To The Moon

Between this, 'The Walking Dead' and 'Spec Ops: The Line' I'm starting to think that 2012 will be remembered in gaming circles as the year that the medium definitively began to 'grow up' and embrace storytelling as a core tenant, not just something to string quests or explosive set-pieces together. I wouldn't dream of spoiling the story which is the whole raison d'etre for this work, suffice to say that if it was a licensed property it'd probably be 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: The Game'. Like so many other people I was emotionally gut-punched by this story to the point where even seeing the box art or listening to the music brings back bittersweet memories of the experience. The fact that something which is not voice acted, looks like a Megadrive era JRPG and clocks in at about 6 hours of play can have such an effect is nothing short of phenomenal. To be fair, yes; the 'interactivity' is minimal and seems designed more to keep players 'invested' in their sense of control of the characters than anything else; no-one is going to get an adrenaline rush from this one. That said I will say I was not once board or felt as if the game was wasting my time. Yes, the dialogue is of the 'click through' variety, but crucially it's *well* written (for an example of the same style done badly see any Japanese dating 'sim' ever). Oh, and even if you don't buy the game, buy the soundtrack. In a world where all was fair, this one should be getting a 'Soundtrack for Visual Media' Grammy.

I haven't finished the game and probably won't. I understand that the story and characters are supposed to be emotionally charged, but a couple of things were too much of a barrier for me, personally, to continue playing. I found the dialog (especially between the doctors) to be really juvenile and off-putting, and I found the actual gameplay to be boring and uncompelling. Rather than tears coming to my eyes, I found myself rolling my eyes. Maybe I'm just not in right demographic. At least I got it on sale...

It upsets me when people refer to this as a game. There is nothing 'game' about it. It's a story. Nothing more. You click to progress the story. You can't change the outcome. You can't change the plot. You just click to continue, over and over. As far as the story, it's ok. It's not my typical read though. Not going to get into doing a book report. I'm not good at those. It's a story. It's didn't make me cry, but maybe it's because I was distracted by waiting for the game to start. I found myself thinking "This is the longest intro story to a game ever". And then it was over. If you want to read a story that gets rave revues, then buy this product. If you want to play a game, do NOT buy this.

To the moon, in it’s unique, reserved weirdness and detached humour, is probably the most Wes Anderson like experience I’ve ever had in a game, if that makes any sense. There’s also a splash of Eternal Sunshine, perhaps a little Paprika or Yume Nikku. I may be giving the impression of a mess of references and styles, but that’s really not how this game feels. Rather you will find here a game with unique style and voice that explores mental illness and mortality with a poetic wit and cast of wonderfully rounded characters. Through it’s genuinely inspired framing device, To the moon tells the tale of a man and his wife who’s shared life is coloured by her mental illness. The imagery of her obsessions and compulsions litter their world, giving the game it’s surreal idiosyncrasies. At first, things like origami rabbits and stuffed platypuses may seem random and meaningless, cheap attempts at dull “quirkiness”. But, like the work of David Lynch at his best, there is a semiotic meaning to everything, a purpose and intention behind all of this. In the details can be found ruminations on aging, on identity, on mental illness, on the tangibility of memory, on the sometimes horrible consequences our actions can have on others; I’m sure every player finds more. While it is true that the game lacks any real gameplay or challenge, I personally found engagement following the game’s reverse plot, picking up on details in the present and following them to their inception, somewhere in the folds of the past. As I said, none of it is random; it’s all thought out, considered. There’s also a wonderful humour to be found, which for the most part fits surprisingly smoothly with the game’s essentially tragic tale of a failed life; a life full of unresolved questions, dark secrets and mistakes born from the best intentions. The creator has described his intention as “an immersive interactive show”, a game that totally focuses on storytelling, practically abandoning gameplay. This may sound unusual, but it creates a piece that engages the player like no other I’ve seen, where the entire immersion relies on your attachment to the wonderfully realized characters. In this game, the story takes complete precedence over every other facet of the design. It is a beautiful experience that I would recommend for anyone, providing they are entirely prepared to shed more than a few tears before the end.

I had to close my door because I could not stop crying and did not want people to think something was the matter with me , there was nothing the matter, it was this game that put me into tears. I had to sit the game down midway through the game and then pick it up later when I was less emotional. Beautiful Music with puzzle solving elements, and some sassy dialog from the two main characters that travel back to time. Go ahead. Its ok to cry, if you had a loved one who was dying wouldn't you want to help them go back in time and help them fulfill a dream before they pass away? Johnny is waiting for you!