#TOEM REVIEW FULL#

Throughout my 4 hour jaunt across a handful of locations, no real pressure was placed on completing the end goal – thus it was back seated and rarely pondered, much like the wonderful A Short Hike. You can feel the joy and love poured into every facet of TOEM, from every corner of its lovely little world. Everything is just so carefully, lovingly crafted. It’s in all these small details that TOEM really shines. All the music tracks are similarly pleasing. In fact, there’s just something about every sound that comes from this game that will bring a grin to your face – the clip-clop of your pair of clogs, the Banjo-Kazooie speak of the townsfolk. Pointing, zooming and moving the camera around feels appropriately weighty every snap is accompanied by the most satisfying and tactile click. The act of simply taking a photo in TOEM couldn’t be more spot on. It’s on the good side of wholesome – it makes you smile with its absurdity and warmth.

#TOEM REVIEW FULL#

It’s lighthearted and full of joy, but never silly for the sake of it.

It makes for a world of wonder where anything is a possibility. A sentient hotdog serves ant-like creatures their signature dish the power plant is run by beings that look like they were pulled from Portal’s instructional videos. Trees can be both boxed and flat, yet both feel natural in this world.Įvery locale of TOEM is such an oddball mix of creatures and personalities, locations, and interactions. There’s a terrific blend of 2D and 3D in the design – a clever papercraft aesthetic that is at once uniform yet also full of possibility.

Especially given the array of collectable clothing items you’ll find along the way. You do get a tripod which is fun to line up shots, and of course, the odd selfie here and there is always delightful. It doesn’t do a massive amount with this perspective shift puzzle wise, but there are some neat moments here and there. Though, it definitely is quite neat to go from this top-down, birds-eye view, where you can rotate and zoom in and out of each Captain Toad like area, to view things from a first-person perspective. There isn’t all that much to the photography – mostly just point and shoot – but it serves as the vehicle driving you through your adventure well.

Who doesn’t want to help the old grumpy ghost smell a Supreme Deluxe Sandwich one last time before they move on? You might need 9 stamps out of a total of 16 to catch the next bus ride, but let’s be honest – you’ll probably want to do every single one. You’ll complete a bunch of tasks for people in each area, collecting stamps along the way, with a need to hit a minimum threshold before advancing. Exploring each area will lead you to people that need your happy snapping capabilities – whether that’s in the form of capturing the absurdly tall hotel from just the right angle, or tracking down the perfect example of a ghost horse’s former beauty. You’ll make your way through a handful of locations, each broken into a dozen or more tiny dioramic boxes. TOEM is a low-vibes adventure game, with your main mode of interaction with the world being through your chunky polaroid camera (complete with dynamic zoom). Go on a chill adventure, take a few dozen cool snaps and have a few laughs along the way. Every aspect of its tightly built world and story is bursting with kindness, sincerity and more than a few chuckles. TOEM – Picture Perfect Switch, Steam, PS5

Toem review