Before we start this review, you have to watch this video:
If this trailer sold you on playing the game, we’re done here, but if you really want to know how it is…
to a T has a couple of really jarring issues, but I loved it anyway.
Developed by uvula, to a T is the latest from Keita Takahashi, the creator of the wild and weird Katamari Damacy series. His last major game on a console was Wattam, which was also a whimsical and wacky title. With all the W’s I’m using, it’s a wonder that his latest game doesn’t have a W involved. Formalities aside, to a T is much in the same vein and while the zany nature is apparent right away, a lot of its uniqueness is also hidden and waiting for you to uncover as you play.
That’s exactly what this game tastes like.
to a T is a narrative adventure that has the foundations of an episodic walking simulator while also feeling like a life sim. The plot is a coming-of-age story featuring Teen, a character with a name or gender of your own choosing, who always has his or her arms sticking straight out, forming a T-pose. Teen doesn’t know how this happened or thinks much of it; Teen just lives life as it comes. There’s also a cute and reliable dog (which you can pet for a trophy/achievement) and a cool mom that both provide Teen with all the unconditional love possible. It’s a solid life.
When you start the game, you’ll customize Teen’s skin color and hairstyle before having to go to the bathroom, which ends up being a button-mashing minigame with strange and hilarious noises before finally flushing the toilet. Then, you’ll have to go downstairs, wash your face, have a bowl of cereal, brush your teeth, and go back upstairs to change into your school uniform–for the sake of inclusivity, you don’t actually choose whether Teen is a boy or girl, and you can have him or her mix and match dresses and skirts with regular boy’s clothes, which is a solid touch. One of the most impressive things in the game is despite the fact that it’s fairly narrative driven, Teen is always referred to by name and is never given a pronoun; this is something I’m having trouble doing as I write this review.
Getting back to the routine, after changing, you choose your bag and shoes at the door, and then you manually head to school. Again, throughout this entire time, Teen is in a T-pose. So when Teen eats cereal, Teen has an extra long spoon. When Teen brushes, Teen has an extra long brush. When Teen puts on shoes, Teen leaps in or out of them. Teen can’t simply walk into a doorway without turning to the side either. When it comes to all the simple things in life, Teen has to approach them differently, which leads to discomfort to not only him, but to those around him.
Of course, with the game starting on Teen’s 13th birthday, Teen’s had a good amount of time living life in a preferred manner. It’s diabolical, but yes, the game eventually does explain why this is the case. I’m not going to spoil it here, but you’ll never guess the full reasoning as to why this is. You’ll probably have an idea, but let’s not pretend you know what Takahashi is thinking. Once you get there, though, it’s absolute insanity.
Did you rinse your mouth out like this as a kid? Don’t lie!
As mentioned, the game is episodic which for some reason was something that went right over my head when I previewed it at GDC. Not only does every episode in the game start with that catchy song shown in the trailer at the beginning of this review, typically right when you get to a thought-provoking plot point, you’re met with a cozy song about a friendly giraffe that excels in the culinary art of finger foods that was written by none other than Rebecca Sugar (of Adventure Time fame) ending the episode. There are eight chapters in the game of varying lengths, and I found myself binging the whole thing over the course of three days during a work trip, wanting to know more about the world this small town is in as well as its people (and creatures) living in it.
Speaking of a friendly giraffe excelling in culinary arts, there’s a bunch in the game. One makes sandwiches, the other is great at making popcorn, one makes ice cream, and the other focuses on grilled corn. Deliciousness aside, the opportunity to eat these foods also double as minigames. A couple of them (the popcorn and grilled corn ones) are on the easy side while the ice cream and sandwich-eating minigames are rather difficult, but it isn’t necessary to do them. Was this paragraph a cheap way to say they aren’t easy as pie nor are they a piece of cake? Who knows?
Silliness aside (sort of), to a T and its themes of otherwise weird things being normal to different people made it really resonate with me and will delight many others, but it isn’t without its issues. Because the game has the feel of what’s essentially a TV show, players are also at the victim of a cinematic-style camera that you have no control of. Getting through the game and exploring is a simple task, because it’s always about going from point A to point B. The problem is that while you can easily walk to the right to head east, the camera will all of a sudden be behind you, or in front of you, or to your side, and this messes with your sense of direction. If this game didn’t have a map, it would be easy to be absolutely lost. There was this one episode where you use another character, and not only did I get lost trying to navigate a maze of boxes at a warehouse, I got stuck in some gap because the camera couldn’t choose which view to display, and I had to start that entire section over.
Just excellent writing. Butt.
With its episodic format and captivating (for oh so many reasons) story, players should be able to enjoy the experience both as a binge or as a slow burn. It took me around five hours to get through the game’s eight chapters, and it left me wanting more. On that end, while there’s no New Game+, there is a free roaming mode available after rolling the credits so you can uncover more secrets or beat the high scores in minigames if you so choose. The ability to select specific parts in every episode to play through also makes it easier to get all the achievements or trophies if you’re that kind of gamer.
After it’s all said and done, to a T is an easy recommendation. With its adorable art style, catchy soundtrack, interesting but weird story with amazing themes and lessons on bullying and individuality, to a T is cozy gaming at its finest and should not be overlooked among the dearth of amazing indie games released this year already.
Cue the giraffe song!
Now you have to get it, but one more thing: Believe in yourself. You’re the perfect shape!
Before we start this review, you have to watch this video: If this trailer sold you on playing the game, we’re done here, but if you really want to know how it is… to a T has a couple of…
Before we start this review, you have to watch this video:
If this trailer sold you on playing the game, we’re done here, but if you really want to know how it is…
to a T has a couple of really jarring issues, but I loved it anyway.
Developed by uvula, to a T is the latest from Keita Takahashi, the creator of the wild and weird Katamari Damacy series. His last major game on a console was Wattam, which was also a whimsical and wacky title. With all the W’s I’m using, it’s a wonder that his latest game doesn’t have a W involved. Formalities aside, to a T is much in the same vein and while the zany nature is apparent right away, a lot of its uniqueness is also hidden and waiting for you to uncover as you play.
That’s exactly what this game tastes like.
to a T is a narrative adventure that has the foundations of an episodic walking simulator while also feeling like a life sim. The plot is a coming-of-age story featuring Teen, a character with a name or gender of your own choosing, who always has his or her arms sticking straight out, forming a T-pose. Teen doesn’t know how this happened or thinks much of it; Teen just lives life as it comes. There’s also a cute and reliable dog (which you can pet for a trophy/achievement) and a cool mom that both provide Teen with all the unconditional love possible. It’s a solid life.
When you start the game, you’ll customize Teen’s skin color and hairstyle before having to go to the bathroom, which ends up being a button-mashing minigame with strange and hilarious noises before finally flushing the toilet. Then, you’ll have to go downstairs, wash your face, have a bowl of cereal, brush your teeth, and go back upstairs to change into your school uniform–for the sake of inclusivity, you don’t actually choose whether Teen is a boy or girl, and you can have him or her mix and match dresses and skirts with regular boy’s clothes, which is a solid touch. One of the most impressive things in the game is despite the fact that it’s fairly narrative driven, Teen is always referred to by name and is never given a pronoun; this is something I’m having trouble doing as I write this review.
Getting back to the routine, after changing, you choose your bag and shoes at the door, and then you manually head to school. Again, throughout this entire time, Teen is in a T-pose. So when Teen eats cereal, Teen has an extra long spoon. When Teen brushes, Teen has an extra long brush. When Teen puts on shoes, Teen leaps in or out of them. Teen can’t simply walk into a doorway without turning to the side either. When it comes to all the simple things in life, Teen has to approach them differently, which leads to discomfort to not only him, but to those around him.
Of course, with the game starting on Teen’s 13th birthday, Teen’s had a good amount of time living life in a preferred manner. It’s diabolical, but yes, the game eventually does explain why this is the case. I’m not going to spoil it here, but you’ll never guess the full reasoning as to why this is. You’ll probably have an idea, but let’s not pretend you know what Takahashi is thinking. Once you get there, though, it’s absolute insanity.
Did you rinse your mouth out like this as a kid? Don’t lie!
As mentioned, the game is episodic which for some reason was something that went right over my head when I previewed it at GDC. Not only does every episode in the game start with that catchy song shown in the trailer at the beginning of this review, typically right when you get to a thought-provoking plot point, you’re met with a cozy song about a friendly giraffe that excels in the culinary art of finger foods that was written by none other than Rebecca Sugar (of Adventure Time fame) ending the episode. There are eight chapters in the game of varying lengths, and I found myself binging the whole thing over the course of three days during a work trip, wanting to know more about the world this small town is in as well as its people (and creatures) living in it.
Speaking of a friendly giraffe excelling in culinary arts, there’s a bunch in the game. One makes sandwiches, the other is great at making popcorn, one makes ice cream, and the other focuses on grilled corn. Deliciousness aside, the opportunity to eat these foods also double as minigames. A couple of them (the popcorn and grilled corn ones) are on the easy side while the ice cream and sandwich-eating minigames are rather difficult, but it isn’t necessary to do them. Was this paragraph a cheap way to say they aren’t easy as pie nor are they a piece of cake? Who knows?
Silliness aside (sort of), to a T and its themes of otherwise weird things being normal to different people made it really resonate with me and will delight many others, but it isn’t without its issues. Because the game has the feel of what’s essentially a TV show, players are also at the victim of a cinematic-style camera that you have no control of. Getting through the game and exploring is a simple task, because it’s always about going from point A to point B. The problem is that while you can easily walk to the right to head east, the camera will all of a sudden be behind you, or in front of you, or to your side, and this messes with your sense of direction. If this game didn’t have a map, it would be easy to be absolutely lost. There was this one episode where you use another character, and not only did I get lost trying to navigate a maze of boxes at a warehouse, I got stuck in some gap because the camera couldn’t choose which view to display, and I had to start that entire section over.
Just excellent writing. Butt.
With its episodic format and captivating (for oh so many reasons) story, players should be able to enjoy the experience both as a binge or as a slow burn. It took me around five hours to get through the game’s eight chapters, and it left me wanting more. On that end, while there’s no New Game+, there is a free roaming mode available after rolling the credits so you can uncover more secrets or beat the high scores in minigames if you so choose. The ability to select specific parts in every episode to play through also makes it easier to get all the achievements or trophies if you’re that kind of gamer.
After it’s all said and done, to a T is an easy recommendation. With its adorable art style, catchy soundtrack, interesting but weird story with amazing themes and lessons on bullying and individuality, to a T is cozy gaming at its finest and should not be overlooked among the dearth of amazing indie games released this year already.
Cue the giraffe song!
Now you have to get it, but one more thing: Believe in yourself. You’re the perfect shape!
by Danreb Victorio
