To The Moon

Here's a mini-review I wrote a while ago: To the Moon is a different game indeed. First, there's not much "game" to it, besides exploration (and there's not much length to it either, as it's about 4.5 hours of gameplay - though I feel it was just the perfect length for the kind of game it is). There are a few puzzles in the first half of the game, but they add very little (and as such, they're basically absent in the second half of the game). Some other "game" sequences feel so out of place that it almost hurts, and the game could arguably be better without them. Or perhaps not, but as I said, there's not much "gameplay" here, if that's what you're looking for. Yet, To the Moon wouldn't work as well if it was not a game, because the interactivity and exploration aspects of its gameplay are a very important aspect of its storytelling. As the doctors explore Johnny's memories, you're there too, in a way you wouldn't be if you weren't controlling their actions. The game makes you feel like an invader sometimes, as you uncover intimate feelings and secrets that give amazingly human dimensions to the main characters in the game. It works well with the visual style and the music (FANTASTIC music, I should add) to create a really memorable experience. And the story is easily one of the best, most humane stories I've ever seen told in any videogames. It is dramatic, but nothing about it seems forced. It is also funny at times (specially where Dr. Watts is concerned). It is also exquisitely well-written, easily topping the likes of Bioware in the quality of its writing. And it's a unique experience, that kind of story that makes you look at your own life and think about what's really important, and what could have happened had things been different. It is effective, it is heart-wrenching, it is brilliant. In summary, this is not a "game" game. It's all about the story, and how you interact with it. But it's also one of the best stories ever told in videogame form, and the most humane game I've ever played. I highly, highly recommend it. You may not find a "game" here, but you may well find what I've found - a true gem of writing and interactive storytelling, one that is bound to make you relate to the characters like no other game ever had, and possibly make you shed quite a few tears of your own. It is one of my favorite games of all time, and one that I plan to play every year, on my birthday, as a way of revisiting my own life, and remembering what are the really important things after all. And if that's not art, then what is?

I picked this game up during the black friday deal based off the recommendations found here and on other sites. I didn't spend very much money on it, so I'm not angry. I also knew exactly what I was getting into; what's more I wanted to get into it. A laid back sentimental, thoughtful tear jerker? That is exactly what I needed after wrapping up The Walking Dead. Like many other people have mentioned, this game is very light on the game elements. It's more about exploration and, of course, the story. On the exploration side, I grew restless pretty often wandering around looking for memory links that are needed to advance the story. Thankfully the developers didn't make these sections very painful, I think I only had a little trouble finding one, but I still wanted to be able to move faster at almost all times. The scenery is pretty enough for the level of graphics on display, but there's only so many set pieces, and wandering back and forth at a snail's pace gets dull fast. That's about my only complaint on the gamey side of things. But because there's so little engaging gameplay elements, this title necessarily lives or dies by its plot, one I can't simply recommend. Maybe it's a pitfall of having the story being the main draw, but when that's all your product has to offer, I'm going to be judging that one thing far more critically than I would something like the Mass Effect series, where gameplay and plot dovetail more elegantly and work to offset their shortcomings. I don't want to spoil the entire game, sooo I wont. I will say that I thought about this game for a few hours after I finished it, which is definitely to its credit, but none of the conclusions I drew were positive. The pacing was uneven, themes that the game spent the entire first act propping up were quietly discarded and then never resolved. What's more, the game doesn't seem to actually have anything to say about its themes. It simply invokes them, works with them a little, and then moves on. That would be bearable if the emotional catharsis didn't essentially ignore all the problems built up in the first act. But perhaps most damningly, I don't think I could actually tell you what this game was *about*. I could describe what happens in it. I could talk about the diverse subject matter it touches on. But there's no getting around that thematically the first and second half of the game have little to do with each other, especially when you take into account the twists and turns, and how the main conflict is resolved. All that said, I finished the game. I was hoping it would impress me in the end, and I *knew* it could have. Some of the emotional beats were genuinely nice...except when you start to analyze them. The dialog was okay with some genuinely smile worthy moments too. So, I guess I've rambled on enough. This isn't meant to rain on anyone's parade, honestly I still think I might be missing something since everyone else seems to have loved it so much. But right now my hunch is that, again, I'm waaay more critical of stories in "story games" than I am of game plots in others. I don't know if that's good or not.

I played the game a few months ago and this was to me the best indie game of 2011. It's a hauntingly beautiful, sad tale and it was the first game that really got to me on an emotional level. I'm not embarassed to say that this actually brought tears to my eyes. Also: The soundtrack is brilliant!

The story is beautiful and well-narrated, but that is all this game is: a story. That is not much, undoubtedly not enough to make a game and surely not enough to justify more than 2 or 3$. This game could have been a masterpiece with a true interface, more to do, more to discover by oneself and more to explore... Instead of that, the player plays a totally passive role, you are spectator, which is rather frustrating. The gameplay is an insult to intelligence: puzzles are stupid, finding links is boring and extremely repetitive. You knew the 'point-and-click' genre, this game belongs to the click genre. You only have to click again and again to read the dialogues. I do not need to click stupidly on objects to feel involved in a plot. Developers should have chosen between making a true game with a proper gameplay and making a machinima! I do not regret buying this game, I had to give it a try after reading the comments. But better be aware what you are buying.