TOEM 2 Demo Preview
Grayscale never looked so vibrant.
Indie game fans are sure to be rejoicing this year in anticipation of the sequel to the beloved photo adventure TOEM. According to their website, the developers at Something We Made got the whole gang back together (plus some new members) to work on the “biggest adventure yet” in the TOEM world. Knowing this, I was delighted to get my hands on the demo and see what’s new for our plucky photographer.
The first update that fans of the original will notice is an updated visual style. While the characters and many items around the world bear the familiar illustrated cartoon-inspired art style, the world itself is smooth and beautifully 3D-modeled, without the stark edges. While this was a surprise at first, I feel it worked well overall, to allow the characters inhabiting the world to really pop and come to life. The characters and critters that I encountered continued to be as charming as ever, and even more photogenic against the newly smooth environments.
TOEM 2 in Action
As I proceeded through the quick tutorial that kicks off the demo, I immediately noticed a second significant update to the experience. Jumping Jehoshaphat, you can jump! Our little adventurer now has a whole new set of skills that let you traverse the environments to get a new perspective on the world. Jumping and climbing my way through the little town was smooth and satisfying, and it also made the town feel like much more than a backdrop to my photographs.
The beauty of the TOEM series is in how it uses photography to make the mundane a little more magical, and injects curiosity into the commonplace moments that we often overlook.
Thankfully, though there are some welcome updates, the spirit of TOEM lives on strongly in TOEM 2. As I picked up my trusty camera and entered the demo town, I soon encountered a friendly but stressed plumber who needed my assistance. This is when I learned that my camera would not only assist me in snapping photos to solve puzzles and complete fetch quests, but is also a multitool and enables you to interact with the world using a variety of other instruments. In this case, I picked up a screwdriver and went to work to help the plumber out with his clogged pipe woes.
TOEM 2 Trailer
Ultimately, in true TOEM fashion, most of the quests throughout the world required that I follow clues (some heavy-handed, some a little more opaque) to find and get a quick snap of a variety of items, characters and creatures. Your photos get added to your scrapbook, which doubles as a kind of inventory that you can reference when turning in your quests to the respective townsperson. While the concept is simple, this process really does have a kind of magical effect of making this grayscale world pop with life.
It drew me in and made me stop and consider the little details: a curious-looking fish, a lone bicycle leaning against a wall, an abandoned can of tuna. All of these details suddenly take on new meaning in the context of the lives of everyone you meet along your journey. The beauty of the TOEM series is in how it uses photography to make the mundane a little more magical, and injects curiosity into the commonplace moments that we often overlook. I look forward to exploring and capturing more of this quirky world when TOEM 2 releases later this year.
No Small Games was provided with a preview key of the TOEM 2 demo by popagenda
About No Small Games
No Small Games is an indie game recap and review podcast brought to you by hosts Kate and Emily! They became friends while streaming on Twitch and bonded over their love of indie video games. In each episode of No Small Games, the two will discuss an indie game they both played independently. They’ll compare their experiences: the good, the bad, their most memorable moments of their playthroughs.
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