Onion Games' Stray Children Just Dropped: A Fairytale RPG with a Secret So Big, They're Asking You to Keep Mum!
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Onion Games, featuring legendary developers from *Suikoden* and *Romancing SaGa*, has released *Stray Children*, a unique fairytale RPG where players 'talk' to monstrous adults instead of fighting them, alongside a rare plea to keep its ending a secret.
Alright, mateys, gather 'round the digital campfire, 'cause something rather curious just landed on Steam and Switch. Onion Games, those absolute wizards who brought us *Moon: Remix RPG Adventure* (remember that anti-RPG mind-bender that influenced a fair bit of *Undertale*?), have officially launched the English version of their latest fantastical escapade, *Stray Children*. And let me tell ya, it's got a premise that's pure 'Jeff' material.
Picture this: a world where kids are holed up in a stronghold, doing their best to avoid the 'Olders' – monstrous adults roaming the lands, absolutely weighed down by their own inadequacies, self-doubt, and every single grievance they've ever collected. Sounds like a proper family holiday, eh? Probably won't be playing this one with my niece until she's, oh, thirty-something. But bloody hell, does it look intriguing! Eerie, fizzy, a touch depraved, with treehouses, submarines, and 'Icicle Bullets of Love'. What a combo!
Now, you might be thinking, 'How do you even fight that?' Well, as any sensible kid (or seasoned adventurer) knows, you don't always tackle grown-ups head-on. *Stray Children* takes a page from the *Undertale* playbook, letting you talk to your opponents, surgically targeting their... well, their psychic vulnerabilities. Reckon it's like asking an Elder if they remember their younger, less jaded days, or bringing up that obscure hobby they were *really* into but nobody else understood. The combat system's a clever mash-up of turn-based tactics and shmup dodging, where you're weaving through 'weaponised metaphors'. What do those squealing piglets represent, you ask? My money's on someone's profound regret about never mastering the kazoo. The Steam page says you'll 'deftly dodge the relentless barrage of their bottled-up emotions, and discover the source of their strange stories.' And by 'touching their heart with your words,' you might just 'save their souls.' Deep stuff, eh?
But here's where it gets *really* spicy, mate. Onion Games has put out a rather unique, and frankly, brilliant, plea. They're asking *everyone* who finishes the game to 'please keep the ending a secret!' Now, that's a bold move in this spoiler-saturated age, isn't it? It instantly makes me wonder what kind of mind-bending, reality-warping conclusion they've cooked up. Are we talking 'The Sixth Sense' levels of twist, or something even more profoundly personal? It's a proper challenge to the community, almost like a secret handshake for those who've experienced it. I'm all for it; keeps the digital wizardry intact for newcomers.
And let's not forget the powerhouse behind this project. While *Moon* was a re-release of a 1997 anti-RPG, *Stray Children* is a fresh creation from Onion Games director Yoshiro Kimura, who's got *Romancing SaGa 2* and *Rule of Rose* on his CV. Then there's art director Kurashima Kazuyuki, who's worked on *Live A Live* and *Super Mario RPG*, and composer Hirofumi Taniguchi, the maestro behind tunes for *Suikoden* and *Contra: Hard Corps*. I mean, come on! That's a proper dream team, isn't it? A lineage that basically screams 'expect something truly special, something that breaks the mold.' This isn't just a game; it's a convergence of legendary talent, a proper digital alchemical concoction.
Now, I've seen a few early Steam reviews pop up, and bless 'em, they're a bit... eclectic. There's the classic 'Undertale but heterosexual,' and its mirror image, 'heterosexual but Undertale.' Which, fair dinkum, tells you absolutely nothing about the game itself, beyond perhaps the reviewer's internal monologue. Thankfully, one self-described bug tester chimed in to say it shouldn't be compared *too* avidly to either *Moon* or *Undertale*. And you know what? That sounds about right. From what I'm seeing, this looks like a world entirely of its own making. A fresh narrative to get lost in, a new reality to explore, which, let's be honest, is what we're all after in this wild gaming landscape, eh?
So, if you're keen for an RPG that's a bit different, a bit eerie, and comes with a direct request to protect its deepest secret, *Stray Children* might just be your next digital adventure. I reckon it's worth a look, if only to be part of the exclusive club that knows its ending – and keeps mum. Go on, dive in, and don't spill the beans!
Cheers to Edwin Evans-Thirlwell and Rock Paper Shotgun for bringing this curious gem to my attention originally. Proper good stuff. (Source: Rock Paper Shotgun)
Tags: RPG, Indie Game, Fairytale, Gaming News, Mystery
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun