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RPG Maker adventure game Rakuen, which came out on Steam in 2017, is finally getting a Switch port! Created, designed, composer, and written by Laura Shigihara — whose voice you can hear on the Deltarune soundtrack, To the Moon, and Minecraft, as well as being the composer for Plants vs. Zombies — Rakuen is an adventure game with no combat but a ton of feels.
With plaudits such as “I haven’t felt so swept away by a world in so long” from our friends at RPS, we can see that Rakuen succeeds in being a thought-provoking, heartwrenching, and heartwarming game that might just make us shed a tear or two. It’s clear that working on To the Moon and Finding Paradise, two games that were also made using the RPG Maker XP engine, has influenced Shigihara’s own emotional game.
We’ve grabbed the game’s description from its Steam page to give you an idea of just how many tissues you’ll need for this upcoming port:
Rakuen is an adventure game about a little Boy who lives in the hospital. One day, the Boy asks his Mom to escort him to the fantasy world from his favorite storybook, so that he can ask the Guardian of the Forest to grant him one wish. In order to receive his wish, the Boy must complete a set of challenges that revolve around helping his neighbors in the hospital by interacting with their alter-egos in the fantasy world…
…A cranky old man who guards a broken music box with his life while complaining that he never gets any visitors; a young woman in a coma whose husband hasn’t left her side in months; a little girl who laments over a friend she was never able to say goodbye to after growing ill… The Boy slowly begins to realize that his neighbors are plagued by secrets and struggles that are mysteriously tied to the strange hospital.
FEATURES
– Heartwarming and character-rich story.
– A unique non-combat adventure that mixes whimsical dungeons, eerie room escape puzzles, and dialogue-based mysteries that are intricately tied to the story.
– Walk a mile in everyone’s shoes as you traverse each character’s life to learn about their unfinished business and help them through it.
– An original soundtrack featuring multiple vocal songs that are closely tied to each character.
– Collect items and build friendships to gradually make the hospital a better place.
– Go on humorous quests for strange creatures in the fantasy world.
‘Rakuen’ is a Japanese word that translates to ‘pleasure garden’ or ‘paradise’, and tying that with the premise of the game, we’re already getting a little bit misty eyed.
Rakuen’s Switch port doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s hopefully coming sometime this year. Perhaps in the winter when we’re feeling a bit sorry for ourselves and need a good laugh, cry, and hug?
Have you played Rakuen on Steam? Are you a fan of Shigihara’s music? Let us know in the comments!
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