I still remember the night I discovered Moon Princess Slot. It was during a brownout in our Quezon City neighborhood—the third that week because someone apparently forgot to pay the electric bill for our entire street again. There I was, hiding at Starbucks to escape my Tita Malou’s latest matchmaking attempt with her accountant’s “very eligible” son (spoiler alert: he collected toenail clippings as a hobby), when my phone buzzed with a message from my college roommate, Jen.
“Try this game. Trust me, it’s more entertaining than whatever mama’s boy your tita is forcing on you tonight,” she texted, followed by a link to Moon Princess Slot. Desperate for any excuse to extend my coffee shop sanctuary and delay the inevitable awkward dinner, I clicked the link. Little did I know that those three magical anime princesses would not only save me from a date with Toenail Guy but would also become my late-night companions through many Manila traffic jams, boring family reunions, and even one particularly long wake where the deceased’s family inexplicably hired a stand-up comedian.
The moment the game loaded on my ancient iPhone (which has survived three drops in Pasig River, don’t ask), I was immediately transported away from the noisy Manila coffee shop into a world that looked like all the anime shows my younger brother binge-watches. Three gorgeous princesses glowed on my screen, each with hair colors that reminded me of the halo-halo ingredients at my favorite Razon’s branch. The background music was oddly soothing—like what you’d hear at those fancy spas in BGC that I can only afford to visit when my tita gives me gift certificates for Christmas.
As someone who grew up watching Princess Sarah and Sailor Moon reruns on GMA, the anime-style characters instantly appealed to me. I won’t lie—my first reaction was, “Ay, ang cute naman!” loud enough that the Korean tourist at the next table looked up from his laptop. I quickly turned down my volume and dived into what would become my guilty pleasure for the next two years.
After playing for about 20 minutes (and completely ghosting Toenail Guy, who was apparently waiting at the restaurant my tita picked), I began to understand why this game has captured the hearts of so many Filipinos like me. Here’s what makes Moon Princess truly magical, beyond just its pretty face:
During last Christmas’ family reunion (the one where my Lola complained that my jeans had “too many intentional holes”), I discovered that three of my cousins also played Moon Princess. This led to us huddling in a corner comparing strategies while the rest of the family argued about politics. Our impromptu focus group revealed why this particular slot game has bewitched Filipino players:
After almost two years of intimate relationship with Moon Princess Slot—including one memorable 5-hour session during a delayed flight at NAIA Terminal 3 (which still departed earlier than my ability to stop playing)—I’ve developed some personal techniques. I won’t call them “strategies” because that implies more science than my superstition-based approach:
This gem came from my very Catholic Tita Mely who somehow sees no contradiction in asking this while holding a PCSO lotto ticket. I explained that I only play with what I can afford to lose, comparing it to her weekly lotto habit. She made the sign of the cross and then asked me which princess was the luckiest. (It’s Storm, Tita, but that’s between us.)
Asked by my entrepreneurial uncle who’s been trying to recruit me into his networking business for years. I was honest—sometimes I win, mostly I lose, but I spend less on Moon Princess monthly than he does on his “guaranteed return” supplements that are still sitting unsold in his garage. He stopped bringing up his business opportunities after that conversation.
My technophobe mother worries that games will somehow physically damage my phone, as if the princesses might escape the screen and scratch my camera lens. I assured her that Moon Princess is actually less demanding on my phone battery than her habit of opening seventeen Facebook tabs and never closing them. She still doesn’t believe me and insists I only play while my phone is plugged in—which I sometimes do just to humor her.
My cousin asked this while her 7-year-old was literally looking over my shoulder at the colorful princesses. I quickly explained that despite the cute anime appearance, it’s absolutely not for kids as it involves real money gambling. I then distracted the child by showing her actual age-appropriate games on my phone, while silently vowing to be more discreet with my adult entertainment choices at family gatherings.
Asked by my 86-year-old Lolo who struggles to understand digital concepts but is somehow still concerned about fictional characters’ love lives. I made up elaborate backstories for each princess that kept him entertained through dessert. Storm, according to my impromptu fanfiction, is happily single and focusing on her magical career, which made my feminist cousin give me a subtle thumbs up across the table.
I have to share the story that cemented my loyalty to Moon Princess, despite my accountant friend’s horror at my “recreational spending habits.” Last July, my aspin (native Filipino dog) Milo suddenly became ill on a Sunday night when all the affordable vets were closed. The only option was an expensive 24-hour animal hospital in Makati that required a deposit that was roughly equivalent to my remaining budget until payday.
Sitting in the clinic’s waiting area, with Milo looking miserable in his carrier, I desperately opened Moon Princess—not expecting much, just needing the distraction while I figured out who I could borrow money from at 11 PM on a Sunday. I had about 300 pesos left in my playing account, enough for maybe 30 spins at minimum bet.
On my 12th spin, I triggered the Princess Trinity feature where all three princesses activate in sequence. By the time the feature ended and the free spins concluded, my balance had increased to nearly 7,500 pesos—almost exactly what I needed for Milo’s treatment.
Was it coincidence? Probably. Divine intervention from the anime goddess? Perhaps. But in that moment, as I withdrew the funds and paid for my dog’s treatment, those three digital princesses felt more real and heroic than any actual people in my life. Milo recovered fully, and to this day, he perks up his ears whenever he hears the distinctive Moon Princess theme music from my phone. He’s either expressing gratitude or judging my gambling habits—with dogs, it’s hard to tell.
So if you see someone on the MRT frantically tapping their phone screen while grinning or grimacing dramatically, it might just be me and my three magical girlfriends—Love, Star, and Storm—trying to turn a mundane commute into a magical adventure. Just don’t tell my Tita Malou; she still thinks I’m interested in meeting Toenail Guy’s younger brother who, apparently, only collects fingernails.