To The Moon series is one of my favorite game/novel series of all time. Any TTM’s game is a simple and down-to-earth (lol) story with an enormous level of immersion and emotional investment. Like many fans, I was waiting for the third part, Impostor Factory, from it’s announcement.

And, as you can see from the title, I have some problems with this game, which I hadn’t with it’s predecessors. It’s main problem is the story, but before talking about that, I am gonna briefly talk about other aspects of the game and their progression through the series.


Soundtrack is one of the strongest parts of the TTM series and Impostor Factory is not an exception. However, it doesn’t contain too many “bangers” in comparison to original To The Moon or Finding Paradise. Even after years I still remember For River, Born a Stranger, Moongazer, Once Upon a Memory, Tomorrow, Everything’s Alright, Time is a Place, The Scale Theme, Faye’s Theme and many more. I remember how they sound, I remember their names. I cannot say the same for the Impostor Factory. There are some good and catchy songs, but there is nothing to compete with the level of previous games. Maybe it’s too early for these conclusions, but it’s my first impression.

Despite all of that, I cannot say that the soundtrack is bad at all. It still makes like 50% of the game anyway. Maybe, I just had too big expectations for that.


Impostor Factory uses an updated game engine and it is striking. Animation is better, cutscenes are better, the game is much more cinematographic in comparison to other parts of the series. And that’s noticeable.


The gameplay loop of the series was always very simple. You read the story, you explore the location, solve the puzzle, repeat until the end. Now, in the Impostor Factory, there are no puzzles and, consequently, less reasons to explore.

I cannot actually decide which is better. The puzzles that get you out of the story for some time but give you this time to think about what is happening. Or no puzzles to slow you down. Because of this change, the story sometimes feels too rushy, but I wouldn't say that it is a big problem. There is another one.


[SPOILERS WARNING]

First, I have to mention that F.A.Q is a lie. You need to play at least Finding Paradise to get the twist. Otherwise, it may feel even more “Deus Ex Machina”-ish than it actually is.

Second, as I said in the beginning, TTM games are simple and down-to-earth stories. And it is not just a fact, it is the strong side of the series. But Impostor Factory tries to be much more exalted and epic. And it doesn’t work at all.

I cannot say what happens in Kan Gao’s head. Maybe, it is how he sees the story should develop. Or, maybe, he tried to answer the audience's request. The players had so many questions about TTM minisodes, ending of Finding Paradise, and a lot of other mysteries that popped up in the series. But the audience, however, doesn’t always know what it wants. People have an experience of Impostor Factory predecessors, and they want to relive it. But it is not always possible. You cannot make a good game only on that request.

Impostor Factory tries to get people what they want, and at the same time it tries to create something new. But these two parts are poorly stitched together. It does not feel like the story is solid. It seems like the connection between Impostor Factory and Eva and Niel was created just because they are popular characters. It just jumps out at the end of the game through exposition. And it feels cheap and pushy.

I was much more emotionally invested in the story of Lynri. It makes so much sense. It is the story of the creator of a memory editing machine. Her life was totally consumed by her work, and it made her make questionable decisions. At the end, she tries to apply the machine to herself to fix her past mistakes. It’s the story with the spirit of the series. And it ideally fits as a prequel. But then other TTM games fall into this story. Because we for whatever reason need to connect them directly. Lynri should be the mother of Niel. No matter how much sense it makes. Instead of just developing the story of an old woman fighting her past, we need to dive into the weird story of the simulation inside of other simulations. And all of these are just to tie the game to previous ones.

I could talk a lot about how the first 95% of the game are good, and how the other 5% are disappointing. But i just gonna say this: the setting of the game should support the story, not be a burden to it.


I was thinking a lot about this game after my playthrough. And, despite everything I said above, I still love this game, and I am glad to support the developers. It still gives you a good story, and if you are a fan of the series, like me, you definitely should play it.

However, I have to say that it is an important moment in the TTM series. Maybe I am too dramatic. But developers have to decide. Are they going to just make more fanservice or they want to create nice stories. Niel and Eva are very nice characters. But they cannot work for eternity. You have to leave them be, if there is no way to develop the story dragging them along. Otherwise, TTM’s future is to be a shell of itself filled with our nostalgia about what it once was.