To the Moon
You
don't always get a chance to right the wrongs of the past. To the Moon is not
only a journey through Johnny's dreams and memories, but also a journey for us
to revisit a game we may have been too harsh on in the past. To the Moon is
here. On the Switch digital store, and here we are getting our hands on it
again, this time to advise any gamer who loves narrative experiences: this is a
must-have game.
The
process of reviewing a game like this was and still is a difficult matter for
critics and the media, as the matter initially carries controversy about the
concept of the video game, as the game from the angle of play does not offer
much, and this is the perspective from which we looked at the game in the past,
when he Gao was developing it and launching it on the RPG Maker program to be
very popular among a specific class of players (this version of the game is on
the Unity engine). As for the perspective from which we look at the game today,
it is different, and it reflects the difference in our way of thinking over
these years: The developer wanted to use video games as a medium to tell a
story, as a medium to create an experience in which the player interacts with
story events only.
The
other controversial matter is how to assess the level of storytelling in the
game. In fact, this is an old historical controversy. Great writers and writers
have often directed their criticism towards works that do not provide the
highest possible level of linguistic rhetoric. However, again, we do not
believe that the level of Language and level of writing is the only factor for
properly evaluating a story, and perhaps this is what many writers overlook.
There is a divine talent among some authors and narrators in creating unique
story rhythms, or instilling emotion in people’s hearts, or in the way of
making attractive characters. And how to develop it, without language
necessarily being a strong point, and this applies to our game To the Moon, as
it is not a literary game, so to speak, but it is a high-class story.
The
events of the game take place from the perspective of the experts “Neil Watts”
and “Eva Rosalyn” from the “Sigmund” company, which owns a device that can dive
into people’s memories. Old “Johnny” requests the services of this company
while he is on his deathbed in order to fulfill his last wish by Diving into
his mind to create new memories and dreams that he sees in his imagination
before he passes away from life. “Johnny” has a very strange and mysterious
desire, as he wants to go to the moon, but why? Even Johnny does not know the
answer to this question, and thus begins the journey of Neil and Eva in the
depths of John's memories from old age to all stages of his life, in the hope
that they will find Johnny's true motive and his mysterious desire to go to the
moon.
The
Canadian “Kan Gao” excels in telling his story with great focus, there is no
building for the game world, there are not many details for the side
characters, the story focuses entirely on the memories of “John” and exploring
his life, and going back in time through these memories step by step in order
to Access to the truth of his inner desires that he does not even know is the source!
In each part new memories, the player discovers, and each of “Neil Watts” and
Eva Rosalyn “small new details about the life of John and his beloved and
deceased wife, “River”, and the game contributes to building emotional moments
between John and River, especially with sweet piano music That creates great
sensations that will tug at players' hearts.
The
game is also good at creating antagonisms between its characters, and we see
that this antagonism contributed a lot to creating dynamic and entertaining
conversations between the characters. Dr. “Neil Watts”, for example, is a
sensitive person who may seem rude or somewhat uncourteous. A sense of humor,
but his partner, Eva Rosalyn, is the complete opposite, as she is calm,
balanced, and sober. This also applies to John, who is simple-minded, and his
deep and eccentric wife, River. The writer always succeeds in drawing attention
to his characters brilliantly. until he gets to the final moments to make the
final and essential revelation.
Fans
of games and poetic stories centered around love, regret, desire and dreams
will find a unique experience in its interdependence and simple, direct and
effective way of telling the story in a spontaneous manner devoid of inertia,
and perhaps the cherry on the cake was the very wonderful music, in particular
Beautiful piano melodies like “To the River” are full of sweetness, which will
make players fly to the moon in turn! But does this mean that the experiment
was flawless? Okey, no. For example, it bothered us a little that the game does
not have a button to run or walk faster, and we wish the game provided more
information about the side characters, or even if it provided a greater age
value, as it is an experience that you will finish within a few hours, and you
will not get Another reason to come back again. In addition, there is no kind
of voice acting.
To the Moon is another vivid example that video games do not necessarily have to contain a challenge and competition between two parties, on the elements of movement and action, but rather they can be used as an interactive medium to tell the story, and they can create an emotional connection with the characters even in a way A simple introduction, because the emotion in the game is a sincere and strong emotion that is capable of creating the desired effect. To the Moon takes the player through a breathtaking journey in the memories of a dying person to fulfill his last wish. Are you ready to dive into dreams?