Summary

TOEM is a pretty short indie game that revolves around taking pictures in order to complete quests in connected levels. The art and customization of both your character and the game world really stand out and this is an amazing title to play on the Steam Deck.

A Camera Game???

I cannot sing high enough praises for the use of cameras in video games when done properly. Whether its Dead Rising 1 or Pokemon Snap, cameras tend to be very engaging and this game handles it in a very unique way. This game somehow blends elements of integrating the world with your camera instead of the usual way of slapping on the feature.

Most of what you’ll be doing is just finding objects to snap a photo of and then doing so. The difference here is that the game both encourages and demands creativity. For instance, the photo filters and camera tripod are mechanics that must be engaged with to complete quests. The various hats your character can wear usually have gameplay elements.

I’m not creative, does this game love me?

I’m not a very creative person, I’m the type that wouldn’t play this game just for the fun of taking pictures. I tend to be utilitarian in completing game objectives and yet I found myself exploring with TOEM and taking photos just for fun. There is no score on the photos and no point to taking random pics and yet there I was photographing myself with the incredibly cute characters.

You’ll start this game off thinking nothing of a lot of the photos you take and by the end you’re really exploring. The levels progress in complexity which lets you take more interesting photos. You’ll spend time collecting photos of every adorable animal in each level. Or maybe you’ll be searching for hidden clues. Maybe you’ll find a wacky character and strike a pose with them. This game actually makes you want to do those things and just have dumb fun with it.

The kind of fetch quest photographers crave

To tie it all together, the quests come in to really flesh out the experience and showcase fun and inviting things to do in the world of TOEM. Each level has very unique quests that range from finding ancient cave drawings to spotting mysterious monsters. None of the quests are too hard and none take too much time or overstay their welcome. Each level of 20 or so quests can be done in less than half an hour so you always feel like you’re making progress.

Final Thoughts

If any of the above concepts sound at all interesting to you, go play this game. It’s a short experience and you’ll spend around 5 or so hours with it, all of the time having fun pushing forward through the quests. The art is amazing, the sound is just right and often relaxing, and I don’t think you’ll regret your time with this one. Tell me about your experiences with cameras in other games and what you think of it here. Also pick up the free demo on steam for the game if you’re interested!