The highest compliment I can pay a game is finishing it in one sitting. I enjoyed being in that world so much that I dared not leave until everything was done. The story complete: the world made better in some small way. I did this playing TOEM, and I’ve done it again playing TOEM 2.
I’m going to set my stall out early; I love these games. There is something about its gentle, monochromatic world, simple but engaging camera-based puzzles, and cast of delightful characters that pulls me in and doesn’t let me go until I see a platinum trophy pop in the corner of the screen.
It also probably doesn’t hurt that they are the perfect Sunday afternoon game. You can settle in, forget your troubles for a few hours, and go on a delightful bus ride to see something beautiful while helping a charming cast of characters with their troubles along the way. It’s feel-good stuff from start to finish.
TOEM 2 is very much from the if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it camp of sequels. If you enjoyed the original, you will love the sequel; it is essentially more of the same with some fun little twists of its own.
Players return to the well-worn hiking boots of the cute photographer from the first TOEM, once again off on an adventure to capture a once-in-a-lifetime natural event. This time, the blooming of a particularly large, ancient tree.
Once again, thanks to the delights of a quirky rural public transportation system, our plucky hero is stuck collecting stamps at every stop by helping out the locals before they can continue to their final fantastical destination.
It may not be the fastest way to travel, but it gives our happy little chap the chance to make new friends and enjoy what the region has to offer. There’s a farmstead that needs a gardener, a fantastical town that needs a carpenter, and a town with malfunctioning pipes that needs a plumber.
But you might say: “None of these problems need a photographer”, and that’s where you would be right, if not for TOEM 2’s new Camera abilities that let you tighten screws, hammer nails, and chop through shrubs by staring down the viewfinder and hitting the right button.
Although it doesn’t make much sense narratively, it’s a fun way to mix up the gameplay and add new features without getting in the way of the otherwise camera-focused gameplay. The only downside is that each ability is tied to a specific region, so once you’ve done everything at a certain stop, you can simply move on.
The other big addition to TOEM 2 is the ability to jump and climb. This allows for some basic yet enjoyable platforming that makes you work a little harder for the game’s numerous cute collectible hats and costumes. As well as a fun series of missions that have you trying to reach flags in particularly high places. (Which rewards you with a delightful goat mask)
Otherwise, TOEM 2 plays it fairly safe, retaining the same charming black-and-white art style with 2D characters. Areas are once again presented as a string of lovely little isometric dioramas for you to explore and photograph. Each is filled with delightful characters you can help by taking pictures of an object or animal they’re thinking of or need, an answer to a question or riddle, or, in the case of one museum curator, is desperate to smell.
It’s all backed by another cosy lo-fi soundtrack composed by Launchable Socks and Jamal Greeni that really heightens TOEM 2’s slow walk around a country estate on a Sunday afternoon after a big roast at a country pub vibe. That is to say, relaxing. It lasts about the same amount of time too; it took me four hours to get the platinum trophy, and I was only missing a couple of cups when the credits rolled about twenty minutes beforehand.
VERDICT
TOEM 2 is less of a sequel and more a pleasant part two. If you loved the original, you will love the sequel. It keeps everything that made TOEM such a pleasant afternoon’s romp and subtly expands the world and gameplay so it feels like an expansion of the idea rather than a complete retread. If you haven’t played the first, you could just leap straight into TOEM 2, but considering their size and both being absolute gems. I would recommend the rare gaming double feature.