Review: To the Moon
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Dylan: It’s nice to see indie games focus primarily on story and not over-reach what is possible on a small budget and limited programming team. To the Moon embraces simple graphics, a stripped down yet emotionally charged soundtrack and a somewhat unique story about changing a dying man’s memories. It’s the story that keeps you hooked for the six or so hours it takes to complete, and for the most part it does a good job of pacing out narrative hooks and surprises.
James: Six hours? My playthrough was closer to three and a half, which made me wonder if I wasn’t spending enough time smelling the metaphorical roses the game left lying around everywhere. That’s not a criticism, mind – To The Moon is well paced, and makes good use of its short playing time.
This is one of those ‘Is this even a game LOL?’ titles, in that it requires very little input on the part of the player. There are some very minor, incredibly simple puzzles to solve, but you’re here for the story. And the story is… pretty good. It aims for the heart, and may well get there with some players, although for my part, I was moved by the sentiments of the game moreso than its actual content. Did it send your waterworks into overdrive?
Dylan: Not at all, although I will admit that it did get me thinking about the appropriate thematic issues – loss, regret, growing old, spending your life with another person. It’s fairly mature (or different at least) as far as game stories go, although it is let down quite a bit by some sub-par writing. The comedic elements are okay, they work well enough as the two mind-doctors comment on their situation of meddling about inside someone’s brain. However, when it came to the children’s dialogue, I found their output to be jarringly anachronistic for their supposed ages.
You’re right about there not being much game (and it did take me five or six hours – I seem to exist in a world where games take me double the time of most other people), but the pacing was such that I was hooked for the three sessions it took to complete. And when To the Moon gets gamey, things quickly turn to frustrating – I’m talking about that stupid action bit towards the end.
James: I warmed to the action bit ever so slightly when someone pointed out to me that it was a Plants vs. Zombies homage (the games share a composer), but yes, it is certainly a pain to play. The controls suck throughout as well – moving around the environment is often an enormous pain in the arse, although luckily there’s usually very little space to actually navigate.
The focus is on the aforementioned themes and ideas, and the game certainly delves into some interesting areas. It’s all about what it takes to be happy, the sacrifices and pleasures of being with someone, the immense devastation of lost love – all themes delivered through the two fairly likable (although, as Dylan said, not always particularly well written) protagonists. We don’t get to know the two leads very well in To The Moon (I can’t even remember their names right now), although it’s certainly hinted that we’ll get to know them more in the upcoming episodic sequels. The story itself is good because it deals with these issues, perhaps more so than because of how it deals with them. The ending is a tad trite, and the dialog always feels like it would fit in a bit too well with the 16-bit RPGs that the game shares its aesthetic with. So it’s good, and occasionally great, but rarely very deep.
Dylan: I think we’re on the same page. It’s a step in the right direction, but I didn’t fall over my feet in love with it simply because it’s chosen to go down the indie/mature road. One thing I did like was how emotional depth was so well conveyed with such a low pixel count. Even something as simple as two characters reaching across to hold hands, combined with a sacharine musical melody, brought home how little modern graphical grunt brings to the table when it comes to delivering an impactful story.
You’re right about control frustrations, too. I could never decide whether to stick to arrow keys or mouse clicks, as both seemed as bad as each other. Characters would regularly get stuck on seemingly passable scenery and I often found that clicks wouldn’t register. To the Moon doesn’t really fit into a ‘review via mechanics’ approach, though, and when I think about it the main thing that remains is that I was thoroughly glued to it. I would have liked for the premise to be fleshed out a bit more – some better, more varied puzzles and greater freedom to explore memory time zones – but overall it sat well with me as something totally different to the usual HD blockbuster.
James: I think we probably both needed something a bit different after the Christmas blockbuster glut, too. Also worth noting is the soundtrack, which is just beautiful, and perfectly complementary of the game’s various beats and twists. It’s probably the most satisfying part of the whole production, in fact.
To The Moon has had a lot of people excited with what it has achieved in terms of telling a mature story through a videogame. I would perhaps suggest that to talk it up too much ignores the achievements of several other indie games that have done a better job of laying out their themes and ideas in a subtle, mature manner, but that argument shouldn’t detract from what To The Moon does achieve. It’s a fairly polished little indie title, with a sadness at its core that many will relate to. Don’t expect it to change the fact of story-telling in gaming as we know it. Do expect a worthwhile journey.
7
You can download a 1 hour trial or buy To the Moon via THIS LINK
