A man's dying wish is the central part of this story-driven video game, originally created in 2011.
As Johnny Wyles lays on his death bed, he calls upon the help of two doctors from the Sigmund Corporation, Dr. Eva Rosalene and Dr. Neil Watts, to fulfill his wish stemmed from his subconscious: to make it to the moon.
Eva and Neil, seasoned workers at Sigmund Corp. (a truly fitting name, if you ask me), use their technology to travel through Johnny's memories in order to grant him this wish. Their journey, controlled by the player, follows Johnny's life, retreating backwards from his old age as pieces slowly begin to fall together.
To the Moon, not only is adorable in its pixelized style, but it creates a wonderful, life-long story of Johnny Wyles and his strange desire the pair of doctors do not totally understand. With recurring themes and the inclusion of Johnny's passed on wife, River, an unbelievable amount of emotion is brought forth through playing this game.
With an inversely presented life-span angst trope, To the Moon demonstrates the love between two people, and how time changes them. The element of traveling through Johnny's memories in the order of most recent to oldest poses as both an original approach and a creative technique for presenting the story and the life of Johnny Wyles.
Twists and turns are placed all throughout the tale of Johnny's life, ranging from devastating to sweet.
Not only this, but each of the main characters are well thought out and well presented in their complexities. The two doctors are challenging characters to enjoy easily, though their bickering and commentary comes to be quite amusing throughout.
River herself, Johnny's deceased wife, is a beautifully written character. A part of her character, though by no means her entire personality and nature, is that she is autistic. While it is never directly stated, as is with most forms of media from the early 2010s that involve the Autism Spectrum Disorder, it is both clear and been confirmed by the creators of the show in an online interview.
Her autism is a primary part of River's character. The audience gets to see a little bit into her struggles and challenges both growing up and in adulthood, and while this factor is a huge part of her life, the simple fact that River is autistic does not take away from the character's development, love, or achivements. The inclusion of this, though the name of her infliction is not directly stated in the game, proves to be one of the better portrayals of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a video game, even by today's standards, over ten years after the release.
The music of the game is also a wonderful addition. The tones and melody add another layer to the game and to the complexity of it, with some songs even being heard in character, as a part of what is happening in the scene. With emotional layers, the music adds more to the already beautifully made game.
And while figuring out the gameplay can be a bit challenging and while this game will almost certainly make you cry, To the Moon is a masterpiece curated of emotional and enjoyable moments of traveling through a dying man's memories in order to fulfill his one final wish.