If I was asked what is the singular thing I believe Indie games have that the majority of Triple A space lacks is Style. Indies can get bold, can get unique. Can experiment with their art direction and presentation. They can be creative. While the major, big studio games have to play it safe for that ‘broadest appeal’, little charming Indies can be much more sharpened in their focus to appeal only to a very chosen demographic, to shed expectations from being ‘for everyone’ and instead just present themselves with confidence and ask the audience if they are willing to give them a chance. It works, more often than not, because we are curious creatures and anything visually interesting will catch out attention.
That’s how I got hooked on TOEM. Since the first trailer I allowed myself to be enchanted by the bold pick of going into monochromatic greyscale, into a style of a world drawn on paper with a Sharpie and maybe a couple grey markers. It had charm, up the wazoo, because it wasn’t just the muted colors – or, really, lack of them! – that pulled me in, but the design of the characters which I’d like to sum up as Cute, but without cheap tricks to get to be Cute. It’s hard to explain but I believe you can imagine what I mean – some games, some art styles just try super hard to appear as cute, and you can sense it, while TOEM achieves it without feeling like it panders too hard for this particular style to take over. It’s… Charming.
Now why do I hyperfocus on style and its inherent cuteness? Because the game want you to focus on these elements too for a very simple reason – the gameplay is all about exploration… And taking pictures! Yes, it is one of these supremely rare photography games, the spiritual off-shot of Pokemon Snap from the ancient past, were the simple joy and entertainment lays in just looking around, finding something fun and snapping a picture of it. But TOEM is infinitely more refined, smarter, tighter in its approach for it gives you linear levels and a delightfully packed list of Quests and activities, making for a sweet, story driven loop – to get your bus ticket for the next area, you need to collect stamps and the stamps you get for taking pictures of all the cool stuff happening in the level.
Simple enough, but plenty of these tasks are deceptively clever. Nothing too straining, nothing too demanding, not a single puzzle felt like it asked for some truly outrageous leaps of logic, but it was always fun, and is hardly the only set of activities you can embark on. You can collect pictures of all plants and animals for each level. You can find collectibles and fulfill requests of various quirky characters. You can cause a bit of an audible ruckus to trigger something unusual. There is always just MORE to do than just collect your stamps and it never gets stale or tedious, as you can move between levels relatively quickly and each one is a very different beast, with unique style, feeling, characters and of course new set of tasks ahead of you to complete.
TOEM is packed with charm to the brim. You will talk to shy ghosts. You will take pictures of adorable dogs. You might convince a monster or two to show up and snap a photo of them – they are, of course, very sweet about it. You can collect snapshots of peculiar characters and hear to their, often funny, dialogues, which are written with a light and whimsical pen. But even that isn’t a wrap, for the game genuinely tries its best to reward your curiosity, your explorations. Gaze into a peculiar spot long enough and you just might get a surprise. Put on a fitting outfit for the occasion to get different reactions. Find little cats where they surely do not belong! And many more.
It is a short game – 4 to 5 hours is pretty much maximum you can squeeze out of it, but I guarantee, that it’s going to be a gentle, soft, tender blast. It’s just a sweet adventure without stress, without high stakes, but packed with whimsy, good humor and a solid smearing of sentimental charm that is just impossible to not embrace and let it slip over you like a warm, cosy blanket.
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