Can a game without gameplay possibly be one of the best created?

I may well have just played one of the most emotionally impacting games of my gaming career. And amazingly it may well have been the least interactive too. Featuring no driving, shooting, climbing, jumping or actually much gameplay at all. What it did have however made me blub more than the screaming child on my bus who was denied a lolly.

In my last post I mentioned that I had decided to delve the depths of Steam for their Summer Sale. Among my haul was the indie game To The Moon, although the term game is applied loosely. Despite being created using the RPG maker  To The Moon isn't your traditional role playing game. Instead it is more of a basic point and click adventure game, with a major focus on story.

And what a story it is! Not often can a story evoke much emotion. No not because I am heartless or unfeeling, but because as a Creative Writing student I have been taught to scrutinise events and recognise calling signs for plot points. This has turned me into a somewhat jaded person, and even films have to go an extra mile to impress me (I am a self-confessed story snob).

I will happily admit that I felt tears welling in my eyes as I played To The Moon. A reason behind this may be down to the topic on hand. You play as two scientists (Eva and Neil) who work for Sigmund corp, a futuristic company that specialises in creating memories. The two scientists arrive at a large house to alter the memories of Johnny, and implant his dying wish, to go to the moon. To implant this memory Eva and Neil must travel through Johnny's life and find out why he wants to travel to the moon so that you can make the memory stronger.

As you traverse his timeline you find out about his marriage to River. At first everything seems fine, and Johnny appears to be an attentive husband to a wife that's weirdly distant. As you progress you find the reason as to why they seem strained despite having a strong connection. The story really is heartfelt and is very human, which is why it provoked such a strong reaction from me. I won't go into anymore detail or risk spoiling it.

The graphics won't stun you, but the story certainly will.

One of the greatest strengths of To The Moon  is the beautiful soundtrack. The opening title screen has a unique piano score that signals the touching story to come. Another great song comes courtesy of Laura Shingara, whon many people will know for the song There's a Zombie on Your Lawn from Plants Vs. Zombies. This song, Everything is Alright, is completely different and reflects the emotional roller-coaster you will have experienced at the moment it is played.  

I can't say that I enjoyed playing To The Moon. But that is because there is very little gameplay about it. Each level is spent wandering around a specific scene in Johnny's memories interacting with a number of objects. Once the amount of objects have been clicked on a simple tile-based puzzle is revealed. This lack of gameplay leaves it in a weird place, not enough action  to be considered a game and too much for it to be a interactive comic. Yet what it did have ensured I kept clicking with intrigue even after the credits rolled. 

I really couldn't get enough by the end, and the plot wormed its way around my brain for days later. To The Moon is my new frisbee to throw at the face of anyone who ever says that video games don't contain smart stories.