Toem Review
Toem Review
Developer(s): Something We Made
Publisher: Something We Made
Release: September 17th, 2021
Platform(s): Switch, PS5, PC
Toem is a charming little indie game made by the team at Something We Made. It's a puzzle adventure game. Here's a great description of the game from its Steam page: "Set off on a delightful expedition and use your photographic eye to uncover the mysteries of the magical TOEM in this hand-drawn adventure game. Chat with quirky characters, solve their problems by snapping neat photos, and make your way through a relaxing landscape!
You start the game with your Nana asking you if you are ready for your big day. Today you are going to visit the magical place called Toem. Your Nana gives you a camera to document your journey. You then talk to the conductor who gives you a community card. You use this community card to keep track of stuff you can help people out with. For example, you can help your Nana by taking a photo of her for her wall. Once helping out and stamping your card you get on the bus and head to the next stop. This is where your adventure begins.
This is such a great game. The main gameplay loop of the game is taking photos. You use the camera your Nana gave you in enjoyable ways to help the people in the places you visit. When you whip out your camera you go into a first-person view and get to set up your shot. With the ability to zoom in and out, take selfies, and later on set your camera up on a tripod the perfect photo is never far. I loved this gameplay loop as it makes you pay more attention to the beautiful surroundings around you. You go from town to town helping out everyone with their problems. When you finish helping someone out they will stamp your community card which is basically a checklist. I found great joy checking everything off this list and helping everyone out. Helping everyone is not required to finish the game you just need a set number of stamps in the area you are currently in before you can move on to the next one. My favorite detail is how you can play any of the songs you've unlocked anywhere you are. You'll just pull out your walkman and start listening to your favorite tracks in the game. This game is simple and you will have a great time if you're not expecting anything large or complex. While the length of Toem is on the short side (3 to 6 hours) it's still a game I'd recommend in a heartbeat. Links to the trailer and website will be at the bottom of this review.
Toem 9/10
Concept: Toem is based on the photo mode feature in other games and it does it very well.
Graphics: While the whole game is in black and white it still looks wonderful.
Sound: The soundtrack is full of wonderful music that adds to the immersion.
Playability: The controls felt average without anything different from most other games.
Entertainment: It is so satisfying taking photos, getting stamps, and helping nice people out.
Replay Value: Moderate
Thanks for reading and Game On!!
