To the Moon
Developer: Freebird Games
Platforms: PC
In at nutshell:
Adventure/Visual Novel game with a well written story and a great soundtrack.
Story:
The story premise of To the Moon is that you're a company that can grant any wish to a dying person, simply by altering their memories and changing how they think they've lived their lives. The catch is that when the process is complete they will die. The plot is centered around the patient Johnny, whose wish is to go to the moon. He doesn't know why he wants to do this, but you set out to fulfill his wish by traveling through his memories backwards to get to his childhood and set the events in motion.
The story of To the Moon is definitely one of it's strong points. You really get into it and you want to learn all about the events that happen in Johnny's life. The finale is a bit of a shocker, but some parts of the plot are a tad predictable. It's difficult to get into the details of the plot in-depth without spoiling too much, so I'll say that the main reason you want to keep playing and finish this game is because of the story.
Game play:
The actual game play segments of To the Moon are very basic. In each memory you're given the task of finding 5 objects that are keys to unlocking the memento that will allow you to make the next memory jump. These objects are easy to find since the mouse cursor will change into a magnifying glass on mouse over. Once you unlock the memento you then solve a simple picture puzzle to "prepare" the object to be used to make the jump. The number of moves you make is tracked and the minimum number of moves is shown, but it's not necessary to complete the puzzle in the allotted number of moves. The game play serves mostly as a means to move to the next plot element and it takes a backseat to the narrative.
Sound:
Music is definitely the other strong aspect of To the Moon. The piano pieces all fit perfectly with the mood of the game and enhance the story. Playing through the game I found the music evoking emotion from me with the right timing in terms of what was happening in the story. Laura Shigihara of Plants vs Zombies fame also lends her vocal talents to a few of the pieces as well, strengthening an already impressive score. Sound effects were fitting and helped with immersion as well, especially the hum of the machinery used to alter the memories.
Bottom Line:
Play this for the story.
