To The Moon 2 turns out to be new game A Bird Story set in same universe

Update: To The Moon 2 is in fact not real but a new game called A Bird Story, developer Freebird Games has announced. It's due out mid-2013.

The game takes place in the To The Moon universe but a long time before the events of that first game.

Explained Freebird's Kan Gao: "A Bird Story is a simple, surreal short about a boy and a bird with a broken wing. Despite being story-based like most of my games, there are essentially no dialogues throughout.

"While Dr. Watts and Dr. Rosalene aren't in this game (chronologically, it takes place before their time), the boy in it eventually grows up to become their patient in 'episode 2' of the series."

Kan Gao shared artwork, a trailer, a screenshot and even a song from the soundtrack. All but the soundtrack are in this article.

He also shared his thoughts on people's expectations about the game that follows To The Moon.

"I know that for some who have played To the Moon, there might be certain expectations as to how the next game should be. And to be honest, I don't really know how it'll be in that regard - meeting certain quota or matching aspects of another game aren't really things that I want to make them around," Kan Gao wrote.

"However, what I can promise is that I'll always be making what truly means something to me - and hopefully, to you too. I hope everyone could take them as they come, and enjoy them for their own merits."

"Thanks for your kind support and spreading the word, folks; I wouldn't be able to do this without you all. I'm grateful for it."

Original story: Freebird Games has announced To The Moon 2, a sequel to its calm and emotionally moving RPG that followed a pair of doctors trying to alter the memories of a dying man.

All there is for the time being is a tongue-in-cheek teaser image, one that jovially flies in face of everything To The Moon and developer Freebird stand for - apart from the satirical humour.

Pictured are what looks like characters River and Johnny flying a UFO and zapping zombies with its laser. Below, on the surface of a planet other than our own, the doctors - one masked and armed with a pistol, the other shouldering a bazooka - join the fray. Origami rabbits accompany them.

Words read: "More gunfights. More explosions. More Zombievas. To The Moon 2. 'They never should've come here.'"

A quote attributed to the "Developer's Aunt" adds: "Not even the music could save this one for me."

A back-to-front URL points to a page Freebird said will go live tomorrow. Freebird is based in Canada, and the post on Facebook (spotted by Eurogamer's handsome forumites) this originates from was made eight hours ago. Given the time difference, "tomorrow" may mean this afternoon for people in the UK.

To The Moon really twangs the old heart strings and I do heartily recommend giving it a go. There's a one-hour free demo available from the game's website. Visually it's simplistic so it should run on any PC - even your work one. The full version is £7 on Steam, $10 on GOG or around £8.50 from the Freebird site.

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