3.3 hours played
Written 25 days ago
Disclaimer: Lengthy post; minor series spoilers
So, I've played through the entire series, up to this point, in quick succession, and rather than reviewing each game individually, I've decided to leave my opinions on each game under this store listing specifically. This is the most recent and supposedly final main entry, and as such, a lot of new players are going to flock to this page, as a result, so it helps to have someone's opinions and a bite-sized synopsis of each game, all in one spot. If the RPG ends up adding a ton of new lore and character development, I may copy this all over to that page, but otherwise, I will review it separately.
Now then, I imagine many players looking to jump/back into the series will check the comments out, curious whether this is just a fan-service title or not, and if not, how it connects to the story of the previous entries. If you want a short answer, this game is very important to the story, and to Eva and Neil (the protagonists), in particular.
If you are a new player, this series is going to be difficult to get through, if you are the emotional type. Each game has the themes of loss and letting go at the front. Those funny and happy moments you experience with the characters are there to make the sad moments 10X more difficult to bear, so prepare yourself, if need be. Even I, someone who got through Red Dead Redemption 2, Telltale's The Walking Dead: Season 1, and Crisis Core - FFVII: Reunion, without crying, was brought to tears at the end of each episode.
For the rest of the post, I'll be giving quick descriptions of each game and their content, in chronological order. I will also be providing my brief opinion on each at the end of their description.
To The Moon: Here's where it all begins. To The Moon follows Neil and Eva, two employees who work for Sigmund Corp, a company that has the ability to alter your memories to either fulfill a dream or erase a burden or regret from your mind. The patient you're assigned to wishes to go to the moon (hence the title), but without sacrificing the memories of their loved one, so you travel through their memories, directly and indirectly influencing their decisions to make it happen. You watch Neil and Eva bond and butt heads over the decisions each of them make, until they eventually make it to the end of the road.
This is certainly a strong way to open the series. The story is a great starting point to build off of, Neil and Eva are well-written characters-Neil being the comedic relief, and Eva being the level-headed balancer-and the music is very pretty. It certainly earned its spot as a top indie narrative-adventure.
Sigmund Minisodes: The minisodes are, as their title suggests, side stories focusing on the Sigmund Corporation and its employees. Both have a holiday setting and follow the events of To The Moon, with the first being about a Christmas Party thrown by the various employees, and the second episode being specifically about Neil and Eva on Christmas Eve. While the first episode focuses on the negative reputation Sigmund Corp. has in the public eye, the second episode is a personal story about Neil and Eva. The second episode is where you're going to start having questions, if you don't already, as the episode sheds a lot of light on their own health, their relationship with their families, and their relationship with each other. These are free add-ons for To The Moon, so there's no reason not to play them. You'll launch them through your library instead of through the game's desktop shortcut.
A Bird Story: This one is easy to keep brief. Rather than following our duo at Sigmund Corp., A Bird Story follows the patient in Finding Paradise when they are a child. The game doesn't add major info, but it allows you to connect with the patient a little closer, and it also gives you a bit of insight as to why his memories include certain objects, follow certain patterns, and depict some scenes in a way that isn't "normal." If you're only interested in Neil and Eva, you can skip this game. It is a very good story, however, and at a very fair price.
Finding Paradise: This game is a lot more goofy and action-oriented than To The Moon. Neil kicks his humor and references up several levels. Closer to the end of the game, you even end up in short shoot 'em up and fighting game segments. It can be pretty bonkers at times.
That being said, the game retains the same themes of loss and letting go that you are already familiar with. As I mentioned, your patient is the same kid from A Bird Story. If you played that, you're going to notice dozens of scene similarities and you will be able to call back when each memory of his occurred and what exactly happened.
It is tied with Impostor Factory for the best overall experience, in my opinion. However, this game doesn't provide as much noticeable development for Neil and Eva, which I believe you're going to be interested in. A lot of the hints are going to go over your head, and you'll only recognize them after you finish Impostor Factory and the Beach Episode. Still, Finding Paradise is going to be an easy favorite for a lot of players.
Impostor Factory: This game takes a complete 180 from Finding Paradise. Instead of being more goofy, it is much more serious and much more dark. The game features lots of blood and bodies in the first hourish of the story, just to help get the point across. Now, much like A Bird Story, Impostor Factory swaps protagonists from Neil and Eva to a new character. If you're invested in the two protagonists, this is a game where you want to pay close attention to everything, as even though it doesn't feature them as main characters, this story and ending is very important to Neil, and by extension Eva, when leading into the Beach Episode, and it also sheds light on some of the questions you may have from To The Moon, the minisodes, and Finding Paradise.
It's very difficult to go into much more detail without heavy spoilers, but prepare to be incredibly shocked.
Beach Episode: Yeah, this one was rough to get through... Just a quick glance at the other reviews will give you an idea. Before you even begin the episode, you're going to have formed plenty of theories. If you've played the previous episodes, even just the title is going to be a big red flag. It starts off pretty lighthearted, but keen-eyed players are going to begin to immediately recognize some pretty big hints. I won't say much else, but this game had me teary-eyed on the final screen for a couple of minutes. It's a perfect, albeit heartbreaking conclusion to the series, and I hope more people who experienced the first game can eventually make their way to this point.
Comics: While a majority of the comics are just quick skits, Paper Memories has some very cute panels and connects To The Moon and Finding Paradise through the third comic. The Bestest Dancers - Sunset is a must read, though. It is a great visualization of what Neil and Eva feel for each other, and it does a great job at depicting Eva's mental health during the finale of the series.
Thank you, Kan Gao, and all of Freebird Games, for bringing this story to us. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can't recommend it enough to all types of gamers.
