“To the Moon” is a visual novel done in the best way that I’ve ever seen. The game decides to do away with useless collectibles and achievements to focus SOLELY on its story. If there is a direction that seems like it’s the obvious direction to go, you go that direction. So often in this type of game, I lose my immersion because of ultimately pointless filler content that developers insert when they are scared of putting out a product that is ultimately only 2-4 hours long. However, I’d argue that “To the Moon” is a perfect demonstration of a game so confident in itself, that it casts those crutches to the wayside. It proves that it’s not about how long a game is, it’s about how that game spends the hours that it does have with you.

While there were a couple of awkward or sort of “cringe” moments in the dialogue, this is also a game that is almost straight dialogue. For video game writing, this is on the tamer side of how awkward things can get.

I couldn’t help thinking about my own relationship throughout the game and how accurately the game depicts what it is to love. This game captures how it is to live after trauma, to love despite feeling socially ostracized, and how it feels to honor your partner’s wishes (even when they don’t make sense to you.)

Cannot recommend highly enough.