The Moon, a natural satellite orbiting the Earth, is a frequent recurring element in SUDA51 and Grasshopper Manufacture games, especially in Kill the Past titles. The Moon can represent many things, though most notably madness, and sometimes appears concurrently to a suicide. The full phase of the moon is the most commonly displayed.
By game[]
- The Towairaito Shindoromu games prior to Moonlight Syndrome features the moon as a recurring visual, though it is not until that game (see below) that it becomes intertwined with the plot.
- Moonlight Syndrome heavily features the moon, including in the name and on the box art. In-game, it appears along with Mithra making a contract. According to research done on the game, "The phases of the moon reflect the sanity of those who are affected by the enchanting light of the moon."
- The Silver Case uses the moon on loading/transition screens in varying colors. It also can be seen in various scenes throughout the game; it seems that, for unknown reasons, the moon is always full in Ward 24.
- Flower, Sun, and Rain uses the moon in a select few parts of the game that take place at night. Sumio Mondo's destiny involves saving the island on the night of a crescent moon. Most notably, a contract is made between two characters to save another one's life while under the moon, paralleling Mithra's contracts from Moonlight Syndrome.
- killer7 opens on the night of a full moon and features strange moon colors for loading/transition scenes, just like The Silver Case, a game it heavily parallels. Additionally, Garcian Smith confronts a vision of Emir Parkreiner on the roof of the Union Hotel under the full moon.
- In Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, Baraishi refuses to battle until the moon rises, shining its light on the white roses and making them bloom. Jin also looks up at the moon after defeating Gekkou.
- Despite being a licensed game based off of an anime, BLOOD+ One Night Kiss uses the moon very similarly to killer7 and The Silver Case, possibly due to sharing an art style with killer7. The game opens on the night of a full moon and uses the moon for transition/loading screens for the third time. Moon imagery appeared in the original work as well.
- No More Heroes opens with a full moon as well, albeit in a flashback, as the moon was full during Travis Touchdown's battle with Helter-Skelter. There's also a red moon visible during the fight with Dr. Peace, though it is hard to see due to all the spotlights in the stadium.
- There is a shot of the moon on the boxart of Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen. A concept called the Hidden Moon Disease is part of the plot, hearkening back to the Moonlight Syndrome.
- No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle features a massive backdrop of the moon, appearing during a battle with a character with the last name Moonlight.
- Although Sine Mora doesn't take place on Earth, the planet Seol has its own moons, Delos and Mawu.
- The full moon is visible in the background of some stages in Diabolical Pitch.
Killer Is Dead[]
Killer Is Dead features the moon more heavily than any of the above games, as civilians are actually able to travel to it in the game's setting, and thus actual parts of the game take place on it. Here, it is revealed that the moon contains Dark Matter, which is controlled by the ruler of the Moon on its dark side. Although the ruler is usually the goddess Moon River, David usurps it from her and begins to use the Dark Matter to attack the Earth. The moon changes colors multiple times during the course of the game, usually a shade of purple to represent the Dark Matter. It also turns red near the end of the game due to David's influence.