Stray Children: Everything We Know

Onion Games, the creator of Super Mario RPG, has lifted the veil on its latest project—a “bittersweet fairytale RPG” called Stray Children. As it turns out, fans of the studio can expect to see the latest IP in the developer’s portfolio at some point before year’s end. The only downside to the game coming out this early is that players outside of Japan will have to wait for a further announcement, as it has yet to receive a global release date. One point to Japan, then.

At the time of writing, there isn’t a whole lot to go on, so we’re still rummaging around in the dark in some ways. Having said that, we do know just enough to compile a thread of details for those who are keen to dive into the next chapter in Onion Games’ timeline. Care to read on? Here’s everything you need to know about Stray Children.

What Is Stray Children?

From what we’ve caught so far, Stray Children will be something of a love letter to classic RPGs—a script that will tie in with a series of hearty characters, biomes, and morals. Its story, although still shrouded in a certain amount of mystery, will take players on an epic adventure through a realm that’s “made up entirely of children.” That isn’t a whole lot to go on, but it seems the bulk of the game will revolve around a coming-of-age tale—an episode that’ll follow a young child through a tapestry of trials and tribulations.

As it currently stands, Stray Children will only be available in Japan as a Switch exclusive. Don’t fret, though — developer Onion Games has made it clear that there are plans to localize it at a later date. As for when that will come to pass is still, rather frustratingly, anybody’s guess.

Story

It isn’t much, but according to Onion Games, “one day, a young boy is sucked into a TV set and awakens to find himself in a land made up entirely of children.” From the sounds of it, this is where your journey will begin—bound for a destination that’s evidently unknown to the player. As for where your feet will take you en route to this final destination is unclear, but judging from the in-game screenshots, there’ll be numerous characters and obstacles to interact with along the way.

Gameplay

Onion Games may have teased a slew of in-game screenshots as part of its initial announcement, but that hasn’t exactly helped us locate a clearer understanding of what the game will even be, let alone how it will even play. That said, we know for a fact that it’ll be a classic RPG—so there’s a strong chance that it’ll feature plenty of dialogue, exploration, world-building, and lore.

What interests us here is the “strange and dangerous wonderland” that the elevator pitch refers to. Granted, it doesn’t give much away, but from the sounds of it, there’ll be a set amount of combat in addition to the core exploration and platforming elements. But again, who knows? If we’re lucky, then Onion Games will take the opportunity to shed a little extra light on the matter at some point over the next few months. And if not, then hey — at least we’ll have the Japanese version to gloss over.

Development

Stray Children was first brought to light as part of the Nintendo Direct event in Japan earlier this month. According to the devs, Onion Games, “work is still heavily underway on the game and its localization,” which means we could still be a little ways off from seeing it arrive in the west. That isn’t to say it won’t release sooner in Japan, though, as the studio made clear during the teaser trailer at Nintendo Direct. Going by what was said, fans based in Japan will have full access to the title at some point “this winter.”

For those who’ve yet to experience any of the projects in Onion Games’ portfolio, the firm has been responsible for the likes of Little King’s Story, Chulip, Rule of Rose, and not to mention Super Mario RPG. So, hardly a new fish, all things considered. You can keep tabs on the studio’s latest IP by subscribing to the newsletter here. Alternatively, you can brush up on the development diaries here.

Trailer

Thanks to the Nintendo Direct stream that aired earlier this week, we do have a small amount of gameplay footage to share. You can check it out for yourself in the trailer embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Unfortunately, Stray Children will be launching in Japan first, and then the rest of the world at a later, unannounced date. According to the devs, it’ll be arriving on Nintendo Switch at some stage this winter, which technically slots it somewhere between December and February of 2024. But as for when it’ll release on a global scale is still unknown.

As far as launch editions go, Stray Children will launch with just the one, which will be available both physically and digitally via the Nintendo eShop. You can’t get your hands on a pre-order just yet, but there’s bound to be an update on the matter at some point over the next several weeks.

If you’re interested in staying up to date with Onion Games’ Stray Children, then be sure to check in with the team’s official social handle for all the latest updates here. If we happen to catch anything even the slightest bit noteworthy ahead of its global release, we’ll be sure to spill all the details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Stray Children when it releases on Nintendo Switch? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.