Being a teenager is hard. Imagine having to live through those awkward years with your body stuck in a permanent T-pose. But don’t worry, because as “To a T” repeats in every episode, You are the perfect shape!
Good morning, Teen!
In To a T, the new game from Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi, you take on the role of Teen, a 13-year-old boy. He’s not like other teenagers though, as his body is permanently in a T-pose. The game involves completing tasks to help Teen navigate his daily life. Getting breakfast and brushing your teeth are just two of the many everyday activities that become more difficult when your arms won’t bend. You are partly helped by your dog, who performs certain actions on your behalf, but this isn’t a perfect solution.
The game comprises eight acts, which are initiated by popping a balloon in the overworld. Each one shows you the next part of Teen’s daily life at school and mainly consists of minigames and story progression.
If you don’t feel like playing the minigames, you can also freely explore the world, collect coins, buy new clothes, and further explore the town.
There is a lot to do in this world, but most activities are quite simple, even with a T-shaped body. Let me talk you through the start of an in-game day:
You wake up, and the first thing you need to do is choose Teen’s outfit. This is a basic menu in the form of a wardrobe. Next, you go downstairs, wash your face, eat breakfast and brush your teeth. For all these activities, you use the analogue sticks on your preferred controller to move both arms, and the shoulder buttons to make the hands grab things. Then you go to school and play simple minigames, such as a ‘Simon Says’ PE class or a multiple-choice maths exam.
You may already have gathered from the previous alinea that the gameplay isn’t very engaging. After the first three acts, I found it a bit boring and repetitive. At one point it was so bad that, when my in-game mother said, ‘You are old enough to make your own choices, so choose what you want to do every morning’, I tried walking to school in my pyjamas. That wasn’t possible, so I just moved on to the next chapter without eating or doing my morning routine.
I understand that it was normal for the controls to feel clunky and unresponsive when navigating the world, but it’s inconsistent that some tasks require button input while others happen automatically. Take opening a door, for example. As Teen is T-shaped, he has to enter doors sideways. At school, you need to tilt your body, but at home, he just turns around on his own. The game sometimes felt more like a tech demo than a fully fleshed-out one.
Weird and wacky, with a message
Even though I don’t find the gameplay very entertaining, I can’t say the same for the game’s story and world. To a T is a very weird game. The best comparison I can make is with a slice-of-life anime. Just like an anime episode, every story chapter starts with a catchy theme tune that has you singing along by chapter two. ‘You are the perfect shape’ is stuck in my head even now, while I’m writing this review. There is also an ending song featuring the game’s giraffe vendor. Yes, you heard that right. The food vendors in this game are giraffes. And that isn’t the only abstract concept in this game. For example, the main character can fly if he spins hard enough and rides around on a talking unicycle. I can’t believe someone came up with ideas like this!
The presentation is also second to none. The relaxing piano soundtrack that accompanies you throughout your journey is ideal for strolling or cycling around the city. The town itself is also brimming with life. It’s rendered in 3D, resembling a cartoon. I can’t criticise this game for the way it looks and sounds.
However, when I consider the lacklustre gameplay alongside this wonderful world, it’s clear that the developers prioritised the message they wanted to convey to players. This isn’t an action-heavy thrill ride; it’s a low-key story about a boy or girl trying to find their place in the world. I don’t feel qualified to say whether disability is tackled adequately in this title, but I think we can all relate to feeling awkward or left out at least once during our teenage years. The message comes across, but I couldn’t help wondering if this story would have been better as an anime series. I would have watched it, and I think I would have enjoyed the story as much as I do now. In fact, I think it would have been better as a series because the mini-games and gameplay aspects reduced my enjoyment quite significantly.
Conclusion
To a T is a unique game, which is both to its benefit and its detriment. It is a game that wants to deliver a message: that everyone has a place in this world. However, I think its clunky gameplay and occasionally dull minigames detract from the experience. If your favourite YouTuber or streamer has played this game, I would recommend watching them play it rather than playing it yourself. The story is clearly the highlight of the experience.
