With the indie market seemingly saturated with options it is difficult to find titles that are truly worth your hard earned moolah and precious time. Well, look no further because this is a must-play game. Freebird Games the developers behind this masterpiece describe this unassuming game as an Indie RPG/adventure game. To the Moon is a short yet powerful PC game with humour and tear-jerking moments combined with quick puzzles, and it delivers a memorable journey that will stay with you for a very long time.
The premise revolves around two scientists, Dr Eva Rosalene and Dr Neil Watts, whose job it is to grant dying patients one final wish that will be carried out only as an artificial memory. In order to do so they must delve into the persons past so that their last memory will be done as authentically and realistically as possible. The tale is set specifically around one patient called Johnny. Johnny’s dying wish is to go to the moon. And so the player is taken on a linear path down Johnny’s memories from his current old age to around 8 years old, following the scientists quest to discover why Johnny wants to go to the moon.
Gameplay is structured so that as a memory is revealed, a puzzle must be solved so the scientists can jump to the next chapter of Johnny’s life and string his memories together. They are easy to solve but the puzzles aren’t the reason to play this game. The story is beautifully written and the level of complexity in the characters is a joy to discover. The soundtrack is sincere and complements the game with simple melodies.
What makes this game so brilliant is the perfect balance between the humorous banter between Rosalene & Watts and the often more serious, deep-felt sappy scenes. The game itself explores human themes such as death, the illness of a loved one, selfishness and relationships, which raise morale dilemmas throughout. The strong themes make the player reminisce on personal aspects of their own lives as we ask ourselves the elusive, “What if I had done that differently?”
I have never been so moved and emotionally invested in a game before. Few games have brought emotion to the surface for me and this is the first one to bring me to tears with it. I love the fact, gaming as a medium is fairly untested when it comes to telling this kind of story. It is exciting to see what comes next from Freebird Games. The game is great value at $12 USD. Half of the money earned from sales go to charities dealing with autism so it would be a heartless crime to let this game slip by. Don’t let the old school graphics deter you or the basic gameplay put you off, this is a rare gem of a game that like going to the moon should never be missed.
To The Moon is available on PC at http://freebirdgames.com/to_the_moon/
[…] picking up any of these Bethesda soundtracks? Are there any other soundtracks you recommend such as To The Moon or Bastion?  Let Daniel know on his Twitter: […]
[…] are only a few games that have brought friends of mine close to tears. The Walking Dead, To The Moon and Bastion have all come highly recommended to me as games that pull on the heart strings. […]