What if you have a chance to rewrite your life? Would you take it?

This is the basic premise of the stories made by the game company: Freebird Games. They have three main games, specifically  “To the Moon”, “Finding Paradise”, and “Imposter Factory”. In these stories, Dr. Eva and Dr.Neil are the main protagonists. They can grant wishes of people who are about to meet their end with the help of their machine.

Freebird Games is about to release their latest installment entitled “To the Moon - Beach Episode”. The name implies that the experience would be light and fun for the audience as the characters would probably go on their vacation.

Despite this, fans already have their suspicions that this game would be more than a “beach episode”. User "KeeperofUntoldDreams" commented on their official YouTube channel.

"Given what this series is, I'm still prepared for feels."

Freebird Games isn’t fooling anyone with their titles anymore. Fans have learned, and are ready for the “feels”. With basic background out of the way, here are 10 things fans need to know why “To The Moon - Beach Episode” is worth buying. 

1. Everyone is Here!

Fans would be thrilled to know that every single main character  from each trilogy would be all in one game. Questions such as “how would they interact” would be answered in this latest installment. Eva, Neil, Roxanne, and Lin will be also joining the party. The other two doctors will finally have the chance to meet Eva and Neil’s patients throughout the years.

There are visuals from the game’s Steam page that show everyone having a great time. There is River and Johnny on the beach, Colin’s family enjoying a fancy lunch, and Quincy and Lynri enjoying their vacation in a pool. However, there is something fishy found within the game’s description:

“Join familiar faces from To the Moon, Finding Paradise, and Impostor Factory in this narrative adventure filled with mini-games, mysteries and relaxation, as well as--

Wait, most of the characters here should already be dead.”

Well, I guess we can only know more once we play the game.

2. More Than One Ending?!

Every game under Freebird Games only has one ending since time in memorial. Their focus is to give an impactful narrative. Their stories feel like a well-written and compacted novel with a bittersweet ending every single time. 

However times have changed. According to an interview with Kan Gao (the main writer for Freebird Games), he wishes foryou to find the “actual ending scene”. This implies that there is more than one ending, and that fans have to do a little digging to find it. 

It is exciting to see how Freebird Games would handle a narrative with multiple finales Would each one be as bittersweet and tragic? What message are they trying to impart to the audience with each ending? These are just some of the questions you’ll have about the game’s new direction.

3. You can be Part of The Game!

“We’ve always wanted to give the community a memento of the series itself. But also a way for the community to be part of the game itself.”

“Everyone who contributes to this campaign will be able to leave their own name and message into upcoming To the Moon - Beach Episode”

This was Kan Gao’s message to the fans in the trailer of his recently launched Kickstarter campaign. “Bestest Memories” is a card game that launched on Kickstarter back in August 15. More information can be seen through the link here. You can purchase any reward tier, from 5$ to $285, to include your name and message on the beach episode permanently.

Kan Gao also mentioned in the trailer that you can share your unique code in order for your friends to see your message, and vice versa. 

The team of Freebird Games care for their fans over the years. This latest installment is not just another project but also a collaboration between them and their audience. 

4. One to Two Hours of Gameplay

Have you ever watched a movie that made you cry? Despite its two hours of run time, compared to an 18 hr game or a TV show, they’ll forever be immortalized in your mind as you reflect about them. That is how every stories in Freebird Games’ feels like. They are short yet meaningful. To the Moon has around four hours of game time, and the same goes for the rest of their main games. 

According to a livestream posted in Kan Gao’s Youtube channel, he shares that “It’s longer than a minisode but shorter than a full game”. Included in those hours are the multiple endings that were teased in his interview. What’s not included, however, are the number of hours you would sink in once they replay the game. Freebird Games have high replayable value due to their narrative and impact to the audience. 

5. A Growing Sandcastle Built by You and the Doctors

It's revealed in the Bestest Memories’ Kickstarter page that one of their milestones was building a sandcastle in the game. It would feature a cute moment between the four main doctors. On top of this, it is said that the sandcastle would grow and scale alongside the Kickstarter campaign. It would be a visual representation of the community’s collective love and effort towards the series. The more the campaign is funded, the bigger the sandcastle grows. It will start from something small only for it to grow beyond your imagination.

This feature would be similar to the messages left at the beach as the love of the fans will continue to live on in the game. Future generations would be able to see just how much of an impact the game left for thousands of people.

6. A New Animated CG

Freebird Games mainly release pixelated games. This can be seen in their trailers. The same cannot be said for this beach episode. 

This isn’t the first time these games have animation, Freebird Games love to heighten the climax with music and computer graphics (CG). To the Moon and Finding Paradise each had one CG. Imposter Factory took it to another level by having one CG and one short animation.

The trailer is currently the longest animation the studio has done. The full version may be seen in the game itself, and fans are already deciphering it’s meaning. This is also why a lot of the fans feel as if this Beach Episode is a main game rather than a side story. The side stories didn’t have a singleCG nor an animation, only the main ones. 

7. Available on Limited Platforms

Freebird Games is an indie studio with a limited budget. It is their goal to impart a lasting narrative rather than invest on high end graphics that would compete with other triple A games. As such, they prefer personal platforms like Android and Nintendo Switch.

It goes without saying that “To the Moon - Beach Episode” will be released on PC. It will be available on Steam, GoG, and the Humble Bundle store. There are no announcements for other ports. However with gradual release of their games on other devices, perhaps you can enjoy it on their androids and switches in the years to come. 

8. To be Released at the End of 2023 (Beach Episode on Christmas?)

At the end of the game’s trailer, it was revealed that it’s release date is around the end of 2023 (December). The beach episode will also be released alongside their latest card game: Bestest Memories. This is confirmed by the released dates in their Kickstarter which states “Dec 2023”.

It’s comedical to think that a beach episode would be published during the time for Christmas. However, this is a great opportunity for the studio as Christmas seasons are usually the times people are willing to spend. The game can serve as a gift for themselves or their loved ones. It is also the month where people receive Christmas bonuses from their bosses, or cash from their relatives.

This is also a great chance for you to buy it at the cheapest price possible as Steam usually creates a Christmas sale for 99% of their games. 

9. A Story About Eva

To the moon, and Finding Paradise  focused on the patient’s stories, while Imposter Factory explored Dr. Neil’s backstory. Unfortunately Dr. Eva’s hasn’t gotten her spotlight just yet. Her story only had hints shown in the franchise but never truly explored. Perhaps this time things would be different. 

The trailer heavily implies that major plot points will focus on Eva. Fans have been speculating about her story way back in 2015 when Sigmund Minisode was released. It raised a lot of questions. In the game, there was a scene when Eva was talking to someone when everything glitches and it shifts to her using a machine. Fans recognize it as the same machine Eva and Neil use for their patients to rewrite their memories.

There is a high chance that this game will finally have an explanation as to what exactly was happening to Eva and the machine.

10. Not the End, but a Long Rest 

The most heartbreaking news was when Kan Gao revealed in an interview that this game will leave a “finale feel” to its audience. It will serve as some sort of conclusion to the entire series so far. Hopefully this game will answer every question, big or small, that were scattered in the previous installments. 

Kan Gao is open to continuing the “To the Moon” franchise. However he has declared that this beach episode will serve as a stopping point for a while. The franchise deserves some rest, and the team will be open in creating new projects separated to the world of “To the Moon”.

If you are interested in story heavy or pixelated indie games, here are more articles you can read to discover more of them.

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