Award-winning adventure game To The Moon is now available for download on Android smartphones and tablets, five and a half years after debuting on Windows PCs. Developed by independent Canadian studio Freebird Games, To The Moon was praised by both consumers and critics alike, having received a number of awards for its unique design and the way in which it utilized the gaming medium to tell an emotional, immersive story. Apart from offering an unconventional experience, the game is also unique in terms of its origins as Freebird created it using RPG Maker XP, an Enterbrain and ASCII Corporation-made graphics engine that was designed for developing srole-playing games. While To The Moon features some light RPG elements, the game is primarily an adventure that only resembles 16-bit 2D (J)RPGs due to its visual style.
To The Moon’s sci-fi narrative follows two doctors who specialize in bringing back memories of people on their deathbeds in an effort to fulfill their dying wishes. The game takes place on the coastal property of a man called Johnny whose last wish is to go to the Moon. As Dr. Rosalene and Dr. Watts delve into Johnny’s memories and try to manipulate them to convince their patient that he visited the Moon, they start learning more about his life and the events that led him to make his unusual wish. As the game’s main theme is quite heavy, To The Moon is primarily aimed at mature gamers, though the lack of graphical content still mean that the title carries a PEGI 3 rating on the Google Play Store. The gameplay itself revolves solely around exploration and dialogue with one exception that serves as a humorous homage to Japanese RPGs from the ’90s that partially inspired To The Moon. That exception won’t be spoiled in this article but you’ll know what it is early on in the game.
The Android port of To The Moon wasn’t developed by Freebird Games and was instead handled by X.D. Network, a Hong Kong, China-based studio that acquired the rights to create and release the mobile version of the renowned adventure. The jump to another platform didn’t change the game in any way save for replacing its control scheme with one that’s suitable for touchscreen devices. To The Moon is available for download from the Google Play Store for $4.99 and features no advertisements or in-app purchases.
