One of the most emotional experiences I've ever had from any form of media.A very powerful,inspiring story with romance.
The Story in To The Moon is about how an elderly man named Johnny is on his deathbed and during the last few days of his life,two scientists who are refered to as Dr Watts and Dr Rosalene who work for a company that has the technology to give people artificial memories show up to give Johnny his final wish which is going to the moon.However,to give the person the artificial memory they desire,these doctors must travel into Johnny's memories and see what kind of life he lived and what were his motivations behind his final wish in order to make his memory of going to the moon a believable one.
All doesn't go to plan and I won't say why because I don't want to spoil the story for you but I'll say the story has some good and intelligent surprises and I'll say the story is a very emotional journey because you'll experience Johnny's life as an eldery man,in his prime,as a young adult,as a teenager and as a child and you'll witness things such as his married life,his experiences in highschool,going on a dates with a certain woman,talking to a certain girl for the first time when he was in highschool,talking to a certain girl for the first time when he was a child(but there's a lot more to these memories than you'd first think).
The story will show certain problems and heartbreaking times he experiences during his lifetime and these are the type of events that many of us can relate to or will experience.Also,the story could make you think about the world more,whether it be politics or morals.
I found something to like or found myself caring about all the main characters.Whether it be Johnny,River,Dr Watts,Dr Rosalene,Lily,Joey.
The story is presented in a very delicate way(though it's scenes and dialogue and artistry)and with beautiful and delicate music.The story isn't all sad and emotional,it can be very funny at times and has a lot of charm in the dialogue at times.I like how Dr Rosalene speaks in a very politically incorrect way and Dr Watts is a bit of a goof but at times you'll see how they're both very intelligent too.
The love story is presented beautifully too.
As for the gameplay,well most of the gameplay involves walking around small areas and searching for memories that are linked to items and solving the occasional puzzle that's quite easy and most of the puzzles are the same.For a bit of variation you might need to control a horse you're riding and chase somebody or dodge obstacles whilst shooting cybernetic zombies but these things make a very small part of the game.I guess you could say the game plays like a JRPG that has no combat.Techncially the game has combat but it's a very,very small part of the game and there's no leveling up.The gameplay revolves mostly around exploring environments and listening to what NPCs have to say.
Even though the gameplay is simplistic I enjoying exploring the environments and listening to what NPCs say(many of them don't actually talk to you but you can listen to what they're saying to somebody else or what they're thinking)and since the environments are charming and detailed in a 16-Bit style of way it makes the experience more pleasant.
The game isn't really about it's gameplay anyways,it's for people who want to experience a great story and if you can appreciate old style JRPG style environments and NPC interaction,it's a bonus.
Despite the visuals being 16-Bit in style,like I said before it has artistic environments/story scenes such as beautiful sunsets and view of the oceans of the way the stars and moons are used for intimate moments between Johnny and a certain girl and the way they blend with environments is breath taking.You'll see the inside of school buildings,houses and travel through forest area,carnival and other areas that I don't want to spoil for you.The game has some great story-related cutscenes that I don't want to say what they are because I don't want to spoil them for you but they look very great and have a lovely artstyle.Also,sometimes the cutscenes break away from old school JRPG style and you'll see close-up scenes of characters and the artstyle is still lvoely.
Like I've mentioned,the music has a very delicate feel to it and it's very heart-felt and numerous people love the music for this game and listen to it on Youtube or download it off steam.In fact,if you buy the boxed version of the game,you'll get the game's soundtrack on a seperate disc.The game's music sounds like the emotional and delicate music you'll hear when you play a JRPG,and the music suits the emotional moments in the story and the music is emotional but powerful at times while being delicate but beautiful at others and the way the piano music is done is so beautiful and the game has a beautiful song that's sung in it too.
When you're near the ocean you'll hear ocean waves and it gives a relaxing sense of calmness.
This game can be bought for roughly 10 dollars(including the soundtrack)and if you buy the boxed version it has beautiful box art and despite the game being 5 hours long,it's price and and the type of experience it gives you easily make it worth your money and time.
This game will give you an experience you won't forget for a while and it will make you think about the people in your life and about life in general and like I said it might also make you think about moral things and politics but it's story will also inspire you too.
This game definately has one of the most heart-felt and powerful stories I've ever experienced.