Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Deliver Us The Moon by developer KoekeN Interactive:
Deliver Us The Moon: (The Explanation)
Its one small step for man, one giant leap for Nintendo Switch. On July 16th, 2024, 55 years after the launch of the Apollo 11 rocket into space, Deliver Us The Moon is releasing on the Nintendo Switch. Developed by KoekeN Interactive, this first/third-person adventure game originally released back in September 28, 2018 for Windows. In 2020, Wired Productions came on board to serve as the publisher for its console release on PS4 and Xbox One.
In fact, I was lucky enough to attend a press event (feel free to check out our exclusive feature on it as well as other games we played at the event) for the game prior to its console release and shortly before the global pandemic shook the world. Although I had only played a demo for the game then and there was no confirmation of a Switch launch, I really hoped Deliver Us The Moon would come over to the console as I really did enjoy what I played. Roll on to 2024, over four years since that I played the demo and now I can play the full game on Nintendo Switch.
The general premise for Deliver Us The Moon is that it is an adventure game with puzzle elements set in the near future and the Earth’s natural resources are critically depleted. In 2030, the global situation is dire and the fate of humanity’s survival on the brink. However, Scientists were fortunate to discover a new abundant resource on the moon, Helium-3. The WSA (World Space Agency) sent a large team to colonize the moon in the hopes to harvest this new resource which could be transformed into a new form of energy that was transfered to the Earth via Microwave Power Transmission (MPT). The mission was successful and existence on the Earth was sustained for a few more decades.
In 2054, something unexpected happened. The Moon base went radio silent and the transfer of energy from the moon to Earth stopped. Without the necessary resources to launch a full-scale rescue mission, the WSA was closed down but a small group of former colonists put together their own rescue mission in the hopes to finding out the fate of the lunar colonists still on the moon and restoring the MPT.
As a lone astronaut, it is your mission to reach the moon base, find out what happened to the lunar colonists by reading transmission logs and audio logs and try to reestablish connection between the MPT and Earth. The mission is arduous, lonely and will push the limits of your own mortality. The fate of the world is in your hands. The mission must be a success or mankind and all manner of life on Earth will perish.
The first step in Deliver Us The Moon has the player get kitted up in their astronaut gear and head to mission control to start the launch to their own rocket in order to reach the moon. Of course, it isn’t that straightforward as you have to prime the rocket to get it ready for launch and board the darned thing, all whilst a terrible sandstorm threatens to kybosh the whole mission.
The game is predominantly presented in third-person but occasionally changes to first person, depending on the situation. In casual exploration, for example, the camera is in third-person but in certain circumstances like quick-time events or navigating dangerous hazards, the camera will switch to first person.
A lot of the time during Deliver Us The Moon, you will be moving from point A to point B and are required to overcome any and all obstacles in your way. These are usually puzzle-based but there are a number of speed and platforming based challenges that you will face as well. Puzzle challenges can range from moving back-up energy canisters from on point to another in order to access certain areas, You will also need to find passcodes that could be hidden nearby in order to open locked doors. Time based challenges force you to reach an area within a certain time limit before you run out of oxygen. The least frequent challenge you may face are platforming elements that require you to run, jump and climb to reach the next point in your mission.
At some point during the game, you will gain access to a floating robotic assistant who will follow you around as well as take control of so that they can snake their way through ventilation ducts and other inaccesible area that the astronaut can’t reach. The robot, also known as ASE can interact with certain ports that can then open doors for the astronaut to pass through. There are a number of sections in the game that require you to switch between the astronaut and the ASE so should you find yourself stuck later on in Deliver Us The Moon, be sure to send out your spherical friend and see if there is anywhere they can reach, or see that might provide you with a clue to help you progress.
Of course, what’s the point of being able to go to the moon if pretty much everything happens within the moon base and not on the moon’s surface itself? Well, you will actually get the chance to traverse the moon’s surface a number of times so you can practice your moonwalk, just bear in mind that you do have a very limited oxygen supply so your bouts on the moon’s surface will be relatively brief, on foot anyway. There are a couple of vehicles that you will be able to commandeer on a few occassions to help make navigating and exploring the moon’s surface that little bit easier. On top of that, there is also a monorail service to get between colony bases… if you can get it running of course.
One thing that I very much enjoy about this game is that there are any maneating aliens or crazed lunatics that will attack you, nor do you have to dread what may be lurking around the corner which makes a nice change from your typical sci-fi adventure thrillers. Instead it is more environmental hazards that propose a serious threat to your wellbeing. The lack of oxygen with only mere minutes to reach the safety of an airlock or an O2 canister to stave off the inevitable. Structural hazards like dangling livewires or even the entire structure falling apart around you. Death is still a very real possibility in this game but fortunately, there are plenty of checkpoints so if you do happen to fail and die, you can respawn quite closely to where you died with next to no back tracking.
I should point out that Deliver Us The Moon is broken up into six levels and you can access any levels you have already been to from the main menu. This is handy for replays as each level has a number of recordings and transcripts that help flesh out the game’s story, as well as provide a form of collectible so you can revisit levels to collect them all. They are scattered throughout each level with some being much harder to find than others, Some even require being scanned while others you can walk straight through them.
Coming to the end of this EXPlain & Play review, I thoroughly enjoyed playing Deliver Us The Moon. KoekeN Interactive did an absolutely amazing job telling a truly compelling tale and really drilling home the loneliness of Space and the necessity to keep going as the fate of humanity rests on your shoulders. The voice acting was especially good and the use of finding transmissions to give you an idea of what happened truly make this game a profound experience.
There are a couple of stability and visual issues like pop-in graphics, fuzzy visuals at times, and the occasional crashing when reloading a checkpoint. I’m sure these can get addressed in a future update and shouldn’t take away from the interstellar experience that is Deliver Us The Moon. I really hope the sequel, Deliver Us Mars, is next on the horizon for Nintendo Switch as I am really invested in this series and would love to see how the story continues to develop.
Deliver Us The Moon:Â (The Gameplay)
Game Specifications:
Developer: KeokeN Interactive
Publisher: Wired Productions
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Adventure, Puzzle
No. of Players: 1 (Single System)
Release Date: July 16, 2024
Price: $19.99
File Size: 2.9 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
