History Heartwarming / ToTheMoon

** Meta-example. The Steam version of the game has a lone achievement. It is called "Wish Granted", has the tooltip "send Johnny to the Moon", and a picture of Young River and Young Johnny as the thumbnail.

* The "Bestest Dancers" comics included with the Steam release have a number of moments like this, but chief among them is the outing alluded to in the epilogue of the game, where Eva asks Neil about his retirement plans. Hers is to have a garden near the ocean, filled with so many plants that she could use someone to help her take care of them. When Neil tries to deflect, she tells him that Roxie had informed her about his ailment.

-->'''Neil''': Then... is that what you're asking me? (''Eva glances away self-conciously, prompting Neil to [[GlassesPull remove his glasses]]'') Well, in that case... Yeah, I'd like to stay in that garden... [[RelationshipUpgrade For as long as you want me to...]] [[YourDaysAreNumbered and for as long as I can.]]

-->'''Neil''': Then why do you even ask? (''{{Beat}} panel'') Look, [[DontYouDarePityMe I don't need sympathy]]-

* The "Bestest Dancers" comics included with the Steam release have a number of moments like this, but chief among them is the outing alluded to in the epilogue of the game, where Eva asks Neil about his retirement plans. Hers is to have a garden near the ocean, filled with so many plants that she could use someone to help her take care of them. When Neil tries to deflect, she tells him that Roxie had informed her about his ailment, and calls him out for trying to push her away like that.
-->'''Eva''': ...You are not special, Neil. None of us are here forever. Nobody could stay forever. Not for themselves, not for their loved ones... And nobody can ask anybody else to stay forever. But to stay as long as one wants, for as long as one ''can'' stay... That's the most anybody can ask of anybody else.

-->'''Neil''': Then... is that what you're asking me? (''Eva glances away self-conciously, prompting Neil to [[GlassesPull remove his glasses]]'') Well, in that case... Yeah, I'd like to stay in that garden... [[RelationshipUpgrade For as long as you want me to...] [[YourDaysAreNumbered and for as long as I can.]]

* The "Bestest Dancers" comics included with the Steam release have a number of moments like this, but chief among them is the outing seen in the epilogue of the game, where Eva asks Neil about his retirement plans. Hers is to have a garden near the ocean, filled with so many plants that she could use someone to help her take care of them. When Neil tries to deflect, she tells him that Roxie had informed her about his ailment, and calls him out for trying to push her away like that.

* In the memory when River and Johnny are riding horses. Even though John is initially hesitant when River is allowed to gallop on her own for the first time it quickly melts away when, and the player can see this if s/he looks closely enough, River laughs. Equine therapy for the win.

* If you listen to the songs strongly associated with Collin (Time is a Place and the Scale Theme) you can hear that the songs don't end on a satisfying chord, similar to how For River in the first game ended. It drives home this feeling of uncertainty and incompletion. The ending to Time is a Place even feels like a question, musically. But in that final scene with his wife, the song Coming Home finally breaks the pattern by ending on a "satisfying" chord. Signifying that, without a shadow of a doubt, Collin is happy and at peace in his final moments and basically closing the story of his life with a musical "The End."

* The way Neil fiercely tries to prevent Eva from moving River from Johnny's memories in the belief that it would make him miserable]] is ''very'' adorable and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold proves that Neil does, in fact, care.

* The last time we see River chronologically, she tells Johnny to take the money to finish the house and watch over "Anya." [[spoiler:Anya is the lighthouse, so he kept his promise.]] And in spite of everything, she does GoOutWithASmile.

* Finally learning exactly why River made all those rabbits, especially the blue and yellow one. [[spoiler:It was to remind him of his promise to meet her on the moon... which was surrounded by stars that Johnny and River noticed looked like a rabbit.]]

* The way Neil fiercely tries to prevent Eva from [[spoiler: moving River from Johnny's memories in the belief that it would make him miserable]] is ''very'' adorable and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold proves that Neil does, in fact, care]].

* As heartbreaking as [[spoiler: seeing the destruction of Johnny's memories of River was, it's equally heartwarming seeing them ''re''constructed as they go up in the rocket together]].
** And on that note, [[spoiler: Johnny finally figuring out the title to his song - "To the Moon", which meets River's approval]].
* When [[spoiler: Johnny and River are reunited at NASA. Although this wasn't real, it shows that in his mind, no matter where she was, no matter when or how he meets her, he will always fall in love with her, and that despite their communication problems, she was irreplaceable, and he literally can't picture his life without her]].
** Some players found it [[EsotericHappyEnding unsettling]] that [[spoiler:Johnny's memories were ultimately replaced by an alternate life.]] While this is a valid concern, it helps when you consider that [[spoiler:even with the new memories, and even when desiring to go to the Moon, Johnny ''still'' loved River so much that he subconsciously brought her back. And his DyingDream shows his true priorities; Johnny doesn't even get to make it all the way to the Moon before he dies, but his last memory is of him together with River, gazing at the Moon just like when they were kids.]] "If you're with me" indeed...

* River reaching out to hold Johnny's hand [[spoiler: in the space shuttle]] stands out. Throughout the story, we see Johnny taking the initiative towards her. Moreover, River was constantly this shy and socially-awkward girl. But at the end, ''she'' holds out ''her'' hand for him to grab. This already-touching moment becomes all the more sweet with that context in mind.
* Just before the credits roll, [[spoiler:Johnny and River, in their child forms, reunite against a white background and Johnny hands [[RunningGag the platypus]] to her before sitting down on the log next to her, strongly implying that they're TogetherInDeath, regardless of the hardships they'd faced in life. Also, this is one of the rare occasions [[WhenSheSmiles where River smiles]]]].
** Meta-example. The Steam version of the game has a lone achievement. [[spoiler:It is called "Wish Granted", has the tooltip "send Johnny to the Moon", and a picture of Young River and Young Johnny as the thumbnail.]]

* Colin realizing that [[spoiler:he's still happy with his life even with all of his regrets, as shown in the "rewritten" memories at the end]].
** Beyond that, [[spoiler: Faye thanking Neil for giving Colin something truly special]].
--->'''Faye''': [[spoiler: Your colleague was right about one thing... There is more to what you do than just [[AGodAmI playing god]] with people's memories. You've been here for just a day, yet... In all of his lifetime, no one else has truly seen the world through his eyes like you have. And, well... you're kind of the first I've been able to meet, too. In some silly way... Maybe that's a part of what Colin really wished for.]]
*** Made doubly-so because [[spoiler: due to her being an ImaginaryFriend, that's likely the closest any of Sigmund Corp.'s on-site staff has ever gotten to receiving a direct "thank you" from their patient]].
* The BittersweetEnding - [[spoiler: Colin's final act is to kneel down to his sleeping wife and [[HappilyMarried kiss her on the forehead]], reflecting what she had done at the moment of his passing.]]

* If you listen to the songs strongly associated with Collin (Time is a Place and the Scale Theme) you can hear that the songs don't end on a satisfying chord, similar to how For River in the first game ended. It drives home this feeling of uncertainty and incompletion. The ending to Time is a Place even feels like a question, musically. [[spoiler:But in that final scene with his wife, the song Coming Home finally breaks the pattern by ending on a "satisfying" chord. Signifying that, without a shadow of a doubt, Collin is happy and at peace in his final moments and basically closing the story of his life with a musical "The End."]]

* If you listen to the songs strongly associated with Collin (Time is a Place and the Scale Theme) you can hear that the songs don't end on a satisfying chord, similar to how For River in the first game ended. It drives home this feeling of uncertainty and incompletion. The ending to Time is a Place even feels like a question, musically. But in that final scene with his wife, the song Coming Home finally breaks the pattern by ending on a "satisfying" chord. Signifying that, without a shadow of a doubt, Collin is happy and at peace in his final moments and basically closing the story of his life with a musical "The End."

* Colin realizing that [[spoiler:he's still happy with his life even with all of his regrets]].

-->'''Neil:''' [[SoundEffectBleep #@%&]] the contract! I didn't take this job to make him miserable, Eva! I don't know about you, but [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight I took the job to help the freakin' geezers die happy.]]

* A very subtle one could be in the doctor's office after river has just been diagnosed with her "condition", when asked if they are a couple River states that they are in no way legally bound, either one of her quirks or perhaps her indirectly telling Johnny that he is free to leave her.

--->'''Faye''': [[spoiler: Your colleague was right about one thing... There is more to what you do than just {{playing god}} with people's memories. You've been here for just a day, yet... In all of his lifetime, no one else has truly seen the world through his eyes like you have. And, well... you're kind of the first I've been able to meet, too. In some silly way... Maybe that's a part of what Colin really wished for.]]

*** Made doubly-so because [[spoiler: due to her being an ImaginaryFriend, that's likely the closest anyone at Sigmund Corp. has ever gotten to receiving a direct "thank you" from their patient]].

** Beyond that, [[spoiler: Faye thanking Neil for giving Colin something truly special - having someone see life through his eyes]].
** Made doubly-so because [[spoiler: due to her being an ImaginaryFriend, that's likely the closest anyone at Sigmund Corp. has ever gotten to receiving a direct "thank you" from their patient]].