Let's Play: To The Moon (Part 10—Beta-B)

Right, let's get this show on the road. Unlike OFF where you toggled the screen size with F4/F5, here you toggle it with Alt+Enter. This changes between full screen and normal size.

video - intro (first scene):

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We're treated to some pretty music for the menu and some options. Obviously we're doing a new game, so...

> Begin
Load
Exit

The screen pans around a house on a cliff, with a lighthouse in the background. It fades grey for a moment, and shows an old man and old woman sitting on a bench together. The color returns to the screen and both disappear. The panning stops at the front door and the music fades.

Inside, a girl is playing a song on the piano and a boy watches from behind. Suddenly, there's the sound of a car skidding to a halt and crashing. The girl stops playing and they both look around. The screen fades to black.


Music - Between a Squirrel and a Tree - NEW

Where were you looking, Neil!?
Well excuse me for heroically evading that squirrel coming out of nowhere!
Dr. Rosalene looks back at said squirrel.
...You ran over it anyways.
...Oh.
You ran over it and hit a tree...
Dr. Watts facepalms.
Look, don't worry, it's a company car.
Are you kidding me?
The boss is going to kill us!
Hm... We'll just say I was saving a puppy.
He likes puppies, right?
He's more of a cat person.
Dr. Watts looks to the side and turns his head up.
...Why does the world have to be so complicated?
He turns back around and crosses his arms again.
Fine, whatever furball he fancies. Crisis averted.
Dr. Rosalene walks around to the front of the car.
Good, go write that on your report later.
Let's grab the equipment from the car and move already.

Left click an object to interact with it.

Whenever we can control our character after a scene, the screen will flash a notice. It tells us to click, but the mouse controls in this game are much more difficult to work with than the keyboard controls, so we'll use the keyboard controls instead. Just like OFF, you walk around with the arrow keys and use the space bar to interact with things. Right now we're controlling Dr. Watts. Also, don't ask me how they managed to hit the tree dead-on while avoiding the squirrel from the road. I don't know. :I

Just walk up to the car door aaaaand...

Received Equipment.

Got the sucker. Let's roll.



You'll notice some arrows towards the top of the screen. That's where you can step to the next area. As soon as you step on that arrow, no matter which direction you face, you'll walk up there. Let's head up, th—

Hey wait, don't forget the car!
Just wanted to see if you'd remember.
Dr. Rosalene turns around and locks the car with the remote key.
...How thoughtful of you.

We walk up to the next area.



We're now controlling Dr. Rosalene. Kinda weird, but okay.
As we walk by the tree, the bird flies away. And if we walk up, we'll find...



...
Who put a boulder here?
Maybe it's their security system.
Cucumbers... We don't have time for this fluff.
Watch yo language, girl!
Let's try pushing it out of the way.
Dr. Watts turns around.
Maybe we could find a tree branch to jack it with--
Wait...
...Or, we could just call it a night and blame it on that!

Well, you guys chose to poke it with a stick, so that's what I'm going with, and they'll just have to deal with it.

Push it by hand
> Find a branch
Abort mission and go home

Poke it with a branch, sorry. :I The reason I didn't ask if you guys wanted to abort mission and go home was that it doesn't really do anything, just says something about not being paid and Watts wanting to go on an IKEA shopping spree before it makes you choose a different option.

...A branch will do.

Lucky for us, there's a branch on the ground behind us. Just walk over to it aaaand...

Received Tree Branch.

I suppose now is a good time to go over your menu. Just like in OFF, you can open it by pressing the Esc. key.



You see here what Characters are tagging along, what Notes you've gathered, and what Items you've collected. You can also Save at any time, Load a previous file, or Exit the game. Make sure you save before exiting.

...Before we do that, I must note, it's advisable to have your mouse off the screen before doing anything because it interferes with your keyboard input.  

Now, to things!

Dr. Eva Rosalene
Senior memory traversal agent, Sigmund Corp.

Dr. Neil Watts
Technician specialist, Sigmund Corp.

We don't have any notes yet, so let's look at the items.

Tree Branch: 1
Description: A good ol' stick.

Equipment: 1
Description: With a box this heavy, what's inside has got to be important.

Now, back to the, uh, action. (What exactly do you call poking a boulder with a stick, anyway?)

Alright, this better work...
She pokes it with the stick, there's a "pop!" that sends birds flying, and the boulder, uh... deflates.
...What was that!?
I... I don't even...
...
It's some kind of an air ball...
...
...
...Uh, right, we need to get going for now.
Riiight...

Well, it's out of our way. Let's walk up to that bridge. As we do so, two inconspicuous squirrels inconspicuously scramble down the inconspicuous hill. Inconspicuously.



I can hear the sea.



We walk up to the door and the music fades. Eva knocks. The screen fades to black and we're shown the inside again.



Our knocks are heard and the girl stops playing again.

Ma! They're here!

The screen fades back to black.



Music - Between a Squirrel and a Tree

A woman walks to the window (that I didn't catch... :I) of the upstairs hall and it pans back down to us.

...Not a bad place to retire at, huh?
Neil turns and looks around at the grounds.
I could do better.
He turns back around.
Nightshifts; love 'em or hate 'em?
You know the answer, you stupid owl.
Eva knocks again.
...It's probably gonna be another all-nighter, y'know.
I know.
And I doubt they'd have any coffee...
Shut up.
She knocks again.
...And the ocean waves will sing lullabies...
Not through your blathering, they won't.
...And your eyelids wil-
The door opens. Eva looks back at Neil and walks in. Neil follows, then—
Don't forget the equipment, moron.
Neil turns around and picks up the equipment.
...I don't get paid enough for this.
He backs into the doorway and it shuts. A bell chimes. An image flashes.







Dr. Watts and Dr. Rosalene, I presume?


Music - Spiral of Secrets - NEW

Thanks for coming on such short notice.
That's okay, I tend to be bad at predicting deaths as well.
Are you the patient's daughter?
Oh no, I am just his caretaker.
The boy and girl from earlier run by and enter a door to the left of the entrance.
...And these are my children, Sarah and Tommy.
It's not exactly a nine-to-five job, so Johnny lets us live here.
I suppose this 'Johnny' is our man?
...'Johnny'?
Listen, if it's a kid we're dealing with, I don't think we're the ones you want.
No, no. He just prefers to be called that.
Lily walks towards the stairs and turns around, while Eva walks towards the piano and faces her.
He's upstairs right now with his medical doctor.
Come with me.
She walks upstairs and the music fades.
C'mon, grab that case and let's go.
Neil turns around.
...When my back breaks one day, I'll sue you with the insurance claim.

We now have control again. Just walk up to the equipment.

Received Equipment.

Alright, let's head upstairs before I drop this.

We're back in control yet again, now of Eva. Just walk up the stairs.

video - kids being kids and a couple'a credits:

The kids race each other to the piano for the chance to play the melody. Tommy gets there first, with Sarah accusing him of pushing her. Regardless, they resume their song and a couple more credits roll.

Can I just point something out for a minute about that scene, as well? When the kids start playing the song, it's just the two-note melody. At this point, it's only Tommy playing. And when the other notes start to appear, Sarah starts playing as well. They didn't have to put that in. That little detail would likely go unnoticed during most people's playthrough of this. It's literally a few pixels of animation for a few seconds of the game. But they did it anyway, and I love that.


Music - For River (Sarah & Tommy's Version) - NEW

Technically not new, but there wasn't a better place to put it cuz it kept getting interrupted, so whatever. It's a beautiful, beautiful track. I love it.

...Those kids are pretty good for their age.
Hey, you're the one who said there was no time to waste.
And incidentally, I'm the one who is carrying the weight of a small meteroid.
Yeah yeah, c'mon.

It looks like there's a solid wall there, but the door is there, trust me. Would I ever lie to you?
...Anyway, let's walk into Johnny's room.



The music stops abruptly as the door shuts it out behind us. Let's talk to the doctor.

He's unresponsive at this point, but by the looks of things, he's still consciously hanging on.
It's hard to say how long you'll have, but I would hurry.

Now let's see what Lily has to say.

Ready to setup?

> Set machine down
Look around first

(I know the consensus is to look around at these parts, but this one doesn't cover anything that the next opportunity to look around doesn't, so I'll give Neil a break.)

Yes. It'll just be a moment.

The screen fades to black.



Music - Uncharted Realms - NEW

...Are you sure a common household power outlet is sufficient?
No worries, we're the experts.
Eva plugs in the device. The lights dim.



...Oh crap.
...

The house lights back up.



Standard procedures... just keeping ya on your toes!
Neil starts up the device.



Eva walks over to Johnny's bed.

How's he doing?
Not so well. If I were to say, he's got just a day or two left.
That's plenty of time.

Eva walks to the foot of his bed.

...So you two can grant him any wish, huh?
...To try, at least.
But we always succeed, because we're awesome.
So, what's the wish?
The moon.
The moon?
The moon...
...He wants to go to the moon.
...
The geezers just keep on getting crazier, huh?
So, can you do it?
...It depends.
She meant to say 'yes'.
Why don't you tell us about our client here?
That... I don't really know much.
Johnny's an odd man.
Through the two years that I've worked here, he rarely spoke.
He worked as a craftsman for most of his life, and his wife passed away two years ago.
...I don't really know many details.
I would've known more if I were his paperboy for Pete's sake.
Shush, just do your thing.
Well... I suppose if you look around the house, you may find some more info.
I suppose Johnny wouldn't mind, since he signed for you two.
Mm... So be it.
She walks over to Neil.
Alright, which one of us plays detective?

Who goes to search the house? [Player Controlled]
Dr. Watts
> Dr. Rosalene

You guys wanted her, you guys got her. Let's go.

Thanks for the offer, but I'm busy leaving a butt-print on this chair.
Right. Do continue.
Tommy and Sarah can show you around. They're probably at the piano downstairs.

Before we do that, let's look around up here first. There's nothing interesting in the room behind Neil (it's just a bathroom), so let's look down that hallway with the paintings.



I'll look through all of them from left to right.

A painting of a lighthouse by the cliffside.

A painting of a woman holding something yellow and blue.

A painting of an animal... of some sort.

A casual painting of three people.

*sobs*
Anyway, let's head to the piano and make those kids show us around.

Wait, come back here for a moment.
Eva turns around.
I have something for you.

Let's see what she's got.

Here, take this.
It's dangerous to go alone! *shot*

Received Remote Patient Monitor.

That'll keep you updated on Johnny's status.
Thanks, I was just going to ask for it.

Johnny's heart monitor is now activated in the menu.

Let's check that out then.



Kinda cool, but not too necessary. Good to have around, though.
Let's check the description on the monitor.

Remote Patient Monitor: 1
Description: Connects wirelessly to the patient's local monitor for live supervision.

Neato.
Now let's head downstairs.


Music - For River (Sarah & Tommy's Version)


Wha'cha want?

Show around the house.
> Keep playing.

Let's look around just for a second.

Then quit bothering!

Sorry   
Note you can't enter the basement until you have them with you. You can go into the room they rushed into a little while ago, despite it saying you should ask them first, but we have something much more important to take care of. Over to the far left...


We can enter the bathroom! :D
This is a much more special bathroom than the one upstairs, because...

Turn on and store tap water?
> Yes
No

WE CAN TURN ON THE SINK! WOO!
...In all seriousness, we should get them to show us around. :I



Wha'cha want?

> Show around the house.
Keep playing.

Sarah and Tommy, right?
Your mother said to ask you two to show me around the house.
Okay, maybe we will.
The kids look around and stop playing.
Music - Bestest Detectives in the World - NEW
Maybe...?
...I think we just need a little convincing, that's all!
Wut do ya think, Tommy?
Yah!
...Uh, what would you like?
We want... one trillion dollars!
Or the candycane mom hides from us.
Yah, or that!
Huh?
There is a giant candycane on top of a high shelf that we can't reach...
It's in the kitchen. Ma put it there to save for when we do chores.
Get it for us, and we'll give you a tour through the house!
What do ya say?
The music fades out.
Well...

> Sure, I'll go get it for you!
No. Cut the crap and help.

My mother used to keep candies on high shelves too... Alright, I'll go get it.
The kitchen's door is right next to the stairs. Now go!

Music - For River (Sarah & Tommy's Version)
They turn back to the piano and continue playing.
Let's head into the kitchen and see if we can find that giant candy cane.



There's that candy cane.

She jumps up and tries to grab it, but can't. Let's help her out.
See that table over there? Inspect it and she'll have a revelation: She can move it.
And move it she does, over to the shelf. Just walk over to it and she'll automatically jump up.

Received Candy Cane.

Candy Cane: 1
Description: 10% candy, 90% bribery.

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT
I'M SORRY BUT I LOVE THAT

(...Terrible calories.)

Let's go give that bribery machine to Sarah and Tommy.



Okay, I got what you wanted.
...Good ol' Candy Cane.
If you come and give me a tour at this instant, I won't sneeze on it.


Music - Between a Squirrel and a Tree

Okay, where do we start?
I know! There's this funny room in the basement!
...I don't like that funny room.
What do you mean by 'funny room'?
You'll see!
...It's weiiirrd!
...
...We need to get the keys, though.
The old man hid it inside a book in the study.

Well, this has been going on for awhile now, and I think I should end it off here. I've got a lot of sprite finding/music getting/video making to do for this update, so next time in To The Moon, we'll be checking out that funny room in the basement that Tommy doesn't like. Signing... I mean, uh, catch ya guys later. Yeah. :I