When it comes to games storytelling is something I prize above almost everything else. A good number of games have made their way into my heart just because of a good story, even some that have had admittedly bad gameplay. A recent example of this was Deadly Premonition, which is hell to play and can be hell to look at, but it tells a story that had an emotional impact on me and a game that can impact me like that is good in my book. To the Moon is another game which has managed to become a favourite of mine in spite of its gameplay, purely because of its story. Don't let the Deadly Premonition comparison mislead you here, To the Moon is not hell to play (nor to look at, in fact it's quite pleasing on the eye), it just isn't about the gameplay. The gameplay in To the Moon is completely unobjectionable; there just isn't much of it. I'm not saying this because the game is short, which it is (though as a cheap downloadable indie game it's the length it needs to be and is worth the money), it's just that the gameplay is incredibly simple and is just there to tell a story.
To the Moon advertises itself as an RPG/Adventure game, I wouldn't call it an RPG, in fact calling it that is misleading somewhat. Do not go on expecting an RPG, but do go in with adventure game in mind (and please just do go in). As far as gameplay goes the structure of To the Moon is about as simplistic as it gets, there are some incredibly easy puzzles (they are no flaw though, merely slight diversions that at best offer a nice change of pace, and are so infrequent that they don't detract at all), but really you just walk around and converse, interact with the environment, you know... Interactive stuff. Now the lack of focus on gameplay does not mean this is the ****c, it's great that you have a nice story but shouldn't you be a film, this game (yes it's a game) really does benefit from interactivity and uses its gameplay structure in its storytelling. The narrative structure fits gameplay perfectly, and though it won't win any prizes as far as gameplay is concerned, it plays well enough for you to get lost in its story.
I will say now, if you are a gameplay guy, this game isn't for you. However, if you have even a slight interest in story in games you owe it to yourself to go and buy this now. I play a lot of video games, and I say this with no exaggeration To the Moon has one of (potentially the) best stories I have experienced in games. It is truly hilarious (I laughed out loud on multiple occasions, and heavily also) and is also completely heart breaking, truly emotional and just an affecting experience (I admit I got misty eyed at two particular parts of the game, and though no tears were shed I felt like they should have been or at least could have been). The writing is just amazing and the plot is so perfectly paced and each revelation is just as impactful as the last. If you are looking for a truly emotional experience look no further.
So why am I blogging about this game? Well it's obvious really; I think this is one of the best games of this year, and one of the better games I have played in a good while. The horror of this is, so few people will play it; it's just some random PC indie game only available on a developers website. There are so many of games like that out there, and I'm sure of them just aren't worth a damn, but this one is and it kills me that so many people won't play it. So I put out a plea, buy this game, it's exceptional. It's only about 4 hours long, it benefits from being played in one sitting and it has outstanding music to compliment the aforementioned outstanding story. I even bought the OST after beating the game and am listening to it whilst writing this. If you have a serious interest in games and consider them an art form then go to this website:
Play it, love it and spread the word. Once you've played it, then I would love to talk about it with you, any of you. Even if you don't like it, it's still an interesting experience and I would hope you will at least appreciate what its doing even if it doesn't resonate with you. So once again, go buy this game, beat it, and then we can talk about it and hopefully spread the word to more people who will love the game as well.
