TOEM is a game which revolves around photography. You play as a small figure roaming across scandinavian inspired landscapes capturing moments using your camera. The ultimate goal is to experience the phenomenon known as TOEM and bring back a picture of the same. There are several objectives that need to be completed along the way, which can be found / obtained on talking to the people around you. On completing a certain number of objectives in an area, you can then take a bus to the next stop on your journey.
There are 4 areas for you to explore before you reach the final destination. Each area is unique in terms of the landscape you have to traverse. These vary from forests, bustling cities, to snowy mountain tops. Each area is replete with interesting objects and people to photograph and interact with.
The in-game camera is very responsive and surprisingly easy to use. While the resulting images do seem a little blurry that won’t deter you from enjoying the experience. You can even add filters to the images if that happens to be your thing. Not to mention the ability to take selfies and even use a tripod to get a better shot.
There isn’t much dialogue but the unique gameplay and the adorable characters make this game the equivalent of a cozy book. The in-game music is also on point and very relaxing to play to. I had way too much fun just roaming about and taking photos of the people, animals, art, etc. It’s a very relaxing game and one I was sad got over so quickly. The game only lasts an average of 3 – 3.5 hours of playtime to complete the main story. There’s no combat, no extensive dialogue, no extensive puzzle solving, just roaming around, taking pictures, and enjoying the unique environments that have been created for this game. While I do have 1 or 2 extra objectives (outside of the main story requirements) left to completely finish the game, I’ll probably leave it for a time when I’ll miss the game and so have something to come back to. Definitely recommend this game.
Rating: 4/5
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