To The Moon: A Love Story where you help a man die

A game where you travel backwards through a dying man's memories to help them find peace

Everything in this video was recorded live on my Twitch Channel. My schedule is Tuesday & Thursday @ 7pm, Saturday & Sunday @ 3pm - all times based in Ireland.

Chapter Breakdown:
00:00 Act 1: The First Jump
46:53 Act 2: Billions of Lighthouses
1:11:25 To The Moon

[RTGame]

I loved playing this, and I hope you guys do too :)

[spellboundbanana]

This game is the definition of:
Oh yeah, It’s all coming together now.
Except you’re uncontrollably crying the entire time.

[tomoshinoshinori]

You dont know how much dopamine shot through my body to see "to the moon" in my notifications again after so many years

[theraptornitor]

I remember when I played the game and just as Johnny flatlined Origin popped up on my screen saying "Your Wifi has been disconnected" and I went from the verge of tears to bursting with laughter because of how horribly timed that was

[lunagale]

"For River" turns to "To the Moon", but going "To the Moon" has always been about finding River meaning that song is and always be hers even in this new context

[NoahB-gjfg]

I just started crying again cause I realized he only wanted to go to the moon after River died. After he lost her. He didn’t understand why but it was because they said they would meet eachother on the moon. He just really missed his late wife. Oh God the tears

[logankoster]

This game is one of those that wraps you up in a blanket of comfort and humor like a burrito before beating you with a stick of feels.

[lunagale]

So, something big with Autism and ADHD is what's called associative memory. We understand and communicate better through sharing our own experiences, showing things we like, and in general, we learn better by presenting things side by side rather than explaining directly. Think we show things by how they feel to us rather than directly stating them (or when we do directly state things, they seem too blunt).

One of the major features of To the Moon is the jumping back mechanic. Where in order to jump back in Johnny's life, you have to connect back to a previous memory. Furthermore, the way that River communicates is a lot through association. The rabbits? She was trying to connect herself to the rabbits and to the moon. She was trying to communicate to Johnny through how her own memory worked.

And in the end? She succeeded. A lot of the early jumping points in the game were due to the rabbit and the platypus, both of which were associated with her. The rabbits were crucial in trying to get Johnny to the final point. Furthermore, the only reason why Johnny wanted to go to the moon in the first place is because of River, because in her own way she kept reminding him of what that meant, even if she never communicated that directly.

In the end, while she wasn't alive to know what she had done, River successfully was able to reach Johnny and remind him just enough to know what she was talking about. Literally, her way of thinking and communicating was how they were finally able to reach each other to the moon in the end.

[petereberhard]

I love how rts content is one half god of chaos and the other half is just sappy games that make us cry

[DOAMIAAFK]

GOD I JUST GOT IT. HE WAS SO OBSESSED WITH RIVER'S WEIRDNESS AND INDIVIDUALITY BECAUSE HE NEVER HAD IT HIMSELF. HE WAS JOEY AND LIVED JOEY'S LIFE, NOT HIS OWN. SHE LITERALLY HAD WHAT HE WANTED. THAT'S WHY HE DIDN'T READ HER DIAGNOSIS, HE DIDN'T WANT TO THINK OF HER AS PART OF A GROUP. HE WANTED HER TO REMAIN SPECIAL, INDIVIDUAL. I'M CRYING DUDE.

[somethingelse]

RTGame, there is a sequel to “To the Moon” called “Finding Paradise” and even a third game called “Impostor Factory.” Each is as brilliantly written as “To the Moon” and just as meaningful.

[fromthecherryvine]

I REMEMBER CRYING OVER THIS GAME YEARS AGO

[schelleyy]

The end of the story is so sweet until I remembered that nothing of it was real. Joey and River still died. Nothing changed. It all only happened in Johnny's head. For him it felt real but reality never changed. I know he probably died happy but the thought of it just makes me tear up.

[FailcopterWes]

The most interesting part of this when watching it live was how, once the topic of autism came up in game, the chat became filled with people telling stories about their experiences having it.

[mattkitt]

Bruhhh I think he still wanted to be called "Johnny" because it's a combination of "John" and "Joey"

[Kagira]

As someone with autism who was so horribly stigmatized that my parents never told me my own diagnosis, this game made me cry like a baby AND was incredibly relatable. "Eventually, with practice you can imitate social norms"

[wetbedsealand]

“I cant.. do it.. not again.. i’m not.. strong enough..”

[korokonas]

*Me, ready to watch this again and try not to cry*
"I'm a brave boy!"
*Gets to the Joey part*
"Not a brave enough boy FOR THIS"

[CptPandy-tjty]

4 years ago I dated a girl and she had autism and then 2 years ago she committed suicide because no one could understand how to deal with someone who had a slight social and learning disability and this gameplay just makes me think of her and all the wishes she had that she will never be able to see come true. I wish people would know how to handle other with disability because you can't just treat them like they're normal you need more patience for them and be very understanding of them

[AlistairArsene]

This was the first game to really make me cry. Like, full-blown sob. That moment where River asks "what if you get lost?" and Johnny says "we'll regroup on the moon!" made me break down for a good five minutes. You spend this whole game not knowing why Johnny wants to go to the moon, but realization hits you like a sledgehammer. And it's so unexpected, it sucker-punches you while your guard is down.

He barely remembers that part of his life because of the beta-blockers, but that one thing still pushed through. After River died, he wanted to see her again. And somewhere, deep in his memories, he preserved a tiny scrap of that night. When he promised that if they couldn't find each other, they'd reunite on the moon.