It’s 2053 and the Earth is dying. After a scientific renaissance that saw the Earth proper and flourish, a terrible mishap dooms an entire civilization to certain death. Dust storms ravage the planet and choke the world dry of food, water, and a sustainable atmosphere. Despite all efforts, scientific groups are defunded and disbanded, leaving the planet in a state of slow decay. However, humanity’s last hope is science, and the answers to this world-ending problem lie on the moon. This is Deliver Us the Moon.
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Deliver Us The Moon, from the Amsterdam-based Koeken Interactive, is a sci-fi adventure thriller straight from the visions of sci-fi classics. At PAX EAST I had a moment to check the game out for myself at the INDIE MEGABOOTH at the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center. After a quick demo, I came away incredibly impressed.
The game puts you in the shoes of a lone-astronaut who has been training for several years in a secret facility to prepare for the ultimate mission: to save the Earth. Preparing for the mission in secrecy has been strenuous, with the increasing severity of dust storms and atmospheric destabilization. The cause of this tremendous conscription lies in the moon and its innovative energy station, a microwave power transmission station. The station beamed a special substance, Helium-3, back to the Earth to power entire systems and maintain environmental balance. If this mission does not succeed, humanity is left to be buried in dust.
In the demo, you wake up and literally begin the final preparations for the mission. The facility had deteriorated from the dust storms, making navigating the facility and prepping the space vehicle for launch a challenge. After putting on the spacesuit, it was clear that emotions were running high. Claire, the director of this mission, has researched every last possible calculation, but even with every angle researched, there is still a tremendous abundance of unknown variables that could jeopardize the mission.
The various notes, audio recordings, and disheveled conditions of the facility lend authenticity to this mood. After maneuvering through filthy rooms and ruined equipment, I eventually made my way to the control room. Once there, I saw a launch vehicle: A giant, towering rocket, fueled and ready for launch. Before you launch, news comes in that the dust storm is moving faster than anticipated. The storm’s intensity threatens to completely ruin the space vehicle and compromise the mission.
Moving fast, the next step was to prepare the ship, but do so that wouldn’t destroy the vehicle upon lift-off. I worked to disable the fuel pumps to prevent any flammable liquid from spilling out. Upon reaching the second pump, the ladder leading to it fell apart. I feverishly made my way down the service elevator and toward a moveable set of stairs. Carefully positioning it, I went back up to the elevator and disabled the pump. With the pump disabled, I went back into the control room and turned the arm key, validating all systems and confirming the ship was ready. The storm moved quicker and I raced to climb the launch tower with great haste. As the storm pelted the outside of the ship, initiated the launch.
At this point in the demo, the game shifted from the third-person to the first-person view. Looking around the cockpit, I toggled the necessary switches, levers, and knobs to prepare the ship, from priming the fuel cells to enabling the sound suppression system. With moments to spare, the countdown began, and as it reached zero, the winds howled on the outside, threatening to tip the entire ship over.
With a thunderous roar, the ship blasted off, throttling into an endless sea of brown and beige, before piercing the blue sky. After a few moments, blue turned to black and stars illuminated the viewports of the space capsule. What followed was an ever increasing view of planet Earth, rotten and decaying like a rusty piece of metal. With one last communication from mission control. Claire gives final instructions and pleads with you, the pilot, to find answers, restored the microwave energy plant, and deliver us Deliver Us The Moon. With that, my demo ended.
Deliver Us The Moon had an amazing demo, and if my existing laptop wasn’t criminally subpar, I would absolutely play this and highly recommend it. The game featured an incredible presentation, along with great visual designs and solid animation. The rest of Deliver Us The Moon promises dangerous, but thrilling space exploration, from zero-gravity navigation along a destroyed space station to exploring the surface of the Moon. Overall, based upon my demo experience, it’s a fantastic game.
Deliver Us The Moon, and its Fortuna expansion, is now available on steam, with consoles ports to follow.
