Toem 2 review: "Effortlessly charming with clever puzzling, this photography adventure is worth snapping up"

Toem 2 is a game for nosy people, which is great news for someone like me who spends at least half their time while out and about carefully eavesdropping on other people's conversations. (Don't hate me, we've all done it.) But rather than it being a game about listening to people, Toem 2 is – like its predecessor – all about grabbing your camera and talking to every single person you meet.

Rather than making you feel like a voyeur, though, Toem 2 immediately makes you feel calm and at ease. The black-and-white hand-drawn art style is charming and will constantly surprise you as you move through each area. But, starting out Pokemon-style in your home bedroom with your nana waiting downstairs, about to put the TV on full blast, is the most wholesome start to this equally wholesome game.

Like the original Toem, you have a single end goal, which is to attend a festival for a once-in-a-lifetime event that's actually known as a toem in the game, but the bus that's going to take you there won't go direct. Instead, you find yourself taking detours through different areas, speaking to anyone you meet to see how you can be of help. As it turns out, in order to earn enough bus tokens to get to the next stop along your journey to the magical event, you're going to need to lend a hand – or a camera.

Snap, crackle, pop culture reference

Each area has a core character that you'll need to help with a larger multi-part quest through the district. This is a bit of a change from the original game, but it's a welcome one, as there's a joy in seeing these familiar faces pop up as you explore a new drama that needs your assistance. It's just another way that Toem 2 shows off its excellent writing, with the game regularly making me chuckle out loud at its unexpected silliness.

Because outside of these core companions, there are so many funny little guys and gals just waiting to be spoken to, all with some kind of problem that needs solving. Whether it's a skeleton trapped in a hanging cage that just can't remember whether they left the stove on, or a biologist that needs some fish-themed analysis doing that's so clearly another nod to Pokemon.

There's plenty of whimsy to be discovered, and you'll find yourself learning each area practically by heart as you meander back and forth across it, finding items, taking photos, and chatting with the locals. It's probably the gentlest Metroidvania-alike you're ever going to find.

It's such a great feeling when the random item or person you took a photo of earlier turns out to be plot-critical, often in hilarious ways. It's something Toem 2's very good at – the art of surprise.

A costume you found in a crate may come back later as a much-needed prop; a character you snapped because you thought they were cute might just be the key to the next quest you pick up. It's just part of its charm and clever puzzle creation.

Happy snappy

I won't lie, across its roughly four-hour playtime, Toem 2 will make you fall for it over and over again. There's such a gentle playfulness to its narrative, and even though the mechanics of taking photographs and interacting with people and the world is fairly simple, it still finds ways to surprise you.

It helps that, as with the first game, each area has a distinct visual theme and feel, from the countryside farmland vibes of Cropten to the fantasy themes of Taletorp – which I've aptly misread as Tabletop multiple times. There's not enough game time to really be bored, but developer Something We Made doesn't ever give you the option. It's delighting you at every turn.

The new core characters also give you special new camera add-ons that are unique to each area. The first area, for example, gives you a pair of scissors for snipping and cutting at things, and it's really interesting to gain another way to interact with the world than just taking pictures.

Not that taking pictures isn't really satisfying, though. You've got a cute floating drone for taking shots and a good old tripod, and just whipping out the camera is enough to entertain. The gyro lets you aim (or the right stick), and you can zoom, focus in on a point of interest (which sometimes comes in handy for the more unusual quests), and pan around the world to see what might be lurking in a corner upon closer inspection.

If you're the kind of completionist gamer that I am, you can eke extra joy out of each locale by snapping pics of the local wildlife. You'll get an extra stamp for it in your journal too, but I just love the silly little names given to the critters you'll find like the sootsprite-esque Blobnuts and sad mushroom Mopeyrelles.

The only thing that I don't enjoy about Toem 2 is having to finish it. It's one of those games that you really settle into the groove for, just to find out you're about to finish it. I would love some more of its whimsical little world and its lovable mute protagonist (side note… what is it), and hopefully the fact that this is already a sequel means we might get a part three one day.

Ready to-em tackle more like this? Check out our best Switch indie games recommendations, and the hottest upcoming indie games you need to be adding to your calendar!