To the Moon (new indie game)

[TheWerebison]

Okay, I'm giving you the TL;DR version right now, which is: Buy this game.

Where to begin...well, I guess I'll put in the brief "story" of the game.

"Dr. Rosalene and Dr. Watts have peculiar jobs: They give people another chance to live, all the way from the very beginning... but only in their patients' heads.

Due to the severity of the operation, the new life becomes the last thing the patients remember before drawing their last breath. Thus, the operation is only done to people on their deathbeds, to fulfill what they wish they had done with their lives, but didn’t.

This particular story follows their attempt to fulfill the dream of an elderly man, Johnny. With each step back in time, a new fragment of Johnny's past is revealed. As the two doctors piece together the puzzled events that spanned a life time, they seek to find out just why the frail old man chose his dying wish to be what it is.

And Johnny's last wish is, of course... to go to the moon."

Basically what this game is is a story-driven game with a few RPG and puzzle elements thrown in. The RPG stuff is standard fare, talking to people, finding objects. And the puzzles are very basic. Make no mistake, the big draw here is the story.

The story is...great. It just is. It is sad, tender, bittersweet, funny, heartwarming...fuck that, heartmelting, creepy, suspenseful, and triumphant. And unlike another story-driven game, Dear Esther, it makes sense. I guess Dear Esther made sense, too, but it was just a little TOO deep, if you get my drift. And, as I've already pointed out, in this game, you can actually interact with stuff.

The music is absolutely breathtaking. It does exactly what music is supposed to do in a video game. There were whimsical, light-hearted tunes for the funnier moments. The bittersweet songs made me tear up. There were times when a darker theme was introduced, and I could feel myself get a little bit more on edge, and pay attention, because I knew something truly important was happening. And every piece is just absolutely gorgeous. Apparently they are selling their soundtrack, and 50% of the proceeds are going to charity.

The game is somewhat short, only 4 hours long for my playthrough, but it is so worth it. The value of those 4 hours really stood out. While I could barely bring myself to finish the ONE hour of Dear Esther, I felt compelled to play this through to the end. It is that gripping.

It's available right now on Steam for $8, but I gladly would have paid the $2 extra for the non-discounted fee. This game is a masterpiece, in my opinion. If you like story-driven games, you owe it to yourself to pick this up. It appears that this was just Episode 1, as well, so, god willing, we will see more of these, and I tell you, I cannot wait.

[Deleted]

Hm maybe shall give it a shot then, was interested when I saw it first but did not really felt so interested because I thought it was some kind of pokemon/final fantasy combat(just not in the mood for it) for whatever reason. Was planning to re-read any Type-moon VN instead since I just wanted some interactive story but I will give this a shot instead

[TheWerebison]

Hm maybe shall give it a shot then, was interested when I saw it first but did not really felt so interested because I thought it was some kind of pokemon/final fantasy combat(just not in the mood for it) for whatever reason. Was planning to re-read any Type-moon VN instead since I just wanted some interactive story but I will give this a shot instead

Yeah, there's actually no combat in the game, it's all about telling a beautiful story. There IS a screenshot of 3 people lined up in old FF style, with health and mana bars at the bottom, but...you'll see what that actually is when you play the game. :P

[Deleted]

I'm afraid new can't be used for this game it's almost a year old now. You might want to rename new on steam.

OT:
One of the best games i have ever played and definitely worth giving a shot.
The story is amazing, i generally dislike love stories but this is simply beyond... it makes you feel, it makes you cry, it makes you think.

[philefluxx]

Definitely caught my eye, might end up picking it up when the price drops a bit. I dont see a huge amount of reply value since its really all about the story.

[TheWerebison]

I'm afraid new can't be used for this game it's almost a year old now. You might want to rename new on steam.

OT:
One of the best games i have ever played and definitely worth giving a shot.
The story is amazing, i generally dislike love stories but this is simply beyond... it makes you feel, it makes you cry, it makes you think.

Ah, well, I don't have time nor inclination for research!

[Libram]

Looks sad... I don't think I want to

[vizzle]

I played the game with Pewdiepie, don't need to buy it myself

[TheWerebison]

Looks sad... I don't think I want to

It is sad, at times, there's some painful memories...but there's also joy and triumph. And there's a...a...through-line of humor put in, so that it isn't all mopey. The two scientists have tons of banter between themselves.

---------- Post added 2012-09-11 at 05:20 AM ----------

I played the game with Pewdiepie, don't need to buy it myself

Buy it anyway! Help them get more of these out!