TNOG was first conceived as a game to be made with Game Maker, utilizing a "platform" engine in the classic "Mario" style with a few RPG elements added on, thus evoking the classic genre that was pioneered with "Dark709's Comics: The Movie: The Game". However, that idea was then scrapped when Turaga Dlakii introduced Kahinuva to the SNES cult-classic game Earthbound, also known as Mother 2. Quickly becoming a fan of the game's trademarked tongue-in-cheek humor, Kahi decided to turn the whole project around to becoming a RPG made with RPG Maker, using Earthbound as inspiration for the game's overall interface.