To a T has all the right elements you’d expect from a Keita Takahashi game. It is earnest, charming, simple and full of the act of play, both mechanically and aesthetically. The music is joyous and the visuals are a lovely mishmash of shapes, colours and vibrancy. As one would expect from the man behind Katamari, Wattam and Noby Noby Boy, it is also deeply, deeply odd.
You play as a teenager who cannot bend their arms, existing in a permanent T pose. This provides a real strange challenge to daily living, with them relying on custom faucets, cutlery, pencils and a very cute, very helpful little dog to get about their business. Games are often at their best as vehicles for empathy, in all its forms, and the extent to which To a T grounds you in this day to day routine is very affecting. The parallel to living with disability is obvious, and the messaging is very clear.
I am thankful that this game, with this message of taking a moment to see how another person lives, exists. As a student nurse, this sense of getting to grips with the way another person lives their life is paramount to providing the best care possible, and it’s heartening to see this in a game, delivered with care.
I just wish the actual act of playing this game was less… problematic.
Full disclosure; a review copy of To a T was provided on steam. My only means to review PC games is via a steam deck, and I reasoned that it would be more than able to handle the task. Unfortunately, this is a platform I cannot recommend playing it on. Unless you are comfortable with a battery draining in just under an hour and a half while the frame rate struggles to stay near 30, with compromised visuals that sap it of it’s vibrancy and style, give it a miss.
I took it upon myself to buy a copy of the game on PS5, and played it on my PS5 Pro. Should be better, yes?
To a degree. While it was less difficult to play, I experienced severe frame rate fluctuations throughout my time with the game. As a player who can be sensitive to this, as they can cause me headaches and eye strain, I found playing the game to be a genuinely unpleasant experience physically. I’m now quite far removed from my experience as a game designer, and unfamiliar with the current crop of technology used to make video games, so I can’t quite grasp a hypothetical solution.
I suppose it would need an optimisation pass? I’m not sure. Either way, I am presented with a game that I want people to be able to play, especially a younger audience due to its themes and the way it presents itself as a sweet cartoon, even down to an episodic structure with a fantastic opening tune. But it comes with the very large caveat that you may struggle.
Quite an ironic point, considering the crux of the game is about how this person has adapted to life with a physical disability.
I will absolutely remain seated and excited for anything Keita Takahashi creates, as he is a truly singular creator in this industry, with an earnest streak that can be truly affecting and an eye for expressive, simple mechanics to reinforce the messaging. I just wish that I was able to play this more without being caused physical discomfort.
To a T is available now on PC, Playstation and Xbox.
