It probably helped that I had just seen Memento prior to playing To the Moon. The idea of using reverse-time travel to explore a person's memories is an interesting concept, though perhaps not entirely accurate to the game. What we have instead of time travel is memory travel, done through some sci-fi tech with logic so inane I could waste time poking holes in it.
But To the Moon isn't about the specifics, at least not until an ill-fated third act springs up, but more on that later. No, for most of its run, To the Moon treats its premise as something commonplace, using it to spring forward a melodramatic tale of two scientists working to change a dying man's memories so that he can fulfill his wish of going to the moon.
During this initial exploration, To the Moon succeeds largely on the strength of its script. As the scientists Eva and Neil progress deeper and deeper into the psyche of the dying Johnny Wyles, pieces of a heartbreaking story involving love and loss are slowly unveiled to the players. Fans of the movie Blue Valentine may delight in seeing a similar realistic take on a contemporary romantic relationship, this one focusing on Wyles and his late wife River. Many questions and mysteries arise during this journey that players will have to uncover the truth to, including why River was obsessed with making paper bunny rabbits, why she carries a platypus plushie around, and of course why Johnny himself wants to fulfill the eponymous title.
I mentioned a flawed third act earlier, and it is definitely a disappointing addition that almost killed the game's narrative for me. One of the problems with To the Moon, insofar as it relates to gaming, is that it does not contain much actual gameplay. Sure you control the character's movements, but the only real gameplay in it is a Concentration-inspired minigame that you have to do to progress to the next memory stage. Some will see this as disappointing, but as a fan of so-called "walking simulators" like Gone Home, I personally had no problem with it.
Unfortunately, in the third act someone at Freebird Games evidently thought they needed to throw something in there to make To the Moon more like a conventional video game, thus leading to one of the worst third acts I have ever experienced. Not only does the gameplay consist of mediocre ripoffs of Metroidvania shooters, but it also kills the pacing and story. One of the characters (Eva) betrays everything they've been portrayed as up to that point, and the worst part is none of it makes sense when you think about it. If you recall earlier in my review, I pointed out how if you were to logically think about the technological backstory of the game, it would fall apart, thus making it a smart decision that the writer avoid delving into it. In the 3rd act, it is brought to the forefront of the game, forcing me to analyze it and find just how illogical the whole drama is.
Another issue I had is why is Autism treated as something taboo to the point that they have to hide it? If the game takes place in the far future, surely this is a condition that can be openly talked about? Hell, even when the game came out in 2011 Autism was openly discussed. And I say the far future due to the characters using groundbreaking technology and treating Animorphs as a thing of a long lost childhood.
I understand the low budget the team was working with, but one inherent problem with To the Moon is that, by using 16-bit graphics, character emotions are not convincingly conveyed. Voice acting could very well have made up for this, but even that is missing. That being said, I would be lying if I said the artists didn’t make the most of things- no detail is spared, whether it’s interiors or even seemingly-generic exteriors like the woods. And I was genuinely surprised by how many facial expressions they were able to convey with the sprite models.
Much has been made about the music score, and it is definitely solid, though I personally think a few more tracks could’ve been fitted in.
Sigmund Minisode 1- I played the two minisodes long after I had completed the main game, so I fully expected to be partially lost in doing them. And yet, color me surprised when I found the story and characters coming back to me without hard exposition by the writers. It’s a testament to the strength of the original’s narrative, and I was appreciative that they worked with subtle nods and references over blatant explanations.
The bulk of the gameplay here involves an old-school, Pac-Man-esque adventure game created by Neil, and it’s honestly well-done. It reminded me a lot of the Fire & Sword minigame in Observer, and is proof that Freebird could venture into other computer game genres if they choose.
The story, as a whole, serves as a nice epilogue to To the Moon, addressing some of the more ethical questions with the mnemonic premise, as well as the internal feelings/thoughts of the characters themselves about everything, that weren’t addressed in the main game.
That being said, here the art design somewhat faltered- you get to explore the interior of the Sigmund company building, and yet there isn’t much personalization between all the different offices and lobby- it’s pretty standard corporate greyscale. Alongside this, the music is completely rehashed, albeit in a different key.
Lasts about 1 hour.
Sigmund Minisode 2 is not tied to the previous two and serves more as a lead-up to A Bird Story. It sets-up some interesting, mysterious things that will undoubtedly be resolved/answered in the sequel, though the build-up/cliffhanger might be seen as annoying to anyone who wanted another standalone follow-up to To the Moon ala the first Minisode.
Because it’s only 30-45 minutes long, I can’t talk too much about the story without spoiling things, but it involves everyone trying to leave work to celebrate Christmas. There are more character moments here, and though Neil comes off as annoying more often than not, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find the overall product enjoyable.
NOTE- I experienced massive lag whenever dialogue bubbles popped up during the two minisodes. Watching them on YouTube reveals this to be a personal problem, though I assure you my computer is more than capable of running To the Moon, making me wonder what the issue is.
So, on its own To the Moon only gives 4 hours worth of playtime. However, when you combine it with the two Minisodes, it took me 5 hours to beat, which makes it just worth purchasing per my $1 : 30 minutes ratio. While I do have significant problems with the third act of the main game, as well as the lack of voice acting, the overall product tells a solid enough story to make it worth playing.
But To the Moon isn't about the specifics, at least not until an ill-fated third act springs up, but more on that later. No, for most of its run, To the Moon treats its premise as something commonplace, using it to spring forward a melodramatic tale of two scientists working to change a dying man's memories so that he can fulfill his wish of going to the moon.
During this initial exploration, To the Moon succeeds largely on the strength of its script. As the scientists Eva and Neil progress deeper and deeper into the psyche of the dying Johnny Wyles, pieces of a heartbreaking story involving love and loss are slowly unveiled to the players. Fans of the movie Blue Valentine may delight in seeing a similar realistic take on a contemporary romantic relationship, this one focusing on Wyles and his late wife River. Many questions and mysteries arise during this journey that players will have to uncover the truth to, including why River was obsessed with making paper bunny rabbits, why she carries a platypus plushie around, and of course why Johnny himself wants to fulfill the eponymous title.
I mentioned a flawed third act earlier, and it is definitely a disappointing addition that almost killed the game's narrative for me. One of the problems with To the Moon, insofar as it relates to gaming, is that it does not contain much actual gameplay. Sure you control the character's movements, but the only real gameplay in it is a Concentration-inspired minigame that you have to do to progress to the next memory stage. Some will see this as disappointing, but as a fan of so-called "walking simulators" like Gone Home, I personally had no problem with it.
Unfortunately, in the third act someone at Freebird Games evidently thought they needed to throw something in there to make To the Moon more like a conventional video game, thus leading to one of the worst third acts I have ever experienced. Not only does the gameplay consist of mediocre ripoffs of Metroidvania shooters, but it also kills the pacing and story. One of the characters (Eva) betrays everything they've been portrayed as up to that point, and the worst part is none of it makes sense when you think about it. If you recall earlier in my review, I pointed out how if you were to logically think about the technological backstory of the game, it would fall apart, thus making it a smart decision that the writer avoid delving into it. In the 3rd act, it is brought to the forefront of the game, forcing me to analyze it and find just how illogical the whole drama is.
Another issue I had is why is Autism treated as something taboo to the point that they have to hide it? If the game takes place in the far future, surely this is a condition that can be openly talked about? Hell, even when the game came out in 2011 Autism was openly discussed. And I say the far future due to the characters using groundbreaking technology and treating Animorphs as a thing of a long lost childhood.
I understand the low budget the team was working with, but one inherent problem with To the Moon is that, by using 16-bit graphics, character emotions are not convincingly conveyed. Voice acting could very well have made up for this, but even that is missing. That being said, I would be lying if I said the artists didn’t make the most of things- no detail is spared, whether it’s interiors or even seemingly-generic exteriors like the woods. And I was genuinely surprised by how many facial expressions they were able to convey with the sprite models.
Much has been made about the music score, and it is definitely solid, though I personally think a few more tracks could’ve been fitted in.
Sigmund Minisode 1- I played the two minisodes long after I had completed the main game, so I fully expected to be partially lost in doing them. And yet, color me surprised when I found the story and characters coming back to me without hard exposition by the writers. It’s a testament to the strength of the original’s narrative, and I was appreciative that they worked with subtle nods and references over blatant explanations.
The bulk of the gameplay here involves an old-school, Pac-Man-esque adventure game created by Neil, and it’s honestly well-done. It reminded me a lot of the Fire & Sword minigame in Observer, and is proof that Freebird could venture into other computer game genres if they choose.
The story, as a whole, serves as a nice epilogue to To the Moon, addressing some of the more ethical questions with the mnemonic premise, as well as the internal feelings/thoughts of the characters themselves about everything, that weren’t addressed in the main game.
That being said, here the art design somewhat faltered- you get to explore the interior of the Sigmund company building, and yet there isn’t much personalization between all the different offices and lobby- it’s pretty standard corporate greyscale. Alongside this, the music is completely rehashed, albeit in a different key.
Lasts about 1 hour.
Sigmund Minisode 2 is not tied to the previous two and serves more as a lead-up to A Bird Story. It sets-up some interesting, mysterious things that will undoubtedly be resolved/answered in the sequel, though the build-up/cliffhanger might be seen as annoying to anyone who wanted another standalone follow-up to To the Moon ala the first Minisode.
Because it’s only 30-45 minutes long, I can’t talk too much about the story without spoiling things, but it involves everyone trying to leave work to celebrate Christmas. There are more character moments here, and though Neil comes off as annoying more often than not, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find the overall product enjoyable.
NOTE- I experienced massive lag whenever dialogue bubbles popped up during the two minisodes. Watching them on YouTube reveals this to be a personal problem, though I assure you my computer is more than capable of running To the Moon, making me wonder what the issue is.
So, on its own To the Moon only gives 4 hours worth of playtime. However, when you combine it with the two Minisodes, it took me 5 hours to beat, which makes it just worth purchasing per my $1 : 30 minutes ratio. While I do have significant problems with the third act of the main game, as well as the lack of voice acting, the overall product tells a solid enough story to make it worth playing.