I’m a simple girl. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to get me excited about a game. All it takes is a compelling hook or a gimmick and I’m in. Kitsune Tails offers exactly that. It is a title that is essentially the original Super Mario Bros Adventure if they had a yuri love triangle. They did. They finally put lesbians in Mario. For this reason, Kitsune Trails is our Queer Game of the Month for August 2024.

You are a kitsune named Yuzu. A fox messenger is sent on a journey when her best human friend is seemingly kidnapped by her other best fox friend named Kiri. Horror! Suddenly you find yourself traveling across the lands capturing a series of elemental spirits across five worlds in order to free your best friend from captivity. Admittedly, that’s a paper-thin premise to motivate you to start your adventure. But the same goes for Super Mario Bros. 3, although that doesn’t have the benefit of lesbian fox girls! Take that, beloved Italian plumber.

Kitsune Tails’ queer adventure is incredibly sensitive, quaint, and endearing. You experience a typical classic Mario platformer, similar even down to the blocks you smash into and the abilities you gain. There’s a classic “your princess is in another castle” style cutscene at the end of a certain world, where you can fight element-giving sages or clash with Kiri. As the game progresses, you learn more about the intentions of your best friend turned enemy, a secret she’s searching for the right words to tell you.

This escalates when you complete the game’s five chapters and think it’s over, but then… surprise! You’re now playing the same five worlds and experiencing their perspective. You learn of Kiri’s intense crush on the unsuspecting Yuzu. The same Yuzu who has never really thought about romantic relationships. You witness that this is all just a big misunderstanding. You pray that these two crazy kids can sort it out.