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

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