Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Initially, you pity Daniel – he’s trapped in a strange castle with no memories of how he got there and with a murderous Shadow that’s out to get him. Nothing can stop the Shadow and it becomes more commonplace as time goes on. However, it’s revealed that Daniel accidentally unleashed the Shadow upon discovering a strange orb during an archaeological dig. With no other options, he would eventually be contacted by Alexander, a mysterious being who says he can help repel the creature.

Doing this requires gathering vitae from people suffering from immense pain. And so Daniel helped Alexander to capture and torture people (whom the latter claimed to be criminals but were in fact not), using amnesia potion to ensure they remain terrified throughout. Eventually, however, it’s revealed that Alexander is harvesting the vitae to return to his own dimension using the orb. Daniel is betrayed in the process and seeks revenge, using the amnesia potion on himself to push past his guilt.

Upon venturing into the inner reaches of the castle, where Alexander is conducting a ceremony to open a portal, the player can either let him continue and thus be killed by the Shadow, or disrupt it, causing the Shadow to only kill Alexander. The latter seems pretty good but given Daniel’s hand in the torture of innocents, it’s hardly all sunshine and rainbows by the end.

Another choice is to throw the head of Agrippa, a prisoner with knowledge of the orb, into the portal. Both Daniel and Alexander then die to the Shadow but the former won’t descend into darkness because Agrippa will help him…or something. Even if you were being kind and felt Daniel deserved to be saved, there’s no guarantee that the Shadow wouldn’t still be pursuing him.

Freebird Games is working on the next installment in its To The Moon franchise with Impostor Factory. However, before that, Nintendo Switch players will be able to experience the first game courtesy of X.D. Network. Check out the launch trailer below, which is a great remake of creator Kan R. Gao’s original trailer.

To The Moon tells the story of Dr. Rosalene and Dr. Watts who are in charge of a new procedure. This procedure allows people to relive their lives, in their minds, and fulfill any last wishes. It’s only administered to dying patients though. So when the two venture into Johnny’s mind, they discover his desire to go to the moon and the journey that led him to that point.

Despite its pixel graphics and lack of any combat, To The Moon has received tons of critical praise for its emotional story-telling, soundtrack and excellent characters. It’s out PC, iOS and Android currently with the Switch version hitting the eShop on January 16th. Stay tuned for more details on when Impostor Factory will release in the coming months.

Freebird Games’ critically acclaimed adventure title To The Moon is coming to Nintendo Switch. This will be its first console platform, having first released for PC in 2011 and for mobiles in 2017. X.D. Network, which handled the mobile ports, is also working on the Switch version.

A tale of love and loss, To The Moon takes place in the future with two doctors using a machine to create artificial memories for terminally ill patients. This is done to help patients fulfil their final wishes before passing on. Gameplay is more focused on puzzle solving and conversations with other characters.

Interestingly, the Switch version isn’t a straight port. X.D. Network has actually recreated the entire game from the original RPG Maker blueprint with Unity. The results certainly speak for themselves in the trailer. To The Moon is out for Nintendo Switch on Summer. It also has a sequel, Finding Paradise, that’s currently available for PC.

Kan Gao’s To The Moon was an emotionally effective role playing game that managed to tell a great story with its old-school visuals. So it’s good to see that Gao and the development team at Freebird are back with a new game. If you watched the most recent trailer from Gao though, you’d think it was a joke. Check out “2 The Moon” below.

If it wasn’t evident enough, “2 The Moon” is a parody on explosions, action, space exploration and dramatic Hollywood-ized set-ups (with some loot boxes thrown in for good measure). Gao’s next game is actually Finding Paradise which is the second “episode” in the To The Moon series.

Much like its predecessor, it will follow two doctors as they enter a dying patient’s mind and attempt to fulfill their one remaining wish. Those who haven’t tried To The Moon yet can head on over to Steam where it’s heavily discounted.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Undertale

Toby Fox’s Undertale possesses a ton of charm underneath its relatively archaic visuals. Whether it’s the quirky gameplay, freedom of choice or utter wit, it’s a game whose art-style pays homage to the retro era of gaming. For a retro-styled game though, it could look a little bit better. Regardless, if you want a compelling story with significant consequences, Undertale is your ticket.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Rikiya’s Sacrifice – Yakuza 3

The very premise of Yakuza 3 – where Kiryu Kazuma is trying to prevent his orphanage from being destroyed – is sad enough. However, when Rikiya sacrifices himself to save Kiryu from a bullet, so many major emotional developments come to a head. Rikiya considered Kiryu to be his brother and his death caused the latter to cry for the very first time. Knowing Kiryu and the nonsense he’s been through, that’s saying something.

Remember Freebird Games’ To The Moon, the breakout adventure RPG from 2011 that garnered critical acclaim? Its sequel Finding Paradise was set to release this Summer but it’s now been delayed.

As per the developer in a statement, “Due to personal circumstances, its release has been moved to the end of this year to ensure quality.”

However, development is still very much on-going. “Despite such dubious delays, the game has been making good and steady ground. A new progressive demo is to be released to internal testers in the coming week that would mark up to the final Act of the game, with the next demo version being the full game.”

Until then, you can play the two mini-episodes for To The Moon which are available for free. There’s also an HD remaster out for the original game on Android and iOS for $5. What are your thoughts on the delay? Let us know in the comments.