TOEM

I played the game for Play or Pay 3rd Cycle of 2026 and it was picked for me by Menels. TOEM is just ridiculously cute. The whole idea of wandering around this little black-and-white world, taking pictures and helping people with their problems, is such a simple but charming concept. The puzzles aren't particularly difficult, but they're fun to figure out, and I liked that I could just pick it up, play for a bit, and relax. My biggest annoyance was the camera. Since your character is basically a billboarded sprite, the camera doesn't always face the direction I thought I was facing, which got a little frustrating at times. I also think the black-and-white art style limits how pretty some of the environments could have been, but I understand that's part of the game's identity, so I can't really complain too much. It's short, easy, relaxing, and very, very cute. Sometimes that's all I really need from a game.

TOEM is a simple little game where you wander around little areas, take pictures, do tasks, and do picture-related tasks for people in order to progress! It's simple, but it's VERY cute and easy to play! + Taking pictures in this simple little world is very cute and fun to do + The puzzles aren't too complex but are fun to solve + It's very short, very easy, and because of that it's simple and relaxing to just pick up and solve some problems in for a bit + It's very very cute! Simple as that! - It's a little annoying to have the camera never be facing where you THINK you'd be facing due to the fact you're a billboarded sprite - I do think being black and white limits some potential for how pretty the world can be. But there is a reason it's like that so I won't give the game too much flack for it.

TOEM is a delightful and charming little game. Primarily interacting with the world through the lens of your camera, you're constantly uncovering special and magical things in the world. I knocked it out in one weekend, about seven and half hours. It's long enough to properly explore it's premise, but not enough to overstay its welcome. I've already wishlisted the upcoming sequel, and I can't wait for more.