Every time you select the camera, the game presents you with a first-person perspective. That changes entirely, though, when you are taking a picture. Use the camera to see things from a differect perspective. However, due to the way that the isometric angle restricts your view, the game will often have certain details hidden from your standard point-of-view. On most maps, you can rotate the camera freely, as well as change the zoom to see things better, if needed. While walking through each map, the game is locked to an isometric point-of-view. One of the most interesting ways TOEM plays with these photo mechanics is related to the diorama style ‘limitations’. By making you explore each area, talk to every NPC, and try to solve their problems, TOEM creates multiple puzzle-like photography challenges. Each stamp will be given by a person after you help them in some way. You go by bus from region to region, but once you arrive at a new place, you can only get a new ticket after collecting a certain number of stamps. It’s on top of that basic plot that TOEM creates a kind of quest system that you have to engage with in order to progress. In order to get there, you first need to travel through four different regions, all while helping people along the way. All you know is that you can find TOEM at the very top of the Kiiruberg mountain. What TOEM really is will remain a mystery until the very end of the game. Instead of going out to catch monsters though, your objective is to experience and take a picture of TOEM. Akin to the premise in Pokémon, you start the game by waking up and learning from your mom that you are old enough to start your own adventure. This sense of exploration and discovery is also encouraged by TOEM ’s simple but effective narrative. Brilliantly mixing 2D sprites on 3D environments, TOEM presents a cozy small world that is worth exploring. Thanks to that, every area feels like a miniature that you could hold in your hand (a similar effect of what you could find in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ). Basically, the entire world of TOEM is constructed of different diorama-sized small places, which are entirely portrayed with a grayscale hand drawn art style.

One of the many reasons why TOEM managed to stand out – even when appearing in an Indie World with lots of other great games – is probably related to its unique art style, which, without a shadow of doubt, is one of its strongest features.

It is easy to see why TOEM caught everybody’s attention. While these games are getting their own spotlight with events like the Wholesome Direct, TOEM actually caught everybody’s attention during the Indie World showcase of August 2021. They can be simulators of different kinds (walking, farming, and dating – to mention a few), narrative-focused experiences, puzzlers, visual novels, and even photography-based games, as is the case in TOEM. Amongst the most frequent trends in indie games, there is one that has risen in popularity in recent times thanks to its cosy aesthetics and laid-back approach: the so-called wholesome games.Ĭoming in many different formats and styles, wholesome games choose to build relaxing experiences on top of a multitude of unique mechanics.

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