To the Moon (2011)

I don't think I understand the point of the game. It was investing and enjoyable but I felt confused a lot of the time. The way that the memory time-travel device works doesn't make sense to me. I didn't care about whether it made sense during Act 1, even though the game was trying to explain it to me. But after Act 1 it felt like I needed to get it to understand the story. And at the end I was left doing things that I didn't understand.

At first I hated the mechanics and thought the art style was boring, but I got used to them and really enjoyed Act 1. I was invested in the story and found the backwards storytelling interesting. But the story gets taken over by time-travel memory link stuff that was confusing and took away from the weight of the story. Suddenly there was a different "what could have been" plotline that I didn't understand the point of. If the story had ended when I discovered the reason Johnny doesn't remember I think I would have been satisfied.

I loved the music, and the story was investing; it could have been simpler though. the movement was annoying but there were many fun and interesting moments.

I don't know why the game even tries to explain the logistics of the time-travel memory stuff, especially if I ended up confused anyways. It reminded me of when horror movies try to come up with a supernatural backstory for the monster instead of just letting it exist and be scary. The game could have told me that I need memory links to go back in Johnny's memories and I wouldn't have needed more than that. i don't care about the more complicated function of the machine. I guess the story wouldn't have existed without the explanation. And if the machine was explained as little as I'm suggesting then what is the point of backwards storytelling? It still would have been interesting I feel. So my main complaint is that I don't understand what the game is trying to say about memory.

Also Act 1 confused me with the discussion of River's "condition." It seemed important and I thought a major revelation was coming but it was never mentioned after Act 1. I think I know what the condition is. Maybe the point was just representation; I did find River relatable. But the story treats the "condition" in a weird way that gives it so much weight. It is kind of treated like a terminal illness that will change the course of her life and the way everyone around her is able too relate to her when the "condition" is just that she thinks a bit differently from what is considered the norm.

It is hard for me to tell how clever the creators of this game were being. I'm just confused. I enjoyed it though

Really well done as a pixel game, the story deserves to be read and seen at least once in a lifetime.

Oddly enough, the end didn't make me cry, but it made me realise that in life, as long as there is life, there is hope.

Let us realise our deepest desires while there is still time, we don't have to regret it one day.

Let us enjoy this life to the full, with love and harmony, putting hate to one side.

Love can build, hate destroys what love has built. Let us never forget this.

I feel like if this is in the top 10 stories for video games (as I've seen a few places)....it probably doesn't say the best things about video games. It's not that it's bad, just not something that is likely to reshape you like some books and even movies can.

This is not something that will shatter you to your core, but it will likely spark feelings and it does it without being overly manipulative like a lot of games/movies these days, which I appreciated.

I will be thinking about some of the story beats for a while, which I think is pretty high praise.

The gameplay is underwhelming, but probably not why you're playing. The which oject matters hunt you have to do is kind of annoying and random at times, the puzzle bits of gameplay are probably unnecessary, but not necessarily unwelcome, they are a nice change of pace at times. The two unusual gameplay sections both could have been skipped.

I'd recommend it if you go into it hoping for an engaging story and not having too high of expectations.

This game has a nice collection of touching songs, the characters are well made and the dialogues mostly are very funny. Although the main story shows a cute couple and we can observe their lives as we progress through the game, to be honest, I don't think I would give five stars merely for its story. I still think it seems much better than a lot of AAA games with huge teams and resources, but there is something in the main plot (something behind the story of the couple) that just don't feel right. The name of the in game company also reveals to me more to get later, since it seems to have the first name of Freud (and I hate the writings of that man).

Well, judging the graphics, music and basic story, I think it deservers 5 stars, but surely there is more to this story than the eyes meet. So, I reccomend it, since it is not an expensive game and it is very well made. It can be really touching and the music is so nice that I enjoyed to return to listen to it from time to time.

I'm back on my second playthrough of To the Moon after finishing the sequel, Finding Paradise. The story still remains superb. To the Moon is a classic, destined to stand as one of the best video game stories every told.

The game has a lot of glaring flaws. It's not fun, pixel hunting to unlock the mementos. The dialogue, especially between Neil and Eva is groan worthy. And the game is buggy, running on a poorly aged game engine. But this game does so much right that these flaws are easy to ignore.

To the Moon is a work of heart, love and passion that kept me utterly engrossed even after finishing the game for a second time.

A simple game with a beautiful story (made me cry) and just enough to do to keep it engaging. I love the dialogue between Rosalene and Watts, and the music (instrumental). It was just a great experience all around and I highly recommend it if you care about story driven games.

I only have one complaint, really, and it's a bit of a silly one tbh. It's about the song (only one with lyrics in the game) that plays towards the end. It was bad and made the whole sequence a lot cheesier than it actually was. I know the story is sentimental but it was actually well written so it didn't feel cringey and that song was the only moment when I genuinely cringed. They should have just stuck with instrumental.

One of the tightest, most masterfully crafted stories I've ever experienced in a videogame. Really impressed. Obviously taken inspiration from Eternal Sunshine (possibly even Total Recall!) and as such feels intensely cinematic. Love the characters, dialogue was well written and believeable. Great pixel art and score.

Memories have been overused as a tool for indie game narratives and gameplay for ages now, but when you consider this was released in 2011 this actually predates a lot of that stuff. And it works really well here. Finding it so hard to fault. It was just so lovely.

Oyunda bizim işimiz ölmek üzere olan insanlara hayal ettikleri geleceği kendi anılarında değiştirmek. Hikayede geçmişini değiştireceğimiz kişinin adı Tommy. Tabii bizim de adımız var ama unuttum. Spoiler olmaması için hikayeden bahsetmeyeceğim.

Oyunu beğenmeyenlerin eleştirme sebeplerinden en yaygın olanı karakterlerin fazla gerçekçi konuşması, yani biraz argolu ve küfürlü konuşması. Oyun anlayacağınız üzere biraz duygusal bir oyun ve bu konuşmalar oyunu oynayanlara göre biraz ortamın havasını bozmuş lakin bana kalırsa bu durum bence oyunu daha gerçekçi kılmış. Oyunun mükemmel müzikleri var ama bunu müziklerin kendisi değil, oyun içindeki kullanımı mükemmel yapıyor. Bir müzik oyunun tam başında, ortasında ve sonunda kullanılınca oyunun sonunda dinlediğinizde normal olarak oyunun başında yaşadıklarınızı hatırlıyorsunuz ve duygulanıyorsunuz. Onun dışında yine de müzikleri çok iyi yapılmış.

Oyun aynı zamanda telefonlar üzerinde oynanabiliyormuş ama ben bilgisayarımdan oynadım ve menunum. Eğer ki biraz indi yapımı oyun istiyorsanız ve 2D oyunları seviyorsanız anında satın alın.

I've heard many great things about this game - crying a lot definitely being one of them - but the story being another. It is such a thought provoking game. The concept of using memories to tell the story is not unique, but was genius in this scenario. My mind kept changing about the way I felt about every character.

I played this game on my Samsung S8+ and it wasn't perfect, but it was good. I liked that you could click anywhere to get a d-pad on the screen, or you could just touch where you wanted the character to go. The only time this faulted was when you had to find very specific memory mementos in certain places that required a specific place to touch. Fingers on a small screen are not exactly the most accurate tools. Other than that, the mobile version had no bugs. I missed playing it on an actual console or computer, but I didn't mind it one bit.

If you play, prepare to be emotional. The ending left me with many questions and I thought about it for hours afterword.

Without unnecessary introductions I can tell you that the basic problem with "To the Moon" lies in fact, that it's author couldn't decide, whether he want to make the players cry or to make them laugh. I wouldn't have a problem with it, if it were not for the fact that the game is trying to make this things quite insistently.

Do not get me wrong - I do not want to say that this story created in RPG Maker is bad, because it undoubtedly has charm and ability to move the hearts of millions, (despite the fact that instead of touch feelings subtly and gracefully, it brutally kicks the eyelids and shout: "Cry, cry, mother...r! Are you not moved by the dying old man?! Are you not moved by the tragic love?!").

It's just a pity that this universal and interesting story has been told in a rather odd way. Particular scenes, like for example the "funny" comments of one of the heroes, were often more embarrassing than really funny. I understand that they were intended to relieve tension, but in practice instead of doing so, they were just annoying.

It's also worth to mention that the game is rather a kind of story, closer to a movie or a book than to a classic "game". We can freely explore levels, but there is always only one solution, only one way to go further, which is rather easy to discover (there is no way to "lock" on TtM, everything is handed on a silver platter).

Full review (PL): http://nudnerzeczy.pl/to-the-moon-2011/

I am utterly, utterly speechless.

Played through the entirety of Act 1 yesterday; thought it was cute, though kinda boring. Besides, I've kinda developed a resistance for these indie game love stories with endless piano tunes.

Act 2 amazed me with it's change of pace, atmosphere and music - made me laugh out loud and I actually starting getting more interested in the story.

But Act 3.. wow. WOW. I can't remember being so speechless and moved from a game before. The childhood scenes were touching, but the stargazing scene - seriously. I'm speechless. I forgot, for a moment, that this was a memory, that I was playing a game, even. I was living through the moment.. Unexpected, brilliant, beautiful. Just beautiful.

I don't play a lot of games like To the Moon. I'm used to big, epic Final Fantasy-type stories - with amazing graphics, voice acting, and boss battles. And those can be great, but I've been glad to see quieter, more personal stories being told in games as well. The style of To the Moon is simple. As far as I'm concerned, the gameplay might as well not have been there. That's not what matters to me. What matters is a story of a man's life and how every moment feeds into the greater experience of what it's like to be alive. It, perhaps, gently touches on fate and what would happen if one moment of the past were changed. On big dreams that never came together and what is worth the risk of going back and making them come true. And it is, in fact, a love story. Not some big, dramatic Romeo and Juliet-type love story (as much as I love those). But a quieter love that builds and stays strong over a lifetime.

What I’ve told you about To the Moon is maybe not what you’re used to hearing in a game review. I feel like I’m writing a book review instead. To the Moon could almost be a non-interactive visual novel. But if you want to experience a good story, look no further. I’m sure some people will not be able to look past the 16-bit graphics and simple gameplay, but I hope we’ve mostly progressed past those kinds of judgements. The style really works for this game, and the music is a delight. Sometimes a game’s point is just to tell a story. And To the Moon does a great job of that.