Mothergamer Plays To a T

 I was very curious about To a T as it is the latest game from the creator and designer of Katamari Damacy, Keita Takahashi. I also wanted to check it out after hearing that the game is an allegory for being disabled. That resonated with me due to my issues with Fibromyalgia and arthritis. 

 The game itself is described as a coming of age story. The main character who is just named "Teen" who is  a 13 year old kid (don't worry, the game lets you change the name if you want) is stuck in a permanent T-pose. There is a bright and colorful opening theme song about it that feels like a fun anime or tv show episode. The art style is cheerful and full of whimsy which adds to a lot of the cuteness and energy of the game.

The Teen forever in a T-pose.

The Teen also has a dog (of course I named it after our dog Jake) which you can name and the dog isn't just a pet, the dog helps Teen with daily tasks such as getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and getting breakfast. You can also pet the dog. In fact, it's one of the first things you can do and it's very charming. 

Dog helps Teen get dressed. 

This isn't your typical town. It's full of lots of interesting characters and not all are human like a cute ladybug that runs the local newspaper or a giraffe who runs a cafe that makes tasty sandwiches. Even the teachers at Teen's school are a myriad of amusing differences especially the science teacher who claims one student is qualified in dark magic. It's fun and shows moments where the game doesn't take itself too seriously, but does a great job of telling Teen's story. 

We do learn why eventually why Teen is forever stuck in a T-pose. No spoilers, but the reason is quite a surprise and bizarre in the best ways. There's also moments of familiarity with Teen being bullied for being different from everyone else. This does get resolved pretty quickly with a few lessons about the importance of understanding that being different doesn't mean bad and how a little kindness can go a long way. Dog even has its own little adventure making new friends with folks like someone they call DJ Pigeon and a menagerie of other fun characters. It does add an extra layer of silly fun to the game's story and comes full circle in the ending. 

Dog hangs out with DJ Pigeon.

When Teen is done with school, you're free to explore the town. The town map helps with that and you can do extra things like play a speed eating mini game at the ice cream or sandwich shop, or collect tokens all over town to buy new outfits for Teen. It's not easy being a T so Teen has to figure out how to turn sideways to fit down hallways or going through a doorway. One of the cuter things in the game is the theme song with the lyrics "you are the perfect shape" which is such a bop and plays at the start and end of each chapter. There's also another cute song about the giraffe explaining how making sandwiches brings them happiness. 

While To a T brought a lot of joy, whimsical things, and an absolutely original story, it's not perfect. Sometimes the camera angles would zoom in so much I could barely see where I needed to go. This was especially true for Dog's adventure because it was zoomed in so much I had a hard time with a platform jumping section because of it. This made things incredibly frustrating for certain puzzles and trying to navigate the town which is a shame because the game itself has a lot of charm and moments of thoughtfulness within the story. 

To a T is still worth playing the five hours for the great story full of laughs and a wonderful message at the center of it; that being different doesn't have to be bad and we can just talk to each other and be surprised at how many things we may have in common and that the differences are what make life far less boring than if we were all the same. That's a lovely sentiment that To a T brings with a lot of earnestness and humor. 

Teen with Dog with all their friends in a group photo.

*To a T is available on the following platforms: Xbox Series X/S (Gamepass), Playstation 5, and Steam

*Join our community on Twitch as we play games and discuss mental health: https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer

Mothergamer Plays Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping

 *Note: I received a code for the Nintendo Switch for my honest review of the game. Thank you so much to Future Friends Games for the code!

I quite enjoyed Duck Detective: The Secret Salami and was happy to see our hard boiled duck Eugene McQuacklin was back in The Ghost of Glamping. The sequel sees Eugene down on his luck divorced, addicted to bread, and living with Freddy Frederson the alligator from the previous game and possibly the only fan and friend of the duck detective. The opening gives you a refresher on how to look for clues and do de-ducktions. You can also adjust the difficulty of the game to story mode to make things a little easier. 

The Duck Detective is back!

Freddy drags Eugene to a glamping trip (glamorous camping) and right from the start things are going terribly wrong. Camping chairs are stolen, tents are ransacked, there's a rude celebrity guest, and Freddy continues to irritate Eugene with his cheerful positivity. The guests at the campground are the main cast for the mystery and they're all in agreement that the trip so far is subpar and the events happening around them are making that worse. The camp manager Emilia is trying her best, but it's obvious she's stressed trying to keep everything running smoothly. 

Freddy and Eugene arrive at the campgrounds. 

The artwork for the game is just as cute as the first one with everyone looking like cute stickers running around. It's obvious that each of the campers has something to hide with the exception of Freddy and the child of one of the campers. Eugene has to talk to everyone and the game helps by highlighting all the questions you can ask. You can also highlight who you're talking to with a magnifying glass and examine them looking for clues that stand out. Then you can check your notebook and put those clues together by filling in the blanks. If you get stuck, the game has a hints system that gives tips like going to a different location or questions you might have missed. I liked story mode because it shows you which answers are wrong and which are correct. The game lets you take your time and there's no pressure to hurry. When you do get it right, Eugene can do some de-ducktions to unravel more of the mystery. 

Examining a character for clues. 

The music for the game fits the film noir vibes of the game and the story itself is interesting and amusing. The humor from the previous game is still there puns and all with a few new ones which caused me to chuckle often. The voice acting is great and the voice actor for Freddy does a great job capturing that earnestness about wanting to help his friend, but also wanting to have a memorable and fun camping trip. The game doesn't overstay its welcome and wraps up everything in about two to three hours. I go slowly and take my time so I finished in three hours. Overall, The Ghost of Glamping is a fun whodunit with a smart way of showing nods to the previous game through Freddy. I enjoyed it and had a great time solving this mystery. I hope we get to see our Duck Detective friend again sometime in the future. 

*Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is available to play on the following platforms: Steam,  Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X/S

*Join our community on Twitch where we play games and discuss mental health: https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer