If you’re a fan of indie games, adventure games, or just potentially awesome titles, you can add To the Moon to your list of anticipated releases. In development by Freebird Games, To the Moon is an emotional title about life and death. Ars Technica asked the developer some questions about the game, and suffice it to say that To the Moon is definitely a title to watch out for.
The game tells the story of two doctors who implant false memories into their dying patients’ minds. These memories allow the sick to believe that they lived through countless memorable experiences, even if they haven’t. Because of the severity of this procedure, however, patients die almost immediately after. It’s a bit dark when you think about it, but Freebird’s Kan Gao states that the game isn’t as serious as one might think.
“Despite the melodramatic nature of the theme, To the Moon is actually a tragicomedy,” explained Gao. “While it certainly is a serious story in the core, the journey doesn’t always take itself too seriously, as it is seen through the perspectives of the doctors who aren’t always particularly sensitive. To put it pretentiously, it’s a bit of a play-in-a-play, and the difficulty comes from balancing the two sides.”
Accompanying the interesting plot devices is an equally interesting art direction. To the Moon looks a lot like a classic 16-bit RPG, but it is, in actuality, an adventure game. You won’t be battling enemies and leveling up in this game. Instead, you’ll be solving puzzles as you attempt to work your magic with the memories of a dying individual whose only wish is to go to the moon.
Overall, the contrasting design choices that Freebird is going for make for an interesting game. To the Moon will launch for PC this fall, and there are plans of porting it to other consoles if possible. Watch out for it.
