[SPOILERS] 13 years ago, I got it wrong

[Thalandor46]

I first played To The Moon when it released in 2011. To this day, I think it is one of the greatest narratives I have ever experienced across all media. Admittedly, it is not much of a game. But the story, the character development, the world building, and all of the charm and personality more than make up for that. I've experienced To The Moon about 5 times since then, and every single time leaves me in tears. It's rare that I get that emotional with a story for the first time, and it speaks wonders to the quality of To The Moon that I've had that experience repeatedly.

At the end of the first game, in the post credits scene, we see Neil experience a flash of red while lingering at the lighthouse. We know what this red flash means. Johnny experienced it several times during his simulation. It means that the patient is dying, and a matter of urgency is invoked. But they are no longer in Johnny's simulation. And it was not Johnny who experienced these flashes, it was the doctors. So then, if Neil is the one to experience these flashes, there was really only one conclusion. Eva is the patient. Eva is dying.

In 2015, I was thrilled to experience the second Sigmund Minisode. The first minisode has introduced the idea that what the Sigmund Corporation was doing was controversial. But imagine my delight when in the post credits scene of the second, we get a brief flash of reality. And in that moment, we see Eva sitting in a chair, attached to a Sigmund device, in the same room as a terminal, very similar to how we saw Johnny's bedroom configured. This, as far as I was concerned, confirmed it. Eva is the patient. Eva is dying.

Admittedly, that is part of why I found myself a bit underwhelmed with Finding Paradise and Impostor Factory. While I appreciated the narratives, the continued world building, and the character backgrounds, I was frustrated that they did not seem to directly contribute to the underlying narrative with Eva and Neil. As such, I didn't really consider the implications of what those character backgrounds suggested. And I came out of Impostor Factory in 2021, frustrated with no conclusion to that part of the story after 10 years of looking for it.

So then, after 3 more years, along comes the Beach Episode. I am thrilled to finally be returning to the storyline I care about most. It very quickly becomes apparent that this episode is a simulation. So, I keep playing with my theory at the forefront of my mind. Eva is the patient. Eva is dying. And mayhaps this is Neil's attempt to make a perfect final day for her. It is clearly not perfect, but that's why Neil will just continue to make adjustments and repeat the day until he gets it right. With that in mind, I was very pleased and very emotional throughout the entire Beach Episode experience. And then, like every great Kan Gao experience, I continued into the post credits.

"You were distant when you were alive, you're distant even when you're dead..."

In an instant, it all came crashing down. Eva is not the patient. Eva is not dying. Neil is the one who died. I was wrong. I got it almost perfectly backwards.

Maybe this was obvious to some people. But for me, it was a huge moment that I got to experience all over again. I am still reeling from that moment, even if it's just the result of my own personal stubbornness. But all of this is to say, I want to thank Kan for the Beach Episode, and for finally resolving this part of the storyline that has been haunting me for so long. Despite the long wait, and despite some frustrations during that time, the execution was wonderful, and I'm so thrilled to have finally experienced it. I can't wait to see how RPG wraps everything up! Thank you for everything over the past 13 years. For a franchise I hold in such high regard, you deserve all of your success.

[Magnificent One]

This series is so special to me and I wish more people understood.

[coolcatv8]

I thought something similar to you.
I never imagined what had really happened, I thought perhaps near the end Neil might have been in a coma but never dead
This game series has honestly been one of my favorites I've ever played, I've never found anything like it in terms of how deep the story line is and how emotional it makes me. Honestly I wish I could erase my memories of everything and play them all again from the start, which I find poetic considering what the company does in the game to peoples memories.

[Wampiir]

Only one game made me cry, many times : To The Moon. This serie is really wonderful. Wish more people were playing it. It's not easy to find people to speak with. Like, how to cope with all of what's happening in all the episodes ?

It's so hard right now. I've just finished the game, and I still don't want to face this reality ! How brutal the end is. I though there was something after the beach. You crash "esc" for... game brutaly closing. I was shocked ! Always special to play a Freebird Games. But, when I started the game, with all the things around Neil, I knew. I didn't remember everything, but when he talk about his mother : everything came back in my head. My mind was doing the puzzle. Ah !

Thank you Freebird Games.

Ps : sorry for my english, not my first language.

[The Murdering Angel]

I have the benefit of only recently having played this series, and I totally binged it. When you see all the pieces put together in a straight line, it's MUCH easier to see it - there's always foreshadowing of each individual piece, and the broad outline of it is much clearer. From Tobias' illness and death to what Neil claimed he was working on in IF, some of it was telegraphed pretty hard.

But I can absolutely see how easy it would be to miss those connections - and how awesome it is that Kan came back to wrap things up in a neat little bow and help fill in the gaps in our memories. :)