I was kindly sent a review copy of Deliver us the Moon for Xbox by the great people at Wired Productions.
The game is a "Sci-Fi thriller set in an apocalyptic near future, where Earth's natural resources are depleted. A lone astronaut is sent to the moon on a critical mission to save humanity from extinction."
So the description sounds pretty awesome and unique, but lets not rush ahead, first of all the game is beautiful, truly stunning to look at and you know that the game makers must be very proud of that.
The game is a story driven game, so a good story is important, and again the game makers should feel proud because the story is a good one, and you do very quickly feel immersed in that story. Whether the story is told through narration, audio logs that you collect, things you may read as well as cut scenes, it can be a bit slow moving, although you never feel bored of the story.
As a thriller the main fear of the game is driven through the feeling of loneliness, there aren't monsters jumping out at you, or anything like that, so the game uses storytelling as well as incredible visuals to really push home the idea you are alone, and if you fail to do something in time, then that is it.
You start off on Earth, a storm is approaching and you have to get to the rocket so you can get yourself on the way to the moon, of course nothing is a walk in the park, and you have to over come obstacles, whether that is solving a code, reaching a hard to get to area, doing something within a set period of time.
And don't think you will get to the moon too quick either, there's a lot to do before then, whether that is taking off in the rocket, docking with a space station, solving various story line issues there and so on, But when you do get to the moon, for what is such a baron place, it truly is stunning. Look at this shot below!
As a story driven game, sadly this does mean that game play has to take a backseat, so if you are after an arcade shooter, this really isn't the game for you, and there are some repetitive parts of the game which you do notice, but if you appreciate a good story, incredible visuals, then you will enjoy this.
There are some issues with the camera, it feels a bit clunky at times, and I am guessing they were going for more of a cinematic style, but sometimes it can be a bit slow, and frustrating, and sometimes you swap between an external shot and a first person shot, and you can't choose one or the other, which is frustrating, for example when you first dock with the space station and you are suddenly floating about, it is really hard to see where you are supposed to go, and although the feeling of not knowing which way is up or down is a good thing when you are playing a game in space, when you cant see clearly where you are going that becomes frustrating instead of challenging.
This is a hard game to score, it has its good points and its bad points.
If you are thinking of buying it, I really suggest you check out some of the game play videos you will find on Youtube to decide if it is the kind of game you would enjoy.
The Good
Graphically brilliant, excellent story driven game play, a true feeling of loneliness and desperation.
The Bad
Short game, probably complete it in about 5 hours if not sooner, frustrating camera angles.
Summary
I enjoyed the game, I enjoy story driven games, so this game was good for me. But it wont be to everyone's liking. Do your research before you decide to play.
I score this game a strong 7/10
Review by Jon Donnis
Buy on Xbox
Buy on PS4
Buy on Nintendo Switch
