To the Moon

You don’t always have the chance to right the wrongs of the past. “To the Moon” was not only a journey through Johnny’s dreams and memories, but also a journey for us to revisit a game that our attitudes were perhaps too harsh towards the past. To the Moon, to the Moon is out now. In the Switch digital store, and here we get our hands on it again, this time with advice for any gamer who loves narrative experiences: this is a must-have game.

The Process of Reviewing

The process of reviewing a game like this was and is a difficult affair for critics and media as it initially involved controversy over the concept of the video game, as the game doesn’t have much to offer from a gameplay perspective, and that is the case the perspective from which we viewed the game in the past, when it “Gao developed it and released it in the RPG Maker program to make it very popular among a certain category of gamers (this version of the game is based on the Unity Engine)”, but the perspective from which we look at the game today is different and reflects the different mindset of those years: the developer wanted to use video games as a medium to tell a story, as a medium to create an experience where the player only interacts with narrative events. That’s his decision, and we need to look at the game and evaluate it based on what it offers, not what the game doesn’t try to offer.

Evaluating Storytelling

Another controversial question is how to assess the level of storytelling in the game. In fact, this is an old historical debate. Great authors and writers have often directed their criticism at works that do not offer the highest possible level of linguistic eloquence. Again, we do not believe that the level of language and writing are the only factors in properly evaluating a story, and perhaps that is what many authors overlook. Some authors and storytellers have a divine talent for creating a unique narrative plot or instilling emotions in people’s hearts or creating attractive characters. And how to develop them without language necessarily being a strength, and that applies to our game “To the Moon” because it’s not a literary game to speak, but it’s a high quality story.

The Journey Begins

The events of the game take place from the perspective of experts Neil Watts and Eva Rosalyn from the Sigmund company, who have a device that can delve into people’s memories. Old Johnny requests the services of this company as he lies on his deathbed to fulfill his wishes When “Johnny” makes his final wish by delving into his mind to create new memories and dreams that he has in his Fantasy sees, before leaving this world, he has a very strange and mysterious desire. He wants to go to the moon, but why? Even Johnny doesn’t know the answer to this question and so Neil and Eva begin a journey into the depths of John’s memories from old age to all phases of his adult life. Maybe they’ll find Johnny’s true motive and his mysterious desire to go home to Moon.

The Focused Storytelling

The Canadian “Kan Gao” is characterized by the fact that he tells his story in a very focused manner. There is no world building and there is not much detail for the supporting characters. The story focuses entirely on “John’s” memories and the exploration of his life step by step, traveling back in time through these memories to… arrive at the truth of his inner desires, the source of which even he does not know! There are new memories in every part. The player, along with Neil Watts and Eva Rosalyn, discovers small new details about the lives of John and his beloved and late wife River. The game builds emotional moments between John and River, especially with the sweet piano music that evokes wonderful feelings that touch players’ hearts.

Creating Contrast

The game also excels at creating contrast between its characters, and we see that this contrast did a lot to create dynamic, entertaining conversations between characters. Dr. Neil Watts, for example, is a sensitive person who may seem a bit rude or rude. He also has a bit of humor. A sense of humor, but his partner “Eva Rosaline” is the exact opposite. She is calm, balanced and stoic. This also applies to the simple-minded John and his deep and eccentric wife River. The author brilliantly manages to keep the attention on his characters at all times until he reaches the final and essential revelation in the final moments.

A Unique Experience

Fans of games and poetic stories about love, regret, desire and dreams will find a unique experience in the coherence and simple, direct and effective way of telling the story in a spontaneous style free from stagnation. Maybe the icing on the cake The icing on the cake was, above all, the extremely wonderful music. Beautiful piano melodies like “To the River” are full of sweetness and will in turn send players flying to the moon! But does that mean the experiment went smoothly? Okay, no. For example, it bothered us a little that the game didn’t have a button to run or walk faster, and we also wished that the game had provided more information about the supporting characters, or even given a larger age value, than It is an experience that you will be over within a few hours and you will no longer have a reason to come back. Furthermore, there is no voice acting whatsoever.

A Medium for Storytelling

“To the Moon” is another vivid example of how video games do not necessarily have to involve a challenge and competition between two parties with movement and action elements, but rather that they can be used as an interactive medium to tell the story and that they are something Being able to create the emotional connection with the characters is even in some ways an easy introduction, since the emotions in the game are sincere and strong, capable of producing the desired effect. To the Moon takes the player on a breathtaking journey into the memories of a dying person in order to fulfill his last wish. Are you ready to dive into dreams?

Review Information

The game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch with a copy provided by the publisher before the game was released.