Music and Sound
The soundtrack for To the Moon has to be the best that I have heard in an indie game. Freebird Games has made no secret of Laura Shigihara’s involvement with the project. Laura has been writing music for the gaming industry for some time, and it shows. She is best known for composing the soundtrack for Plants vs. Zombies. With her assistance, Freebird Director Kan Gao was able to bring his game to life. Every song is beautifully arranged and sets the mood to what is already an emotional story. The sound effects also add character to the game. Each effect sounds clear and is edited in a way that makes everything seem more dynamic. The car crash in the game’s opening, sounds like it’s coming from a fair distance away. Furthermore, I love the way that the main theme ties together with Johnny’s heart monitor. That effect gets me choked up every time. Most of the sound effects are stock, however. I was quite surprised to find that the memory machine sounds just like a deploying siege tank from Star Craft. This is just a minor nitpick for me, and it doesn’t affect my enjoyment of this game.
Graphics
The art style of To the Moon resembles and old RPG on the SNES. However, there is a lot there to be admired. The character animations are very impressive. Limbs and faces are articulated in a way that I haven’t seen until now. The characters’ movements seem almost fluid at times, and they are able to assume a number of dynamic poses. I find the eyes to be especially impressive. The characters’ irises actually move, allowing them to appear like they are looking in a different direction. This gives some extra personality to the characters, especially where River is concerned. Players will immediately notice her tendency to avoid eye contact with others, a behavior often associated with Asperger’s Syndrome. Also, the static artwork used for the sky and cutscenes in the game have a phenomenal amount of detail to them. All in all, the game resembles what looks like a remastered version of a classic Final Fantasy game. And, as you will notice while playing, it is more than willing to make fun of itself for this fact.
This would make one hell of a post card.
Conclusion
I don’t think I have ever connected with a game like I have with To the Moon. It has a narrative unlike any that I have seen, with characters that really seem alive. Add in a wonderful soundtrack and some phenomenal artwork, and you get an indie experience that you will cherish forever. The only gripe that I have about it is that the player doesn’t seem to affect what’s going on at all. The puzzles only serve to take the characters further back in Johnny’s memory, and they don’t show up at all in the last third of the game. There 
are some decisions that can be made early on, but this only affects a small amount of the dialog. That said, I still love this game, and I will always count it among my favorites. If you love corny romance stories or if you know someone with Asperger’s Syndrome, then I highly recommend that you buy it. As an added bonus, you can also purchase the game’s excellent soundtrack for just under five dollars. Half the proceeds from its sale will go towards Autism related charities. I am excited to say that To the Moon is meant to be the first game in an ongoing series. If this one is any indication, then I know that the next adventure for Watts and Rosalene will be great indeed.
