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Before the Green Moon – farms, friends and space elevators

I don't know what the genre of Before the Green Moon is (perhaps some kind of cozy game?) but it's the best of its kind that I've had the chance to play.

Like some millenial's pastoral dream the game starts with you getting a piece of land to cultivate with the initial goal of collecting enough money to leave for the titular Moon. You'll get to know the town, the people, and in the end you start doubting your goal. Do I wanna leave?

Subtle hints to the game's world and backstory make it an intriguing place to inhabit, however the real heart of Before the Green Moon are the people living there with you. My favourite ended being the person who was already in the progress of leaving the town but ended up staying and will give a name to each of your chickens. Apparently there's a chance to romance some of the characters and I completely missed it. Perhaps I wasn't reading them correctly and failed to pursue a romantic path — or I'm plain too aromantic!

Gameplaywise the player has to plan their actions for each day quite carefully. Every action uses stamina and if you need to water your plants you probably don't have enough energy to go to the sewers to break some rocks. You'll end up thankful for rainy days when nature does the watering for you. Better tools use less stamina and you'll probably want to invest in some of those to make your rural life a bit easier.

As I was approaching the sum needed to purchase the ticket for the Moon trip I already had a strong sense of belonging to the town. I didn't wanna leave. I bought the ticket and ended up earning enough money to buy another one if needed until I finally decided to say goodbye. If I had the chance to give my ticket to someone else and stay I surely would've done that.

After wistful last words with the townsfolk I felt there's still lots to learn about them. That might be true in the sense that the game still had more to shown me or more likely in the way that I felt a genuine connection to those people. After leaving you still spend a good while inside your cabin in the spaceship, the game offering you a chance to reflect on what happened, conveying that an important part of your life is now over.