To The Moon

Nice 4-5 hours long, touchy-feely story, with a side of humor. Cons: close to nonexistent game mechanics, boring and easy puzzles, very low resolution, can't easily full-screen. Rating: two origami bunnies with a dash of madness. Recommendation: if you're into visual novels, don't let the "Cons" dissuade you. https://pixelloot.com

I have never been moved by a video game in the way To the Moon did. The story, while simple, has some of the best writing I have ever seen in a video game. It is captivating, engaging, and moving in ways that are rare in any media these days, let alone video games. And to top it all off, the dialog is natural; it feels like something people would actually say. The soundtrack is also simple, but it fits the mood and story seamlessly. The graphics are primitive 16-bit era affairs with a few hand-drawn still frames, but they actually enhance the story considerably, i.e. the story is not lost in the uncanny valley. The game play is rather lacking, but to be honest anything more than what is present would also detract from the story, considerably. It is also short, clocking in at 4-5 hours or so. All-in-all To the Moon is a great game. Well worth the money and time.

This would be that game. It's difficult to explain just how touching and wonderful this game is but I'd recommend it to anybody whose looking for an interesting journey.

Most reviews I've seen say things like "best story in a video game". I'd go a step further: this is one of the best, most heartfelt stories I've experienced in any medium. If this were a movie, I'd watch it over and over again. Gameplay is admittedly minimal, but it's just enough to be engaging. Apart from a few technical issues, this game is unbelievably amazing.

Never expected a 16-bit game to deliver such a moving story. I hope to see more from the developer.