To the moon is what happens when someone makes a story entirely out of melodrama. Literally. Every single "sad" moment is rinsed for the maximum amount of screentime, every single word and sentence is not written but calculated, and every single character seems to be tailored towards their most tragic flaws to exploit the audience's emotion. The game beat me over the head with so much melodrama and "sad" moments that the only way it could try to force me to cry more is if it tried to beat me in real life.

Yet, for all the melodrama, I didn't cry once. At the end of the day, after all, what reason did I have to cry for the characters when I could barely remember their names? Every character is stuffed to the brim with overused tropes, shallow personalities, laughably amateur dialogue, and incredibly simplistic motivations. I had no way of emphasizing with any character in this game when none of them were written well enough for me to care about and connect to. In fact, none of them were even written well enough to resemble a living, breathing person. And with no gameplay to speak of, the only action one can take to advance the game boils down to reading countless lines of sterile, uninspired dialogue.

An amazing emotional game. Aim to play in 1 or 2 sittings when you feel ready to get emotionally invested in a story. Listening to "For River" still brings a tear to my eye 12 years later
Narrative: 5
Gameplay: 2.5
Visuals: 2 (it's an RPG Maker game with little personalization)
X-Factor: 3.5
Bonus: +0.5 great soundtrack
Overall: 3.75 (4.0 stars)

Probably one of the best story games I have ever played. It has an almost RPG maker feel to it, but the music and tone are phenominal.

I would recomend this to anyone who is okay with the idea of minimal gameplay, but high levels of story telling.

It really is an incredibly special game.

as an indie rpg fan since my youth, to the moon was a game i had been hearing about for years. saw people saying they cried rivers at it. and yet for whatever reason despite my very big interest in such games and to the moon being a fairly popular one i didn't touch it whatsoever. and then one very nice evening on december 7th 2022, sick and bored, i decided to binge this game thinking nothing much of it. its prime had passed, and i was sure i wouldn't be that affected by it.
oh boy was i wrong and oh boy did that ending make me bawl uncontrollably

I’m gonna be honest, this game didn’t get me even close to crying, but I still kinda like it. It’s probably because the concept of the plot fascinates me to no end, and there’s a decent amount of detail in both the environments and writing that reward you for paying attention. The banter between Neil and Eva can definitely border on annoying, but I like the vibe they give off of coworkers who have gotten so used to the routine of their jobs that they’ll do anything to make it more interesting. They also prevent the game from getting too dramatic for its own good so I’m grateful for that.

Definitely a recommend from me, but personally the sequels hit much harder.

To The Moon is an indie game focused on telling a story that makes us reflect on our lives. Its simple gameplay allows anyone to have the same experience.

The game tells the story of two "scientists" working for a company dedicated to fulfilling the last wishes of dying clients. One day, these two set out to attend to an unconscious old man in his final days but are unable to fulfill their task until they understand why he desires his wish so strongly.

To accomplish their job, the scientists must use their machine to explore the old man's life, allowing the player to connect with the story and experience emotional moments.

I won't reveal too much, but this game made me contemplate my life and my relationships. It was the perfect game for me when I was seeking this perspective.

The gameplay is very simple. You just have to walk through different locations and solve easy puzzles. It's clear that the developers focused on the storyline and kept the gameplay simple. I don't see it as a negative aspect since their objective wasn't to have complex mechanics. In the end, they did what was necessary to provide players with a good experience.

The visuals are quite good. They have a nostalgic feel reminiscent of old games with some upgrades. Again, their objective wasn't to create something entirely unique, but the characters are expressive, and the locations are well-crafted.

To The Moon is one of those games developed to make you contemplate your life. If you enjoy this type of game, I highly recommend playing To The Moon.