Deliver Us the Moon is an adventure-puzzle video game developed by Dutch game development studio KeokeN Interactive. It was first self-published as Deliver Us the Moon: Fortuna for Windows on September 28, 2018. The game later saw an expanded release on October 10, 2019, with Wired Productions serving as the publisher for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions on April 24, 2020. The game was released for Google Stadia on June 1, 2022, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on June 23, 2022 and for Nintendo Switch on July 16, 2024.
Deliver Us the Moon | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | KeokeN Interactive |
Publisher(s) | Wired Productions[a] |
Engine | Unreal Engine 4[1] |
Platform(s) | |
Release | Windows
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
|
Genre(s) | Puzzle, adventure |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Deliver Us the Moon was marketed as a science fiction thriller set in an apocalyptic near future; the game follows a lone astronaut who is sent to the moon on a mission to avert humanity's fate towards extinction after Earth's natural resources have been depleted. The Windows and PlayStation 5 versions were met with mixed reviews, while the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were met with more positive reviews by video game publications.
Gameplay
editDeliver Us the Moon is a adventure puzzle game experienced at various points of the narrative from either a first-person or a third-person perspective, which is determined by the type of action that must be completed.[2] For example, the camera shifts to a first-person perspective when the player controls a floating robot tied to a puzzle.[2] The player assumes the role of Rolf, an astronaut who is launched to the Moon onboard a space shuttle to investigate a series of seemingly abandoned facilities, where an important resource that plays a vital role in solving an energy crisis on Earth is mined.[2]
The game does not contain any combat sequences, although it is possible for the player character to die as a result of failing a gameplay sequence, necessitating a retry.[2]
Development and release
editDeliver Us the Moon was developed by Dutch video game developers Koen Deetman and Paul Deetman through their company KeokeN Interactive. The Deetman brothers were inspired by their grandfather's passion for astronomy, as well as the science fiction films 2001: A Space Odyssey and Interstellar by Christopher Nolan for their "rare blend of human realism and high-concept sci-fi".[3] Deliver Us the Moon received funding through a Kickstarter campaign, and was a successful submission for Steam Greenlight where it was readily upvoted.[4] A demo version of the game was made available in March 2016 during the ID@Xbox Showcase event at GDC 2016, and it was intended to be released episodically for PC and Xbox One from August 2016.[5]
The game was initially released for PC as Deliver Us the Moon: Fortuna on September 28, 2018.[6] In July 2019, Fortuna was removed from sale by the developers, who cited their dissatisfaction with the state of the game when it was launched in September 2018.[7] An expanded version of the game, with the addition of a reworked ending sequence and the Fortuna subtitle removed, was released for PC three months later on October 10, 2019, with all purchased copies of Fortuna receiving a free update.[7] The game received an update on December 19, 2019, which provides DirectX Raytracing support for PC graphics cards with Nvidia DLSS and real-time ray traced effects.[8][9]
Deliver Us the Moon was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 24, 2020, with Wired Productions as the publisher.[2] A planned port for the Nintendo Switch was planned for release but was later canceled in June 2020.[10] Ports for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were scheduled to release on May 19, 2022, but were subsequently delayed to June 23, 2022.[11] Four years after the Nintendo Switch port was initially cancelled, publisher Wired Productions and developer KeokeN Interactive announced that the Switch port would be released on July 16, 2024.[12]
On March 30, 2022, the Stadia Community Blog announced that Deliver Us the Moon will be released for Stadia the following month.[13] Wired Productions followed up with a Twitter update on April 1, 2022, which confirmed that the Stadia port had been delayed.[14] The Stadia port released on June 1, 2022.[15]
Reception
editAggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PC (Fortuna): 63/100[16] PC: 68/100[17] PS4: 77/100[18] XONE: 76/100[19] PS5: 71/100[20] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Adventure Gamers | 3.5/5[21] |
Game Informer | 8/10[2] |
Hardcore Gamer | 3.5/5[22] |
Push Square | 8/10[23] |
VideoGamer.com | 7/10[24] |
Screen Rant | 3/5[25] |
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2022) |
The Fortuna and expanded versions of Deliver Us the Moon for Windows and PlayStation 5 received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic;[16][17] the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions received "generally favorable" reviews.[18][19] Game Informer's Andrew Reiner scored the PS4 version 8 out of 10, praising the writing, narrative pacing and atmosphere, but noting that some of the puzzles became repetitive.[26]
Deliver Us the Moon received two award nominations for the 18th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards held on May 6, 2020, and won "Best Sound Design for an Indie Game".[27][28]
Sequel
editDeliver Us Mars, set ten years after the events of Deliver Us the Moon, was announced as part of the Future Games Show Spring Showcase on March 24, 2022.[29] It features a new protagonist - Kathy Johannson (played by Ellise Chappell[30]), who is mentioned as a child in recordings in the first game - who reactivates her companion robot after an apparent ship crash on the planet of Mars. Deliver Us Mars is produced by Frontier Developments and was launched on both Epic Games Store and Steam PC storefronts,[9] as well as PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 2, 2023.[29]
See also
edit- Tacoma - adventure game released around the same time, set in orbit of the Moon
Notes
edit- ^ Deliver Us the Moon: Fortuna was self-published by KeokeN Interactive
References
edit- ^ Kayser, Daniel (September 3, 2019). "Players enjoyed more than 100 Unreal Engine games at gamescom 2019". Unreal Engine. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Reiner, Andrew (May 4, 2020). "Deliver Us The Moon Review". Game Informer. GameStop Corp. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ Leane, Rob (February 19, 2020). "Deliver Us The Moon: A Sci-Fi Game for Film Fans". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Estrada, Marcus (March 3, 2016). "Deliver Us The Moon Shoots for the Stars in Final Days of Kickstarter". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Tamburro, Paul (March 16, 2016). "Deliver Us The Moon Is A Space Oddity". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Walker, John (September 28, 2018). "Wot I Think: Deliver Us The Moon: Fortuna". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b Clayton, Natalie (October 10, 2019). "Finally finished, Deliver Us The Moon heads back into orbit today". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Carlson, Steve (December 19, 2019). "Deliver Us The Moon Adds Stunning Ray-Traced Effects and NVIDIA DLSS". Nvidia. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b Colp, Tyler (March 25, 202). "Sci-Fi thriller Deliver Us Mars looks bleak, but comes with a robot buddy". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ Romano, Sal (June 12, 2020). "Deliver Us The Moon for Switch cancelled". Gematsu. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Deliver Us The Moon - Official Next-Gen Release Date Trailer (video). IGN. March 29, 2022. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ Romano, Sal (June 20, 2024). "Deliver Us The Moon for Switch launches July 16". Gematsu. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Deliver Us the Moon | Announcement Trailer | Stadia (video). Google Stadia. March 3, 2022. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ Schoon, Ben (April 1, 2022). "Stadia Changelog: Deliver Us the Moon gets delayed, Worms W.M.D. May be coming soon". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ "Stadia Source - Deliver Us The Moon". Stadia Source. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ a b "Deliver Us The Moon: Fortuna for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ a b "Deliver Us The Moon for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ a b "Deliver Us The Moon for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ a b "Deliver Us The Moon for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ "Deliver Us The Moon for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Jason (January 1, 2020). "Review for Deliver Us the Moon". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ Soto, Fran (October 11, 2019). "Review: Deliver Us the Moon". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ Jones, Jenny (April 28, 2020). "Deliver Us the Moon Review (PS4)". Push Square. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ Wise, Josh (April 27, 2020). "Deliver Us The Moon review". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ Stewart, Marcus (April 25, 2020). "Deliver Us The Moon Review: A Largely Satisfying Leap For Mankind". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ Reiner, Andrew (May 4, 2020). "Deliver Us The Moon Review - Deliver Us The Moon Review – Love And Loss In Space". Game Informer. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ "18th Annual Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards Announce Winners". BroadwayWorld. May 8, 2020. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz (May 6, 2020). "'Death Stranding' Sweeps Gaming's G.A.N.G. Awards With Six Wins Including Audio of the Year". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Brown, Andy (March 25, 2022). "'Deliver Us The Moon' sequel 'Deliver Us Mars' announced with new trailer". NME. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ McMullen, Chris (February 6, 2023). "All Voice Actors in Deliver Us Mars". The Escapist. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.