Despite it's length, To The Moon is a funny, emotionally satisfying journey.
The game tells the story of two scientists working for a company hired out by people to recreate their memories. In this case, our two scientists have been hired by a dying man named Johnny, to give him the memory of going to the moon. As such, the story is truly his. As you delve into his past, you begin to explore his relationship with his wife and how they came together. At times heartbreaking and joyful, To The Moon carries subtle, but powerful emotions with it which, I dare say, are cinema or novel worthy. The game is also quite humorous, as our main scientists provide a fair bit of personality and commentary throughout, lightening up the seriousness of the core story. Though presented in an older style of graphics and gameplay, the writing is so well done, it really carries the game through.
The gameplay, as mentioned, is old-school with this having more in common with Crono Trigger or Earthbound. However, there is no combat, something the game pokes fun of early on. Rather, gameplay consists mostly of hunting down memory links by way of exploration and solving a few mini-puzzles. It's all very easy and in this sense, the game is more like a graphic novel than an actual game, but the interactivity is there none the less and the exploration provides half the fun. Yes, more variety in terms of gameplay could have been added, but the story carries the game through and makes it satisfying.
The one major gripe is the length. The game will take no more than 4 hours, just enough time to tell the story. This is reasonable, but almost feels like it's a bit lacking considering you're actually paying for the game. This is minor however, as it's pretty equivelant to a book or movie and costs less than both of those. Overall, To The Moon is a great little indie game and one worth picking up. In an industry oversaturated by games of the same ilk, finding a game such as this is a treasure, with a fantastic and unique story, great writing, and memorable characters.