was tough, but I’m happy she found a loving and understanding partner in Youmu.
Submitted
Genso BattleThank you for playing!
I'm glad I got to revisit this world and these character once more to tell another story about love and the struggles of modern life.
If you didn't know, this is a sort of sequel to the game I worked on for the 2nd Touhou Pride Jam, 3 years ago. The game was called Houou ga Gotoku and put you in the shoes of Mokou. If you liked Tsuki ga Gotoku, maybe that is worth a look too.
If you like my writings in general, we are also work on a cyberpunk visual novel called Code.Breaker(). which I'm the main writer for. It is still in development, but maybe that could also interest you as well.
Oh wait I've seen something just like that in a previous Jam. That's a sequel isn't it!
And sure enough, I like this VN as much as the first game - what that was there I find it here. Cozily sitting at the bar, casually speaking of people and the world. And yet again, there's natural and smooth world-building through the topics. I love it. Especially how there's canon Touhou lore mixed with plenty of this fangame lore, into a coherent headcanon of sorts. In other words, majestic Touhou derivative story.
So yet again, awesome work. The writing, the art, the musical arranges (hot damn I wasn't ready for the credits song) got me fully immersed for 40 minutes.
Thank you, Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.
I put a lot of effort into trying to make this vision of a modern day Gensokyo feel real through the dialogue. I'm a big fan of diagetic dialogue, so I tried to make everything as diagetic as possible. I'm glad it paid off.
If this sort of writing style interests you, we are working on a Cyberpunk Visual Novel called Code.Breaker(), which I am the main writer for. A lot of what I have learned from Houou ga Gotoku went into that game as well. It also features chill hang-out scenes where you get to talk to the characters about them, others and the world. It's still in development, but maybe worth a look if you like what we did here? The artist for Tsuki ga Gotoku also works with me on Code.Breaker().
Amazing use of theme, writing was amazing, and the art!!! HOLY HECK the art! The opening story gripped me immediately: what a fantastic way to pull players in and get them invested.
The dialogue flowed really well and very naturally. It was a little hard to stay invested at first—perhaps if there were things to break up the chats, like ordering food or perhaps Mokou asking you a few questions too? But that's the tiniest of complaints. I had so much fun and the format of talking as friends at a bar is such an underutilized concept. This is so well done. Great job to the team!
I didn't know this was a sequel, so I'm definitely going to have to play the previous game now, too. It's so nice that it stands on its own, so an extra kudos to the writer.
Submitted
Echoing HeartsThank you for playing and thank you for your comment!
Actually, besides Houou ga Gotoku and Tsuki ga Gotoku, we are working on our first original game (started after wrapping on Houou ga Gotoku) that uses this sort of casual chatting with a friend as one of the modes of gameplay, which was inspired by what I learned on Houou ga Gotoku. It's a cyberpunk visual novel called Code.Breaker(), written by me. It is still in development, so we'll definitely think about adding more back and forth in there. I hope you have fun with Houou ga Gotoku, and maybe Code.Breaker() as well :)
I'm not going to lie, I forgot to check the main itch.io page before downloading, so realizing only when the dialogue options popped up that this was a sequel to one of my Pride Jam 2 favorites made me absolutely giddy. Dialogue was as great as the last one, and I really appreciated the importance placed on the distinction between asexuality and aromanticism. Definitely lives up to the original in my opinion.
Submitted
The Rabbits Are (Not) Invading!Loved all the art, especially the calligraphy for the bunny and moon princess legend. Conversation was great between the friends, and the crush~ Thanks for the auto-save feature too. Hope there's more after the bar conversation!
Submitted
Ice Cold Insanity
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