Stray Children: Why the Developer of the Game That Inspired Undertale Has Now Made a Game Inspired by Undertale

In the autumn of 2025, I had the large pleasance of attending Tokyo Game Show, a travel that besides people included a fewer pit stops to conscionable section developers and spot what they were up to. On the precise past time of my trip, successful the last hours conscionable earlier I went to the airport, I arrived astatine what I desperately hoped was the Onion Games office. I was overburdened with 2 elephantine suitcases, successful a overseas country, and unsure of precisely wherever it was. As I glanced up astatine the gathering wherever I thought I’d been directed to go, I caught a glimpse done a model of a silly-looking fig plastered connected a wall: a antheral successful an asparagus suit.

Yeah, that was it.

I lugged up a formation of stairs to a non-descript doorway wherever I tentatively knocked, and was soon aft greeted by James Wragg and Yoshiro Kimura. They welcomed maine inside, and gracious invited maine to beryllium down astatine a small circular array covered successful a reddish and achromatic checked tablecloth. Kimura offered maine immoderate greenish beverage from a ample bottle. I was surrounded connected each sides by bookcases of manga and a deluge of Onion Games memorabilia, much than I ever imagined existed for specified a tiny studio.

What followed was genuinely 1 of the astir lukewarm and pleasant interviews I’ve ever conducted, but I’m going to request you to buckle up and carnivore with maine for a spot to recognize why. Kimura is simply a existent manufacture veteran, a developer connected games specified arsenic Romancing Saga 2 and 3, No More Heroes, and Little King’s Story, co-creator of Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, and now-head of Onion Games, which has created a agelong enactment of precise silly games specified arsenic Million Onion Hotel and Black Bird, gained a small spot of fame globally for its Western localization of the classical Moon a fewer years ago, and conscionable released a small RPG called Stray Children this year.

Stray Children is simply a crippled built upon immoderate very, precise circumstantial DNA. To recognize it, I truly deliberation you request to recognize Moon, which primitively came retired successful 1997 for the PlayStation 1, but lone successful Japan astatine the time. Moon is simply a goofy, esoteric RPG (Kimura volition notation to it aboriginal successful the interrogation arsenic an “oddball” RPG) astir a kid who gets sucked into a Dragon Quest-like video game, lone to observe that the “hero” of the crippled is really murdering guiltless monsters. What follows is an upside down escapade wherever you travel the “hero” around, rescuing the souls of those monsters and doing bully deeds to enactment the satellite right, raising your “Lv” oregon “Love” arsenic you go.

Moon was a genuinely unusual crippled some for its clip and adjacent now, arsenic I discovered erstwhile I played its English localization for Nintendo Switch successful 2020. Its characters travel a afloat seven-day-long Majora’s Mask similar clip schedule, alternatively of a soundtrack it has an in-game euphony subordinate with tracks from assorted 90s Japanese underground bands, and its puzzles and ending are highly hard to sus out, adjacent for a 90s game. It’s truthful retired there, that Onion Games translated and printed the archetypal manual that came with Moon and released it online, truthful caller players wouldn’t beryllium wholly mislaid arsenic to wherefore determination was a timer successful the apical country of the surface and wherefore they kept collapsing for seemingly nary reason.

But unusual arsenic it is, I deliberation Moon is genuinely wonderful, and I’m not the lone 1 who loved it. Toby Fox helped bolster the game’s illustration a spot erstwhile helium cited it arsenic a large inspiration for Undertale, and having played some games it’s highly casual to spot the crossover. Kimura and Fox person since met and talked astir their respective games, a relationship that successful crook seems to person inspired Kimura to marque different RPG, which takes america to Stray Children.

At the clip I conducted this interview, Kimura had conscionable fto maine play the first, oh, 5 minutes of the crippled earlier its release. In those fewer minutes, a young lad with a dog-like look is visited astatine location by an older man, a stranger, who fundamentally convinces him to permission his location astatine nighttime and travel him to a subway station, done a concealed passage, and into a country afloat of machine monitors. And that’s wherever we stopped.

Having since played the afloat game, I cognize Stray Children is astir that lad getting sucked into a video crippled world, conscionable similar successful Moon, and what follows is simply a truly unthinkable subversion of Moon, which was itself a subversion of RPG tropes. While it can stand alone, I guess, truthful galore of Stray Children’s champion moments are predicated connected knowing Moon, which leads to it being a truly niche acquisition that volition astir apt confuse immoderate radical who stumble into it. But it’s the crippled Kimura wanted to make, without compromise, adjacent successful the moments wherever that deficiency of compromise became frustrating.

So with that background, here’s my interrogation with Yoshiro Kimura, conducted implicit greenish beverage and surrounded by small decals of the asparagus antheral and cows and assorted different Onion Games mascots. This was mostly conducted successful translation courtesy of Wragg, though determination were a fewer points wherever Kimura stepped successful and gave his answers straight successful English. The interrogation has been precise lightly edited for clarity.

Yoshiro Kimura: My sanction is Yoshiro Kimura, the Japanese crippled designer. I person been processing games for much than 25 years. If I cipher from erstwhile I was 12 years old, I was making a batch of games for myself also. And present I'm the brag of the institution called Onion Games and Onion Games is already 10 years old, and I walk clip making indie games.

So Stray Children intelligibly follows from Moon, and I cognize you've told the communicative of however you ended up revisiting Moon and bringing it to Switch and bringing it to English and the remainder of the satellite for the archetypal time. But what inspired you to commencement making Stray Children?

Kimura: I wanted to marque an RPG. I was reasoning astir making an RPG from the time we started Onion Games, but processing an RPG requires a batch of deed points, a batch of experience. And erstwhile we started the institution up, I did see doing a Kickstarter to money it, but I'm not that celebrated of a crippled creator, truthful I didn't deliberation I would get the support. So alternatively we went the way of making smaller games first, similar Million Onion Hotel, Dandy Dungeon, Black Bird. And we gained experience, leveled up to the constituent wherever I felt comfy that we'd beryllium capable to, not conscionable myself, but the squad would beryllium capable to grip an RPG.

So regards to information for really making Stray Children, determination are respective things that kickstarted the thought successful my mind. Obviously 1 of them is Moon, but anyone who's played Moon would cognize a sequel to Moon isn't thing that tin beryllium done. And I truly similar Moon myself arsenic well, truthful I spent a agelong clip thinking, "How tin I marque a crippled that has the aforesaid benignant of feel, atmosphere, but without being straight connected to that game?" So erstwhile I got to the constituent wherever I could envisage the commencement and the extremity of this caller story, that was erstwhile I knew we were acceptable to begin.

Even conscionable from the archetypal fewer minutes of Stray Children, it seems similar you're exploring immoderate of the aforesaid themes: similar childhood, disconnection from adults and possibly the quality of what a video crippled really is oregon tin be. Is that just to say?

Kimura: To reply that question, I'm going backmost to the information for making an RPG successful the archetypal place. Part of that was wanting to marque an RPG, portion of it was wanting to marque thing with the aforesaid feeling arsenic Moon. So it goes backmost to memories of the games I played, my procreation played, truthful the ‘80s, the ‘90s. Back past games that I played had a truly beardown power connected me. And seeing and proceeding astir caller releases was a truly breathtaking happening backmost then. That acquisition that I had successful the past from games, I wanted to enactment that into Stray Children for the subordinate to acquisition anew.

So for me, those games, they weren't console games truthful overmuch backmost then, partially they were, but it was PC arsenic good and immoderate arcade. But if you imagine, backmost erstwhile I was a kid, I was surviving successful the countryside. One time I came crossed this feline who lived locally and helium had a C64 and PC, I don't know, '88, '98, whatever. So I'm seeing games similar Ultima, Wizardry, immoderate games connected the C64, and it's conscionable astonishing seeing... It's truthful caller to me. And besides successful the arcade I'm seeing Xevious from Namco, Mappy, that benignant of stuff. And I loved these games and I wanted to enactment the feeling that I had backmost past into the crippled truthful the subordinate tin acquisition it done it.

You made Moon, ohio my gosh, what, 25... More? Almost 30 years ago?

Kimura: Maybe 30 years ago.

RPGs person changed and evolved since then, truthful I'm funny if there's thing you've been playing successful the past mates of years that has inspired you oregon made you deliberation differently?

Kimura: It's a spot of an unusual reply I suppose, but archetypal recently, immoderate worldly I've been playing anyhow and I conjecture it has influenced maine rather a lot, is I’ve been going done the archetypal 5 Dragon Quest games again connected Famicom and Super Famicom.

The archetypal versions?

Kimura: The original, precise hard one. And I don't cognize whether it's an inspiration, but I've surely played recently, Odencat's Meg's Monster.

But erstwhile I speech astir inspirations, I ever extremity up with Undertale. But earlier I speech astir that, I privation to marque definite that there's nary misunderstanding. So I'm rather affable with Toby Fox and erstwhile I reply I'm answering honestly, but I don't privation it to look similar I'm trying to thrust connected the coattails, and don't privation the property chasing him for comments.

But determination is an constituent of power from that and I think... So Toby, helium plays my games close aft release, sometimes earlier release. But I ever inquire him why, wherefore helium plays and why's helium enjoying them? He said, "Because I similar weird, oddball games," and I thought, "Oh, well, that's the aforesaid arsenic me." So erstwhile I thought astir Undertale, Undertale's benignant of weird successful galore ways arsenic well. And truthful successful talking to Toby, due to the fact that we've got this communal interest, I consciousness relaxed, a consciousness of reassurance. Security. I consciousness astatine easiness talking to him.

One of the things that has fascinated maine astir Moon and Undertale and Stray Children is it feels similar they're portion of a larger contented of weird, oddball games that are each inspired by 1 different and successful speech with 1 another. I enactment the Mother games successful there, Contact.

Kimura: Yume Nikki.

Yeah. There's a clump of them that are each playing disconnected immoderate of the aforesaid themes. And it's been absorbing to spot the conversations publically betwixt you and Toby Fox, wherever 2 antithetic generations of crippled developers are inspiring 1 different backmost and forth. And that's a truly chill happening to see.

Kimura: It's similar we're benignant of pen friends astir oregon diary friends. All these creators.

I deliberation each crippled creators stock this benignant of feeling, whether they stock it with each different crippled creators oregon there's conscionable the oddball crippled creators and the warring crippled creators and the enactment crippled creators, but I deliberation everybody's inspiring and inspired by their peers.

So who each is Onion Games? How large is the team? Is it radical who person been with you for a agelong time? Do you person immoderate newer developers?

Kimura: So from the halfway improvement people, there's 7 including myself, and we've had immoderate younger radical articulation recently, but they've been with america for 3 years, truthful that's the shortest. Then there's radical who've been with america from the commencement of Onion Games, we've been moving unneurotic astir 11 years. And there's 1 of the programmers was the programmer from Chulip, truthful that's a agelong time. But adjacent longer than that, there's a coworker from my Square days, truthful I've known him for 30 years oregon so.

You mentioned earlier you don't usage this bureau anymore. Is everyone remote?

Kimura: So I'm the idiosyncratic astir often present and 1 of the younger squad members is often present arsenic well. So I enactment present a lot. And sometimes radical volition travel in, but mostly speaking, erstwhile we're each unneurotic it's erstwhile we're drinking.

Are you moving with the aforesaid composers oregon immoderate of the aforesaid radical who did the euphony for Moon?

Kimura: Yeah, fundamentally it's the aforesaid composers. So Thelonious Monkees, which is comprised of [Hirofumi] Taniguchi-san, [Masanori] Adachi-san, and we've got [Keiichi] Sugiyami-san's doing the dependable effects, truthful fundamentally the same.

I interviewed them astir however they composed Moon and got each those antithetic artists unneurotic to bash the Moon discs, the MDs is determination thing similar that successful Stray Children?

Kimura: Not this time, we didn't bash thing similar that. That was thing that we were capable to bash due to the fact that of the squad constitution of Moon itself. And I didn't deliberation that doing the aforesaid happening again with Stray Children would person the aforesaid impact. So I wanted to spell with conscionable a straight, caller creation to the game.

But we did usage that, I hide what it was called successful English, but the unusual voice, the scrambled voice. The mode we did it this clip again is we got the fans of Onion Games to nonstop successful tons of... We've got fans each astir the world, truthful speaking successful their autochthonal languages, they sent america tons of dependable clips and they each got mixed up and enactment backmost in. The Japanese version, I wasn't capable to get it to a level that I was blessed with. But with the planetary release, that volition each beryllium benignant of similar a director's chopped of the unusual voices.

So I saw conscionable the precise opening of the game, but I've watched the trailers and truthful I person a small spot of a representation of what I'm successful for, but what tin you archer maine astir wherever this crippled goes? Especially, it seems similar you're encountering radical successful immoderate benignant of... There's battles, but it's not a battle. What tin you archer maine astir what's happening successful Stray Children?

Kimura: That's really the archetypal time, successful memory, that somebody's asked maine that. And it's specified an mean and proper... Like a mean question, successful a bully way, that I haven't had the accidental to answer. So springiness maine a small clip to get the elevator transportation ready.

[He thinks for a fewer moments.]

So it's an RPG, and arsenic you saw with a subordinate being sucked into the satellite of a video crippled successful RPG, and successful that world, arsenic the rubric Stray Children suggests, there's a kingdom built by children and extracurricular of that kingdom, extracurricular of that onshore is wherever the adults, we telephone them The Olders, live. And you mentioned the battles, the battles... So underground, erstwhile you permission the information of the children's land, there's these creatures surviving underground and that's wherever the battles occur. But successful the battles, you tin combat oregon you tin speech to the enemy, these creatures. And it's wholly up to the subordinate however they attack that.

Is this a crippled wherever the outcomes could beryllium impacted by however you interact with those creatures?

Kimura: That is down to the subordinate and however they feel, however they respond to the- So erstwhile talking astir games, the mode I consciousness astir it is, I tin archer you astir the systems of the crippled and possibly however they work, but what occurs erstwhile you interact with those systems and the game's story, and however the crippled plays out, I would alternatively permission that up to the subordinate to discover, to acquisition for themselves. Because I deliberation that not knowing what you're getting erstwhile you spell into the crippled gives a amended acquisition to the player.

Moon's precise comic and your different games are precise funny. And I deliberation wit is precise hard successful video games sometimes, due to the fact that astatine times games effort precise hard to beryllium comic and it comes disconnected arsenic disingenuous. But I don't know, I'm funny however you attack making a crippled that is cheeky and silly and volition marque the subordinate laugh? And particularly erstwhile you person to past localize it due to the fact that localizing wit is simply a full antithetic situation successful and of itself.

Kimura: So, it's a hard 1 to reply actually. So I'm not necessarily, erstwhile I marque games, I'm not looking to manipulate however the player's feeling. I'm not needfully looking to marque them laughter due to the fact that immoderate of the humor, it volition marque immoderate radical laugh, but for different radical it mightiness marque them consciousness astir fear. And past I mightiness marque a country that makes immoderate radical feel, "Oh, that's truthful sad," but different radical would think, "That's cruel and horrible." You played the opening, right?

Yeah.

Kimura: So it opens with this: The subordinate meets this feline and fundamentally helium takes him distant determination and past the subordinate gets sucked into this crippled world. It's benignant of funny, but astatine the aforesaid clip it's besides benignant of foreboding and the player's getting a consciousness of anticipation but also, "Look, what is happening here?" And that's what I'm going for, trying to conscionable grasp the subordinate and truly gully their interest. And I deliberation that's communal to each my games. I'm not needfully going for a definite feeling each time, conscionable mixing things up.

So I get to reasoning astir what's good, bad, black, white, bully versus evil, is determination adjacent a wide split? And I deliberation a batch of it comes from the experiences I had and the adults I met erstwhile I was a kid and however I interpreted those experiences, those meetings. And truthful my games, they're based successful phantasy worlds, but there's decidedly a definite constituent of my past experiences successful them arsenic well. I don’t cognize rather what those are? I don't cognize due to the fact that it's each mixed up inside, but I'm definite immoderate of it is successful there. And that's particularly existent of Stray Children.

This is simply a really, truly idiosyncratic crippled for you, then?

Kimura: Yeah. Yeah, it's personal, but it's besides a portion of entertainment. So it is simply a merchandise astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic being a portion of art, I guess.

What americium I not asking you astir that you privation journalists would inquire you?

Kimura: Apart from what benignant of crippled is this?

Haha, yes.

Kimura: I don't know, to beryllium honest. And the crushed is, erstwhile I was astatine Marvelous Entertainment and I was a producer, if you asked maine astir this oregon if you asked maine astir the game, I would person a prepared answer. I could archer you what the income points were from a selling perspective, but I've been moving connected Stray Children for 3 years present and I can't accidental circumstantial points that I similar due to the fact that I similar it each truthful much. When you asked maine that question earlier, I couldn't reply consecutive away, it's because, A, I haven't been asked but also, B, I don't person that wide reply anymore successful my head. Not astatine all. But if you've got immoderate questions, I'm an unfastened publication close present for answers.

I similar prompting radical I interrogation similar this astatine the extremity due to the fact that sometimes creators person thing that's successful their caput that is preoccupying them oregon that they're precise excited astir oregon that they deliberation astir each the time, but it's not ever thing that's been shown oregon announced oregon evident for idiosyncratic to inquire about. So it's good if you don't person an answer, but I similar asking conscionable successful case.

Kimura: Actually, yes, having answered that, present I deliberation I recognize what I wanted to say. When we unrecorded our lives, there's oftentimes erstwhile we privation to clarify what is close and what is wrong, person everything achromatic and white. But recently, particularly recently, I've been reasoning that possibly that's not a bully idea, and to person things gray, person that deficiency of clarity, a deficiency of a wide dividing enactment betwixt those 2 things is simply a bully idea. And I've been trying to, successful assorted ways, person that constituent portion of the game. And I cognize I play games, I've been making for a agelong time, I cognize what the subordinate expects what a mean crippled should be, the user-friendly experience. Maybe determination should beryllium a informing astatine the beginning, but I should accidental sorry, conscionable that this crippled isn't that mode and it is my intent to bash that arsenic well.

A batch of video games implicit the years person tried to research morality and arsenic you say, successful precise achromatic and achromatic terms, wherever if you marque definite decisions, you get a bully ending and definite decisions you get a atrocious ending, and that's however it works. And adjacent Undertale and Moon truly worked that way, though I thought Moon's was…well, I got it incorrect the archetypal time. But I deliberation now, particularly successful this oddball crippled space, there's a hunger to research that a small much profoundly and with much nuance. I'm experiencing that close present playing Deltarune, wherever I deliberation the close and the incorrect is simply a small little clear.

Kimura: It's beauteous refreshing to talk astir this. It's there, but I haven't truly vocalized these things. I've been making this crippled for a agelong time, similar 3 years, truthful each time it's similar my life's vigor is being sucked into this happening that I'm making. So astatine the extremity of each time I'm truly conscionable wiped out. And similar you say, it is an unusual game, truthful I request to beryllium capable to explicit successful the selling connection from now... When we're going to merchandise the English version, I request to beryllium capable to archer radical each astir it, but I conscionable don't person the energy. I'm like, "This is simply a spot of a problem."

So up until now, with each the games we've done astatine Onion Games, erstwhile I've finished the game, I displacement gears into this selling mode, but this clip I conscionable haven't been capable to, truthful it's a wholly caller experience.

Well, I ideate the smaller the game, the much idiosyncratic it is to the radical making it. And I ideate it's precise challenging to person to merchantability what amounts to the contents of your heart.

Kimura: I've got truly mixed feelings astir it and it's benignant of the aforesaid feeling astir each of my games successful immoderate ways, and I deliberation radical who similar my games would similar this, and those that don't, won't. But this clip around, the biggest quality is probably... Because the crippled was connected Nintendo Direct, albeit successful Japan, a batch much radical astir apt cognize astir it, than past games. So I deliberation astir apt a batch much radical volition bargain it, but I've been reasoning astir however immoderate radical deliberation of games arsenic a merchandise and erstwhile you merchantability them, the much wealth you marque the better. But I've precocious been reasoning astir Stray Children that my strongest anticipation is that the radical who bargain it and play it volition truly emotion it. And if that's lone a fewer people, past whatever. I truly privation it to scope the radical that it should scope and the different people, if it doesn't scope them, then-

It is truly a analyzable bid of a premix of emotions, but to repetition what I said, I deliberation that having it scope the radical who volition similar it, volition truly resonate with, that's what I'm truly looking for I think.

Post-Japan release, we've been polishing similar brainsick and everything is overmuch improved, but astatine the aforesaid clip I besides realized that nevertheless overmuch we were amended it, I can't delight each of the radical each the time. It's lone ever going to delight the radical it's going to please.

[Translator pauses present and says, "I don't cognize however to construe this. Please bash your champion to marque it into a broad whole."] I haven't spoken to... I wouldn't accidental anybody, oregon that I haven't spoken to the media, but I'm half-feeling similar erstwhile you get a spot tipsy and you start- So it's astir apt not your emblematic nonfiction that you'd write.

Well, I deliberation you're amended astatine selling your crippled than you deliberation you are.

I turned disconnected the recorder here, but I wanted to anecdotally see 1 past portion of our speech that occurred earlier Kimura sent maine disconnected with what turned retired to beryllium an fantabulous luncheon recommendation, and has stuck with maine since. As we were wrapping up, we got into a treatment astir however overwhelming and oppressing the satellite feels nowadays, particularly if you’re online oregon tuned into the news.

Kimura shared that successful effect to this feeling, helium tries to absorption connected tiny joys. For instance, helium says he’s precocious discovered astatine his section convenience store a small pome pie, that lone costs a mates 100 yen (a dollar, possibly astir 2 successful USD). While the pome pastry is meant for one, he’s figured retired a circumstantial mode helium likes to portion the pastry into respective pieces, and past helium puts conscionable 1 portion successful the oven astatine location earlier helium eats it truthful that the edges go aureate and crispy.

In this way, helium makes this precise tiny joyousness past longer, and it tastes adjacent better. That, helium says, is however he’s trying to unrecorded his beingness close now.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].