To the Moon

After 9 years, To the Moon still brings tears to our eyes.

I may be some nine years late to this party but I’ll reiterate the opinions of countless reviewers before me – To the Moon is a writing excellence and most of all – a truly unique experience. [03/2020, p.64]

It could have easily punched below the belt with some of its themes but was able to stave off dreariness in favor of a heartfelt story that has you think about the moments in life that matter. The only question left is if they can find paradise? Oh, wait, that’s the sequel.

To The Moon is a game that plays like an interactive novel with an enveloping, touching and moving story. Its plot may be short but it's unforgettable, as is its soundtrack and simple but lovely visual environment. Its arrival on the Nintendo Switch is nothing short of welcome and anyone looking for a personal experience will find an unmissable work in the form of To The Moon.

To The Moon is a powerful interactive story. It deals with issues and situations we'll likely all experience in our lifetimes and does so honestly and within a brilliant narrative setup that allows us to watch a lifetime deconstructed, layer by layer, revealing the very human mistakes and unavoidable interruptions of fate that shape how our lives ultimately turn out.

To The Moon absolutely lives up to the hype, but it's approachable as well. Despite its reputation, it has a surprisingly simple narrative, filled with amusing and relatable characters. Don't let that fool you, though: it's an incredible game that caused me to rethink different moments of my own life and (more than a few times) almost moved me to tears. The problems with the Switch port, even the glitchy controls, only dull an otherwise overwhelming emotional experience, rather than mar it.

To The Moon is a game I can tell someone put a lot of passion and heart into.

To the Moon may be light on gameplay, but it is a storytelling powerhouse that explores the themes of love and regret.

While the puzzles are uninspired, To the Moon isn’t your typical videogame. It takes the format and visuals of an old-school JRPG and melds them in a unique way, delivering a narrative that is beautiful, impactful, and not easily forgotten.

That most of the game takes place in a virtual world constructed from a dying man's fading memories, accessed via high-tech headsets and computer programs, is purely a background element in a fulfilling, affecting experience that will leave most players solemn and silent at its end, but happy, too. Because while To the Moon is definitely a sad game, warm and generous humour runs through it, especially in the interactions between the two doctors.

Even today, a game like To the Moon will continue to be divisive in players eyes as it uses the medium only to tell an interactive and linear story, without a gameplay focus or branching narrative. For me, I did look at To the Moon from the developer's perspective and the interactive experience it tried to achieve, judging the game for what it is rather than what it is not, and from this perspective... To the Moon is a fantastic entertainment product, a touching story about love, dreams, and bonds.

A moving story with charming charaters and the occasional mechanical flaw. But overall it didn’t lose anything of ist original fascination.

To the Moon has its quirks, but is still remembered fondly as one of the standout indie titles from the early 2010s. The core experience still holds up and has visually been recreated well by X.D. Network, and I hope they end up giving other RPG Maker classics like Yume Nikki a similar treatment. The jump to Unity did cause some unfortunate niggles, like the more noticeable loading times and control issues, and some of the slight visual alterations made me uneasy at first, but I still enjoyed playing To the Moon on Nintendo Switch almost as much as I did on PC 8 years ago. If you’re a fan of narrative-focused games, walking simulators, or whatever you want to call them and still haven’t played To the Moon, it’s definitely worth checking out.

To The Moon is a masterclass in storytelling and creating emotional impact. The beautiful soundtrack imbues Johnny’s memories with tension and melancholy, but there is some tonal dissonance, especially during the first half of the game, that’s hard to reconcile. The gameplay itself does little to justify its existence, but it doesn’t detract in a major way from how potent the narrative is and how overwhelming the conclusion is.