To the Moon

It has some clunky controls and very trivial and not interesting puzzles that you have to make in order to progress, but this is totally worth it in the end, once you get to know the actual story. Caring about the characters, wanting to know their life and what affected them so much is an experience that made my time with this game something unique.

Having been a fan of this game all the way back when it was just a simple .exe game you would get offline, I was so elated when I purchased it all that time ago and it has been a treasured game to me the whole time.

A compelling narrative driven game made me feel like I was reading a book I couldn't put down. And it's a game I constantly am recommending to my friends to pick up and experience for themself as well.

This was a simple, yet beautiful game. I highly recommend the playthrough.

To The Moon is a game I remember watching Pewdiepie play like, over a decade ago, but I had no real memory of what the story was or anything besides its introductory premise. Overall, I really enjoyed most if not all the aspects of this game that it presents itself as. It is able to balance itself between being a lighthearted and emotional human experience of a story of how love drives our existence, while also exploring more psychological affects like trauma, mental disabilities, and finding meaning in life. In some sense though, I wish the game treated mental disabilities with some more tact instead of utilizing the mystery behind them for senseless psychological horror.

I will admit that I'm jaded from playing way more RPG Maker games before completing To The Moon, but its age and technical limitations are extremely apparent when playing. Decisions from what the controls were on keyboard, the lack of any options, and children-level puzzles are what diminish this game's overall experience. It is unfortunately a short game because you're forced to walk for a lot of it, and the wide and detailed environments often lacked optional interactions for the many objects present. Despite this, the game has amazing emotional moments and was able to build up to it meaningfully; it was mostly near the last half-hour, but I had some tears in my eyes like three separate times.

This game feels foundational if you want to broaden your horizons for story games, but I struggle to say it definitively is. It's a short game regardless, and I think the story is broadly appealing for most people, but it has good moments. Pick it up if you like love stories.

Good story, it didn't hit me emotionally as hard as Bird Story though.

美丽的故事，舒缓的音乐，浪漫的叙事，远超票价的游玩体验....
结局是最想说“我全都要！”的一集

This story is genuinely impressive in the way that it has thoroughly formulated characters who are beautiful to watch and easy to fall in love with. I felt compelled to embrace emotions when playing this game, I was moved by the story of this featured couple in ways that are complex. This narrative is not easily just a happy story or a sad story to me, which I think makes it easier to describe it as a life story or a love story.

Everything else is spoilers

I am a woman on the spectrum and I did not anticipate that I would see a story of a partner unabashedly embracing that, much less twice in one game. Personally, I think where I am and where River is are very different places on the spectrum, which made it hard to accept certain choices she wanted to make in the story, but that was not a bad thing nor do I think it signifies anything bad about the representation of someone with Autism.

My heart was crushed to learn that their early childhood was no longer the same at the end, but also deeply moved to know that he gained time with her in old age. It is conflicting and that makes it feel so much more like what love is.

Little did I know that this game my partner loved was a game that may very well have created some very healthy expectations of what it may look like to have a relationship with someone on the spectrum, before I even knew them.

I may very well walk down the aisle to "For River"

情节好长，意想不到，然后成就太难跳了。。。

Beautiful story with best characterization
i love two mini episode which was related to the main story and suspend for the continuation of the story

Ridiculous, nonsensical and over-sentimental story. It takes inspiration from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Up, but it's no where near as well written as those two movies. It has a nice soundtrack and some funny moments, but that's it.

I dont like romantic comedies, but I love this game play this and its sequels.

A Heartfelt and Unforgettable Journey

To the Moon is an absolute masterpiece that proves video games can be more than just entertainment—they can be a deeply emotional experience. This game weaves a beautiful, poignant story that will stay with you long after you finish it.

The plot is simple yet profoundly moving. The story of two doctors, tasked with fulfilling a dying man's last wish to go to the moon, takes you on a journey through memories and emotions that are both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The way the game handles themes of love, loss, and regret is incredibly powerful, and it feels deeply personal.

The writing is top-notch. Every dialogue exchange feels authentic and meaningful. The characters, especially the two doctors, are well-developed, and their interactions provide both humor and emotional depth. The story may start off slowly, but it gradually builds to an emotional climax that will leave you speechless.

The pixel art style may seem simple at first, but it perfectly suits the tone of the game. The visuals may be nostalgic, but they’re packed with charm and creativity. The music is another standout feature—the soundtrack complements the narrative beautifully, and certain tracks will likely become ingrained in your memory long after you finish playing.

Gameplay-wise, To the Moon is mostly about exploration and puzzle-solving, and while it’s not a challenging game in terms of mechanics, it’s about the experience rather than the difficulty. The pacing is perfect, keeping you engaged without overstaying its welcome.

Overall, To the Moon is one of the best examples of video games as an emotional storytelling medium. It’s a game that doesn’t rely on flashy graphics or complex gameplay mechanics, but rather on a beautiful, heartfelt narrative. If you’re looking for a game that will make you feel something, this is a must-play.

I re bought the game to play again after 10 years. It is still one of the greatest games I have ever played. This game is a must play for anyone. The story is one of the greatest ever told!!!!

I honestly do not know how to feel about this game. I struggled for a bit on how to sum up how I felt. I needed to sleep overnight to really gather my feelings about it. It’s also hard to say exactly my thoughts in depth about the game without spoiling it, and I refuse to add spoilers into my reviews. For a game that is primarily story-based, I’ll attempt to do my best.

To the Moon is a visual novel made in the format of a cheap RPG Maker game. The artwork, I have to be honest here, doesn’t really look that good. It’s bland, cheap-looking, and doesn’t do enough to distinguish itself from other RPG Maker games. If I showed you this game without telling you what it was, you would simply think it was more RPG Maker shovelware. I won’t harp on this too much, though, because I think that it is absolutely possible to create art even in the form of something that looks cheap or indistinguishable from other games in the same engine. However, it is noticeable, which is why I bring it up. The music in To the Moon is stunning and beautiful. The main piano motif they use for River is fantastic. It’s moving, and really helps weave this emphasis into the game’s somber scenes, and it is a song that becomes synonymous with her. That seems to be by design, so good on them for that.

The issue with To the Moon is the writing.

I was stunned when I learned that this game only has one writer when the credits rolled. Genuinely shocked. While playing through the entirety of To the Moon, it felt like two writers were clashing against one another’s styles. It’s as if they both wanted to tell different stories. The tone constantly shoots itself in the foot. The cause of this are the game’s two main protags, Eva & Watts. Without spoiling too much, their job is to essentially explore the memories of patients to grant them a last wish that they can experience in their mind during their final days. There’s more to it than that, but that’s the gist of it. Much of the game’s plot involves these two trying to help a man named John, who is on his deathbed, to reach his wish to go to the moon by viewing and altering his memories. This isn’t a big spoiler, this is information you receive within the first 20-30 minutes or so, let me live.

The problem is that Eva and Watts are terrible characters. Both of them show no empathy or sympathy for the events they’re viewing in John’s head, even when the events are depressingly sad. One could argue that they’ve seen many memories like this in the heads of other patients, and maybe that’s fair, but they don’t really show that in their personalities or display behavior that would point to that. Their dialogue is, and I don’t like using this word but it's apt here - cringe. Eva and Watts constantly behave like children for characters who are supposed to be in their late 20s or early 30s. They make needless pop culture references, and the game derails its own pacing at times simply to make unfunny bits involving them, such as one where Watts spends hours drinking at a bar with John in one of his memories. Humor is subjective, and you can argue they’re supposed to be the comic relief of the story. Sure. These are your protagonists though, in a game that is trying to deliver a message that’s really powerful and moving, but you have two morons who are essentially Jessie & James from Pokemon in terms of being goofy. Eva says things like “What the cucumber?” which is cringy in its own right, but even more so when you consider that characters in this game swear freely anyway, albeit the exact words being censored. Watts ridiculously references different media such as Street Fighter, Marvel, Dragon Ball and Doctor Who. (Huh, guess where the names John and River came from?) What is the point of writing these two like this? What, did you think the story was too ****ing dark or something? It’s not that dark, I’ll tell you that much. All of this quirky dialogue is off-putting, and takes you out of the experience. With all these depressing events they’re viewing, Eva & Watts come across as ***holes and childish for the way they react a majority of the time.

Funnily enough, in some weird moment of self-awareness, Eva scolds Watts at one point for being a moron and says she’s “trying to get into this.” Me too! If you’d like another piece of dialogue from the game as an example of the writing, here’s an actual quote I noted because I was simply so baffled that I was reading it. Watts says early on, “Because we always succeed, because we’re awesome.” Ughhh.

It all really angers me - because on the other hand, To the Moon’s story around John and River is actually a narrative I want to love. There’s something here that is actually saddening to view. To the Moon has events that invoke something beautiful. Something meaningful, something remarkable, something special. Yet the writer insisted on butchering this beauty with amateur, piss-poor bottom of the barrel protagonists - with written dialogue that feels like it was written and forged in the Nine Hells of Ao3, by a 13 year-old girl with a Tumblr blog who’s never written in her life.

What’s worse is that To the Moon’s tragic story features a tale about a mental health condition that is worth telling. I won’t spoil what this condition is since it’s pretty important to the plot, but I know some people who would love to hear that they’re being represented in a game. All this quirky dialogue from Eva & Watts makes it feel like that the writer isn’t taking this condition seriously. It feels insulting, and that genuinely makes me upset and frustrated with the game’s narrative. Hence why I was shocked the game only had one writer. Why? Why would you do this? Why would you butcher and lobotomize your own narrative like this? You had something beautiful here, something meaningful that could really mean a lot to certain people, and it is simply utterly wasted.

I think an important and underrated facet of games is tone. It’s what allows a game like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta to coexist in a genre with Dark Souls, and in turn with The Witcher, or etc. If you can nail your game’s tone, then everything built around becomes woven together, like a perfect silk cloth. Not everything has to be a despair-ridden romp, that’s not what I’m saying. What I am saying is that your game falls apart when it has an inconsistent tone. To the Moon’s poorly conceived dialogue provides nothing of value towards forming its tone, and ultimately has a very inconsistent one throughout due to this. What an example to hear what I mean? It’s like if you sat down to watch an artistically beautiful film like Forrest Gump, but you had someone right next to you on the couch the whole time cracking jokes and roasting moments of the film as if they were a Red Letter Media wannabe. That’s what it’s like.

I apologize if it seems like I’m harping on these two protags, but this is a visual novel. The most important parts of a visual novel are the narrative and dialogue. So when the dialogue gets unwoven by being so poorly-written, the tone of the game collapses. And when the tone of the game collapses, then so too does the house of cards the narrative stands upon. I don’t really recall a time where I’ve been this disappointed in a game’s narrative. It makes me sad because there’s something here with potential. It genuinely made me begin to tear up at times for certain scenes, albeit right before I was sobered back to reality by the rest of the writing.

I’m also not sure why this is rated so highly either? Perhaps if you’re only a teenager or never experienced a proper narrative in your lifetime of “muh cozy games”, sure, maybe. I’m already in my seat and cozy, thank you. I want my games to give me something that’s worth my time, and To the Moon is simply not that. I do not recommend this game, even on sale, because I think there are better ways to waste 4 hours. Drive to Chick-fil-a or something instead, I dunno.

Score: 53

A wonderful story to play though. Even though it's surrounding a heavy topic they have made it both lighthearted and heart warming. I would recommend if you're looking for a short story-driven game (4 hours ish).

To the moon is a lifetimes worth of memories compressed into a little pixel art game.
The story unfolding as you explore the patients memories is deep, emotional and well written.

My impatience was sometimes triggered by the slow progress, but giving yourself the time to listen to the story you won't be disappointed

As a game, it's not difficult, and is more like a point-and-click or search game.
But the true meaning of "I want to go to the moon" and the ending.
A distorted future and its conclusion.
Oh come on! I don't care about the explanations! Just give it a try!
Try it out for a night, not as a game, but as if you were reading a short story novel.

I just finished To the Moon, and wow—what a ride. It’s not your usual game with intense mechanics or action, but the story? Absolutely unforgettable. The way it slowly unravels Johnny’s past, piece by piece, had me completely hooked. At first, it feels like a simple story, but as you dig deeper, it hits hard. Some moments were funny, some were heartbreaking, and the music? Perfectly tied to every scene. Kan Gao really knew how to make every track feel alive. The emotional weight of the story, combined with the soundtrack, makes this game something truly special. If you’re into deep, emotional stories that stay with you long after you’re done playing, this one’s worth it. It’s short, but it leaves a huge impact.

I'm not crying, you are T^T

Very well written story and good storytelling! The twist and ending made me just go silent for a bit and *claps*

I would never though a game could make me cry, and much less a game that last 5 hours to complete and its just pixel art with some text in it.
Just an amazing experience, that what I would describe this, as an experience, not a videogame at all.
Make sure to complete it in one sit, dont waste this gem.

Just a phenomenal, tear-jerking, one-of-a-kind game. Gameplay is meh but the story just blows it out of the water. Despite the gameplay, I have not seen much characterization this realistic. Could not recommend more, but would suggest having tissues handy. I can't wait to play the rest of the series.

Aside from the clunky controls, the game's story is also very wholesome. I know this game isn't for everyone. but hey.. story is the main thing for this game. You play this game not just because of the gameplay but because of the story. So.. just relax when playing this game, don't rush. enjoy every dialogue and the beautiful backsound.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☑ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☑ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ 7 / 10 }---

It took me a few times to get through all the setup of the beginning stages of the game, but it was well worth it. It's a masterclass of showing how it's not hyper-realistic assets that make an amazing game. So many people, with the right ideas, could craft something amazing with an RPG maker and free assets online if they didn't want to make their own. I hope this game becomes their inspiration.

This game make me fall in love with pixel graphics kinda game, unexpectedly hilarious and fun

A masterclass in biography, foreshadowing, and sappy piano soundtrack. Once you reach the origins of Johnny's story, everything falls into place like perfect, heart-wrenching dominoes.

This game made me cry. That's the highest praise I can give something.

I found the two main characters slightly obnoxious at times, mainly because they didn't feel like the full characters they could have been. The storyteller would break their 'rules' for jokes, and make them not communicate properly (Act 3 IIRC) for the sake of tropey drama on top of a story that was good enough to go without it.

With that said though the animators did an amazing job at conveying character emotions, and the story this game revolves around was pretty touching, and had me thinking for a bit after rolling credits.
In a few years I'll probably have forgotten/rewritten in my head the things I didn't like, and will be left with the memory of a nice little game I once played called 'To The Moon'

I don't usually play story rich games, but I've heard this one was an unforgettable story. And by god, this is quite the adventure. Bonus points for giving me a couple of laughs along the way. It certainly didn't let me down. It's very sad, absolutely unforgettable, it's absolute cinema, 9/10.

Great and emotional story.
Graphics are ok, gameplay loop is bearable at best. Controls are not good

I always tell people that this game is in my top 5 games, and it very well may be my all time favorite.

The graphics may not be great, it may only take a couple hours to beat, and the puzzles and gameplay may be super simple, but what makes this game great is its ability to tell a story that you get invested into.

It's been over a decade since I played through the game and I still remember the feelings it made me feel. It's well worth the $10 price tag.

beautiful, gorgeous story, wonderful soundtrack. i had listened to it many times before, and knew absolutely nothing about the game or what to expect. i'm glad i got to experience it with no previous knowledge. i'm glad i got to experience it at all. beautiful.

A very moving love story that is light on gameplay, highly recommended.

Arte em pixel e lágrimas. Tem como ponto forte um roteiro muito bem escrito, e como ponto fraco a jogabilidade. Os gráficos ultrapassados têm o seu charme, e ajudam a causar impacto e experiência que poucos outros jogos conseguem proporcionar. Este é um jogo sobre vida, morte e liberdade. Sobre a beleza que vêm da tristeza de nos percebermos finitos, e sobre como a jornada compensa. Definitivamente, compensa, e muito, jogar.

"Everything's Alright" is a soundtrack that perfectly complements the game. It’s truly the best in its genre—I’ve never heard such a flawless musical score before.
The story is structured seamlessly, without unnecessary drag or fillers. The engaging mechanic of memory viewing and trigger selection adds depth to the gameplay. And the ending? Simply perfect—a powerful conclusion to this outstanding story. Bravo!

It's crazy how well-written this story is.

Not sure if this is super connected to the next game besides the main characters but hmm.. I think this was endearing and funny and straightforward (though the puzzles were very very easy lol) enough for me to have enjoyed it. But it just felt like there was too much.... stuff. Too many... Elements(tm) for a game this short, not wrt gameplay (the little gameplay there is is nice enough) but wrt the story ig?? The rabbits, the moon, the mystery disorder (pretty obvious what it is but also sometimes... it feels like something else entirely), the childhood experience, lighthouse, platypus, etc etc it's just a lot that feels a bit messy when things are tied together. Also, one specific line in this game took me sooo out of it lmfao and yes iykyk...

Overall Game Rating - 8.7/10 (imo)
Will Play It Again For Sure .

I wasn't sure what kind of game I was going to play at the start, but I was pleasantly surprised! The game has its funny and dark moments with lovable characters and emotional topics. Overall it's an absolute gem. I highly recommend it!

Very nice story, enjoyed it!

This game is something special. Play it. You won't regret it. It will make you cry.

Oh no, it definitely didn't make me cry, though. Not at all.

Beautiful story, good narratives, well written dialogue, enjoyable progression.. this should be a movie

Fucking phenomenal game and franchise.
Probably stole Okami's spot as my favorite game.

Every time I replay it, I notice something different, which makes it hit even harder than it did initially.
Highly recommended.

great story and PEAKED music, i had a good cry, even tho i got a feel that they should had end it a different way, it still a beaufitul game imo.

To the Moon is an emotional and atmospheric game which absorbs your mind and consciousness to itself, as the story advances, you think get more answers to your questions, but also create more questions. As you get closer to the end, you wonder so much more.
However, there are also a factor which ruin the emotional environment: Our protagonists' dialogues are just ruining the tone of the game. They are like corporate freaks, especially Neil. All they talk about is the business.
Nevertheless, this game is worth to play, to experience an emotional weight in your heart. It makes you think in a philosophical way for your life, and your memories in the past.

3.5/5
When I played it a dozen years ago I was greatly impacted by the story but it was short-lived in my memory.
This game knows how to make the best overall impression but the game is not something big that will be remembered for a long time. Like if we compare two different but similar games - TTM and LiS 1, the latter is much deeper and carries bigger emotions for longer periods of time, I'm talking literally years. And TTM is only remembered for the ending that the dudes send him to space and it is "so sad alexa play despacito".
So I guess if the playerbase reviewed the score at least a month later and if the 1-10 rating system was used, the game would get a solid and fair 8.2/10. So my downplay of the score is the point I raised above.
Still, a game worth the money, especially when on a discount. And it has cards and a single achievement for passing the game.

I learned about this game from watching a streamer play it many years ago. Before playing it myself, I didn't remember much detail except the title and the idea that it has a beautiful story...
I was not disappointed. Finally being able to play this game after all these years - it is indeed a masterpiece that will continue to stand the test of time.
P.S. The soundtrack is itself a masterpiece too, in this game as well as the other games. I will never get tired of hearing those "two boring notes" <3

Superbly written game that allows you to overlook its outdated graphics and gameplay. There is no voice acted dialogue, but I was constantly gasping, laughing, and had the occasional sniffle while playing through this gem.

剧本很努力，可能适合作为一个曲折的故事，但游戏性真的蛮差的，几种氛围强行穿插在一起令人莫名其妙，交互也做得不好。坐牢。已删除，不推荐。

A beautiful storyline; worth the playthrough.

So.... Yes, the game has some bugs, and errors, and one time I had to completely restart it because it just... froze? Yes, the graphics are not that good - I mean, just pixel art part is okay, but text was low quality, also some backgrounds. It also completely lacks options - like change window size or music volume.

But despite it all - it's a beautiful story. I enjoyed it a lot - it has funny jokes and moments, and wholesome, heartwarming parts, and very sad ones... Definitely worth playing, maybe buy on sale - full price is a bit much for amount of content.

Free Minisodes are okay, they add a bit of lore which is not needed to understand and don't add anything to main game, but if you plan on playing other games with those characters they could add some depth (I am not sure, as I didn't play them yet)