“The Moon Over the Mountain” is a rewritten interpretation of the classic story “The Tiger-Poet” by Japanese author Atsushi Nakajima , telling the tragic tale of Li Zheng , a scholar of the Tang dynasty who transforms into a tiger amidst inner conflict and despair. This work presents a new Chinese retranslation of the original text, adapted into a visual novel , aiming to provide a smoother and more resonant reading experience for modern readers. The game is a single-route visual novel in NVL mode , featuring simple visuals and minimal music , focusing purely on the text and emotion of the story. Average playtime is about 15 minutes . Below are excerpts from the translated text: “He had all but lost hope in his own poetry.” “Death came to my mind at once.” “I feared I was not a gem and thus dared not polish myself with effort; yet half-believing that I was a gem, I also disdained to mingle with common stones.” “Now I can no longer live as a human. Even if I could compose brilliant poems in my mind, I can no longer present them to the world. Moreover, my heart is gradually turning into that of a tiger. What should I do? What will become of the life I have wasted? I can’t hold on any longer.” “So I climbed to the peak of a mountain and roared into the empty valley, wishing to let others hear this burning sorrow. Last night I roared at the moon, hoping someone might understand this anguish. But the beasts only trembled at the tiger’s cry; the mountains, trees, moon, and dew all took it for the howl of a maddened creature.” “Even if I roar and lament to the heavens, no one will ever understand my heart—just as no one did when I was still human.” “Soon I shall sink again into drunkenness and become a tiger once more. The moment of parting has come.”
