To the Moon

Genre: Graphic Adventure

Players: 1

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Review:

To the Moon is a Graphic Adventure with two rather extraordinary stories – one within the game, but also, the story of its making. The game was originally designed for PC Using the RPG Maker XP program, and has since taken on a life of its own, getting a remake that was released to multiple platforms, additional supplemental content, a sequel, and even reputedly a movie deal… all from a game that started as one man’s RPG Maker project. The Nintendo Switch version of the game, released in 2020, doesn’t have any of the extra content, but is still a pretty complete experience on its own, regardless.

Given the RPG Maker roots, it is perhaps no surprise that this game’s visuals feel reminiscent of classic RPGs like Chrono Trigger, with its pixel art characters in a similar style and its bright, colorful 2D environments. However, the real star of the show here has to be this game’s soundtrack, which is absolutely gorgeous and has some truly moving and memorable orchestral pieces and a delightful piano solo as its central melody.

In terms of gameplay… don’t expect much of it. There are puzzles here and there, but for the most part, this game’s focus is on telling its story, and that’s probably just as well, because for the most part its story is yet another highlight of this game.

Without giving too much away, the story of To the Moon starts with a pair of scientists showing up at a lighthouse-adjacent cliffside house for an appointment with the house’s owner, John, an elderly man on his deathbed. We learn the two have been contracted by the dying man to fulfill the man’s dying wish through sci-fi technology seemingly ripped right out of the Christopher Nolan film, Inception. To achieve this goal, they will have to explore the man’s life to look for clues and “mementos” that will help them to connect to his childhood.

I will say that the majority of this story is absolutely magnificent. I love the exploration of John’s life, told largely in reverse order, as it gradually reveals its story to the player, along with some amazing, wonderful characters. In parts, this story is extremely moving, and although John’s life wasn’t necessarily an extraordinary one, I was nevertheless on the edge of my seat at every plot twist, every new revelation, which is a feat in and of itself because you already know how each chapter ends before it starts (a nice nod to a second Christopher Nolan film, Memento).

However, while overall I fell in love with this game’s music, story, and characters, I do have some complaints. Namely, the two player characters, the scientists tasked with exploring John’s memories, are kinda’ jerks. Any point in the story that focused on them, I felt the game dragged and I just wanted to get back to others who were more, you know, likeable. In addition, the logic of how the memory-exploring technology works isn’t consistent, making players hunt for items that act as important “mementos” in some parts, and just handing this progress to the player in other parts, as if just walking into a room counted as a “memento”, or even two or three.

There is another issue with this game as well – the controls are terrible. I repeatedly found the game trying to force my character in one direction when I was pressing another direction, especially when I tried to turn corners – it would often just have me continue walking the same direction. On top of this, the game doesn’t let you turn to face a wall or object if you’re standing next to that object – you need to literally walk away from it and back, which is really annoying. Also, the walking speed in this game is a bit on the slow side, and this game really could have used a “run” button.

Also, a bit of a warning – while this game does not have any violence, sexual content, or anything like that, it does go into some topic matter that may be harder for some people to process, such as mental illness, trauma, and death. More sensitive players, and parents of younger children, may want to be mindful of this before starting the game or letting the kiddies play it.

All told, To the Moon is far from perfect. The controls are kinda’ busted, and the story is saddled with two unlikeable protagonists. However, if you can tolerate these issues, you’ll be treated to a magnificent story with wonderful characters and an absolutely beautiful soundtrack that’s well worth experiencing. Gamers looking for a great character-driven story on the Switch should definitely give this game a look.

tl;dr – To the Moon is a Graphic Adventure that puts you in the role of a pair of scientists tasked with using Inception-like technology to help a dying man achieve his final wish. This game has an absolutely wonderful story with lovable characters (except the two protagonists, who are both kinda’ jerks), and it has a truly beautiful soundtrack. That said, it’s not without its flaws, and the game is riddled with control issues. It’s still well worth playing though, especially if you’re looking for a great story on the Switch.

Grade: B+

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