to the moon
Latest
Indie darling 'To the Moon' makes its console debut in January
Indie darling To the Moon will launch on Nintendo Switch on January 16th. Developer XD Network and publisher Freebird Games shared the revised release date in a new YouTube teaser. The title was previously set to launch this summer.
Indie favorite 'To the Moon' is coming to Nintendo Switch this summer
Indie RPG favorite To the Moon is set to make the journey to the Nintendo Switch this summer. Developer XD Network and publisher Freebird Games announced the title would make its console debut later this year. An exact date has yet to be announced, but the title will be recreated to fit on Nintendo's unique platform.
Shh: A Bird Story dev speaks up about pre-release silence
A Bird Story is Kan Gao's follow-up to To the Moon, a quietly emotional and surprisingly deep game about life and love that's been well-received since its release three years ago. Now, with A Bird Story launching on Friday, Gao is proud of his new game, but he feels the need to warn players that it may not be what they expect. It's simpler, he says. "The one thing that I'd like to be clear about is that I'm certainly not unsure about the game – to me, it's perhaps the one thing I've made that I'd choose if someone were to ask me to," Gao tells Joystiq in an email. "That being said, I don't expect everyone to share that sentiment (it doesn't have a more intricate story like To the Moon, for example), and I think some folks (naturally) have a certain expectation about what the next game is going to be like – I think that's what I'm worried about. I really think it's the kind of game that's best enjoyed with a blank slate." A Bird Story is a short bridge between To the Moon's first and second episodes, the latter of which has yet to be released. The series deals in time travel and the final wishes of people on their deathbeds: The main episodes feature two scientists as they enter a dying man's memories to alter events and make his final wish come true, at least in his mind. A Bird Story stars a boy who grows up to be the dying man in episode two. In a video posted yesterday, Gao says multiple times that A Bird Story is different than To the Moon – for starters, it has absolutely no dialogue. Similarly, Gao hasn't been very vocal about developing A Bird Story, providing minimum updates and releasing just one trailer back in August.
Humble Indie Bundle X offers up Joe Danger 2, Surgeon Simulator, and more
Who's humble and ready to bundle? Is it you? Are you sure you're humble enough? The tenth Humble Indie Bundle launches today, offering up to six DRM-free, cross-platform PC games for a buyer-chosen price. All bundle buyers will receive Steam-redeemable copies of Hello Games' motorcycle stunt sim Joe Danger 2: The Movie, Freebird Games' elegiac RPG To the Moon, Minority's fantasy-themed adventure game Papo & Yo, and Gaijin Games' autoscrolling rhythm-platformer Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien. Chip in a little extra cash to beat the bundle's average purchase price and you'll also receive Bossa Studios' super-gross/super-hilarious Surgeon Simulator 2013 and Abbey Games' planet-shaping strategy game Reus. Humble Indie Bundle X also includes a collection of soundtracks for all featured games, and if past bundles are of any indication, a bonus game or two are likely to be added at a later date.
To the Moon mini-episode takes flight for free today
To the Moon, the emotional adventure from indie developer Freebird Games, now has 20 more minutes of feelings and platypuses in a free mini-episode that dropped today. It's available in the Steam files, via Freebird or, if that site remains under heavy load, through these mirrors. The new episode is half holiday treat and half restitution for the delay of A Bird Story, Freebird's next game that was initially slated to launch in 2013. The freebie is a lighthearted romp in Sigmund Corp with a tiny nod to Johnny's story from To the Moon, creator Kan Gao says. "Sorry that A Bird Story's running late, but at least Eva and Neil get to make a short return sooner than expected," Freebird wrote on Facebook in December. To the Moon will have Steam Trading Cards soon, with a preview of those included in the gallery below.
Indie Spring Sale bounces onto Steam
From now through March 29, Steam will be hosting a cavalcade of discounted indie games, both old standbys and newcomers alike, as part of its Indie Spring Sale. The list of discounted games (just click on "Specials") is as long as it is jam packed with great deals.For instance, 25 percent off of Kentucky Route Zero is something you can have in your life right now, as is the opportunity to buy To The Moon, Home or Jamestown for less than $5 each. Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, Super Hexagon, Proteus, Retro City Rampage, VVVVVV; the list of discounted greatness goes on and on. There's even quite a few options for you Linux gamers out there, so apologize to your wallet and start restocking your gaming retirement fund.
To the Moon follow-up mini game, A Bird Story, set free mid-2013
Freebird Games' A Bird Story, available for PC in mid-2013, bridges the gap between stellar 2011 indie game To the Moon and its coming sequel. A Bird Story is a "narrative-driven, top-down adventure short" that chronicles the young life of the old man in the sequel, and while it is a narrative game, A Bird Story features almost no dialogue. It does have an original soundtrack composed by creator Kan Gao; check out a sample in the title screen above.To all the players expecting certain things in the next full To the Moon game, Gao says even he isn't quite sure what it will look like, but he won't develop it just to meet certain quota or mirror previous games."However, what I can promise is that I'll always be making what truly means something to me - and hopefully, to you too," he says. "I hope everyone could take them as they come, and enjoy them for their own merits."
To the Moon 66% off on Steam, Sanitarium down to $4 on GOG
The critically acclaimed (and touching) adventure, To the Moon, is celebrating the holiday today with a 66 percent off Steam sale. The price of the game has dropped to $3.39 – when you start comparing your various favorite pastimes, picking up To the Moon is just about the best emotions-per-dollar deal you'll find.If scares-per-dollar is a more valuable metric to you, then GOG.com is offering up 1998's classic Sanitarium for just a few cents more, at $3.99. It's also about memory and psychology, but it's a little less touchy-feely, and a little more grabby-stabby, if you know what we mean.
Indie Royale Fall Bundle has To the Moon, Oil Rush, AVSEQ, more
The Indie Royale Fall Bundle is here, and it's transformed into an 80s sitcom, if the above trailer is anything to judge by. The Fall Bundle includes To the Moon, Oil Rush, Blackwell Deception, AVSEQ and Reprisal, with special guest appearances by Nancy McKeon. The bundle also includes the soundtracks for Oil Rush and Reprisal, and by paying $8 or more buyers get the album 88:88 by Makeup and Vanity Set, a synthetic, chiptune band from Nashville.Oil Rush, AVSEQ and Reprisal are PC and Mac, and all games except for Reprisal will activate directly on Steam. Head on over to the Indie Royale Fall Bundle to grab some great games on the cheap and possibly learn some facts of life.
PSA: To the Moon is on Steam to make Sunday dreams come true
To the Moon is now on Steam in German, French, Italian and English, as promised earlier this month, and it's on sale for 20 percent off through September 14. With the sale, To the Moon is $8 as a standalone or $10 bundled with the soundtrack, which includes two bonus tracks not in the game.Those who purchased To the Moon direct from Freebird Games' website can snag the Steam version for free by sending an email with your order ID to steam [at] freebirdgames [dot] com. Developer Kan Gao is manually sending out Steam keys once he gets them and he asks for patience in this process.Freebird is working on the second episode of To the Moon and a "short game set in the same universe before that," Gao says. He offers a preview of a song from one of these games right here.To the Moon comes highly recommended from some of the people you trust most in the world.
To the Moon hits Steam September 7, next episode incoming
After teasing in April that a launch would happen "soon," Freebird Games' To the Moon is officially hitting Steam on September 7.To the Moon has been on our radar since last year, when it made our 2011 Best of the Rest roundup. Back then it was available on the developer's site and on Desura, but it was absent on Steam, a service with a wider audience, higher profile and where a game of To the Moon's caliber truly belonged. To the Moon will be available in English, French and German, and likely Italian and Korean, Freebird's Kan Gao says.Freebird is working on another episode of To the Moon, featuring the same doctors invading another dying person's memories in the attempt to make their patient's greatest wish come true, mentally, at least.In April, Gao said To the Moon will be free on Steam to those who purchased it previously, and that it wouldn't include Steamworks, since it's such a short game anyway. Gao confirms that To the Moon won't use Steamworks for achievements or saves, but "it's possible that a new form of cloud saves will be used."Those who bought To the Moon from Freebird's site, and only from Freebird's site, will get a Steam version for free. This will be on a request basis, since Gao has to manually email each person with a free code. He'll announce an email account for retrieving free codes once it's all set up.
To the Moon rocketing to Steam soon, play it so it's not your last regret
To the Moon is a beautiful breakout indie game – you may recall it from our previous praise in the 2011 Best of the Rest roundup – that is now officially coming to Steam, developer Ken Gao of Freebird Games announced today on Twitter.Calling the announcement "semi-casual," Gao still doesn't know an exact date for To the Moon's Steam release, but he expects it within the "next month or two." To the Moon will not include Steamworks features such as cloud saving, but as Gao says, "the game is really short, it can be played in 1 or 2 sittings."Anyone who bought the game from any other vendor, including directly from Freebird Games, will automatically get a Steam key when it launches. To the Moon is for PC only now, but Gao said he is looking for ways to resolve technical issues to bring it to Mac as well.We can attest for the brevity of To the Moon, but regardless of its length To the Moon offers a profoundly introspective, metaphysical experience. If Journey awakened your sense of spiritual fulfillment, To the Moon may be the next title to expand your universe. It's that or DMT, really, and one of those doesn't have any untested, potentially long-term side-effects.
Best of the Rest: Jess' picks of 2011
To the Moon Sometimes we play games to ease real-life frustrations, to cure boredom, to slaughter enemies or to participate in a captivating story. To the Moon, developed by Freebird Games, can do all of these things. It doesn't require you to murder any foes, although its very foundation is in death, and it offers a soothing, philosophical story with more depth than its pixelated graphics initially suggest. As a point-and-click adventure, To the Moon is more of an interactive tale than a full-on game, yet it is so engaging that the lack of quests, boss fights or bullets becomes irrelevant. To the Moon chronicles the last day of an old man's life, but that day includes a Benjamin Button-style adventure through his past as a duo of snarky scientists attempt to change his memories. Why? So that his final wish can come true, at least in his mind, before he dies. In the end, To the Moon is a beautiful and complex love story and, though I don't want to give the entire plot away, I'll tell you his final wish has something to do with interstellar travel.
