17 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC via Steam. Like in A Short Hike, getting to the top of Toem’s mountain as fast as possible is not the point, because the sheer joy of these worlds is built to be savored. It feels similar in this way to Adam Robinson-Yu’s A Short Hike, the indie breakout from 2019, despite the two games being nothing alike mechanically and visually. Which doesn’t mean you can’t rush through and finish it in a single weekend if you’d like. It rewards you for taking your time and paying attention. There’s just enough in Toem that I want to (and actually can) uncover all the secrets. Toem is an utterly delightful Switch photography game that is filled with personality and doesn’t wear out its welcome. It’s the sort of game that I want more of, but I’m thankful the developers stopped when they did: Every new discovery and world feels fresh and fulfilling, and not a single moment felt overwrought. The game itself is small, just over three hours to complete, but manages to pack so many sweet moments into its concise world. The simple mechanics of stopping to snap a photo - sometimes with light puzzles that include a tripod or horn to surprise subjects - work so perfectly with the goofy charm of Toem’s towns. Mostly, helping means taking photos, but it sometimes means whimsical and silly tasks, like taking a ghost on a date. Bus trips to each of Toem’s locations require a bunch of stamps on the bus pass, each of which can be earned by helping out locals. The camera is essential not only in capturing that trip, but actually traveling through the different cities and towns, too. When Toem begins, you’re given a camera with some basic functions, letting you zoom and take selfies, and you set out on a journey to the top of a mountain to photograph something called the toem. It perfectly uses the snap of a camera shutter to evoke a cozy, lived-in world. Toem is the next iteration of the photography game. Before Toem, Umurangi Generation used photography to tell a story of a decaying world Alba: A Wildlife Adventure used the practice in its feel-good story about saving and appreciating natural environments and, of course, there’s New Pokémon Snap, a game using photographs to test your perfect timing. It’s part of a growing number of photography games that use the act of capturing photos - and noticing environments around the player - as the main function of the game. In Toem, developer Something We Made’s game is built around the idea of a photography mode. There’s no real standard for photo modes: Most come with zoom and camera movement, but no two are the same, allowing players to take a breath to capture something with a shutter click. Many big-budget video games come with a dedicated photo mode these days - a tool designed specifically for capturing a game within a single frame. Something We Made has confirmed a release date for their debut game TOEM, which will release on Nintendo Switch this month.
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