TOEM 2

The original TOEM is one of my favorite games in recent memory, so I was surprised and delighted to hear that a TOEM 2 was under development. I’m older and don’t have a ton of time to devote to gaming, so a bite-sized game that I can use to de-stress in the evenings is exactly what I’m looking for, and TOEM perfectly fits the bill. The review I’m writing today is different than the review I would have written after only playing the first stage of this game. I say that because while Cropten is a perfectly serviceable “first stage” to introduce players to the game mechanics, it’s a bit on the bland side for those of us who are already familiar with how TOEM works. Thankfully, the following two stages introduce more creative quests and puzzles. That said, I think the original TOEM still has an edge over TOEM 2 when it comes to having a few more challenging, head-scratching quests. My only major gripe about TOEM 2 is the graphical changes. While I appreciate the improved resolution of the character models, I miss the more cohesive style of the first game, where the objects and environments had the same outlined, papery look as the characters. I found the old art style less disjointed while also more unique and charming. But my strongest argument on this front is more visceral: With the first game, I never thought about the fact that it was in black and white. It just felt right. With this game, I frequently found myself aware of this fact. I think it’s because there is less contrast and more greyscale in the environments. Having said this, the graphics are more detailed this time around, and I think there’s probably a good balance that could be struck in future games if the environments restored a bit more of that contrast and the outlines were made more prominent again. The music in TOEM introduced me to a genre of music that has come to define the Fall season for me and which I can best describe as “cozy electronic”. TOEM 2 thankfully continues this wonderful tradition, but this time pulls out all the stops! So much of what makes the TOEM games great is the depth and quality of the music and the way it complements the simplicity of the gameplay mechanics. Each of the 3 stages has 9-10 different tunes, and if it weren’t for the fact that all of them are so good, I might complain more loudly that there are too many to fully appreciate given the length of the game. If nothing else, this game has given me a slew of excellent new music from Launchable Socks and Jamal Green to brighten my days. The new gameplay mechanics were a welcome evolution for me. The new jump feature adds a nice platforming element to the game. The new tools you can use in each stage are pretty basic and it’s always obvious when they’re needed, but they don’t detract from the rest of the experience. The new ability to fall off the map is not as welcome in my opinion—I found myself falling off the map a few times while trying to follow the arrow to the next part of the stage because I neglected to hit the A button at the right time. This seems like an oversight on the dev’s part and I can image new players getting confused and repeatedly walking off the map (since that’s what the arrow is telling them to do). Thankfully there’s no penalty for doing so! Contrary to the opinion of one reviewer, I found the ending sequences surprisingly emotionally moving, just like the first game. A lot of that is thanks to the music and the way that the TOEM visually contrasts with the rest of the world (no spoilers), but in this case there is also a sentimental and relational element to the ending of the game that I found really charming and beautiful. I haven’t looked forward to a video game in many years the way that I looked forward to TOEM 2. There’s something wonderfully unique and delightful about this series and I hope that there’s even more to come. If you’re looking for a cozy and relaxing way to wind down the day, you can’t go wrong with TOEM 2.

For a sequel, I'd expect a bit more new stuff and more levels in general, but also some unique areas / biomes. Nothing really surprised me this time around. The new items were a neat gimmick, but used way to few in the game. However, this is as enjoyable as the first title! Great time. Maybe try out an open world and first person for TOEM 3? :)