to a T - Review (PS5)

A celebration of life itself

When I found out that a new game by Katamari creator Keita Takahashi was being released, I knew I was going to have to play it as soon as it came out. I love the Katamari series - I’m going to have to write up a full retrospective on those games at some point - and I’ve also loved some of his lesser known titles, like Noby Noby Boy (I can hear the music already).

It’s finally out, and it’s everything I hoped it would be. It’s whimsical, funny, charming, abstract and what I didn’t expect - very touching. This is a game in which you play as a person just turning thirteen years old, who is curiously always stuck in a T pose. They live in a small town with their mother, and their dog, and you get to play their life.

The game starts off with some character customisation, limited to a few options, such as skin tone and hairstyle. You don’t pick a gender, everyone pretty much has the same face, and you can pick whatever clothes or hairstyle combinations you want. You pick a name, and then get to name your dog, with the first action of the game consisting of giving them a good stroke.

The game then progresses in an episodic fashion. You wake up each morning, and have to get dressed, eat breakfast, wash your face, brush your teeth and put on shoes before heading out to wherever you need to go that day. Each of these actions is itself a little minigame - and you get to see how a person stuck in a T pose navigates life.

Your trusty dog is your biggest ally, helping you put on clothes, getting toothpaste out, guiding you safely to your destinations, and much more. Your house has been made more accessible, such as a tap that shoots in an upward arc so that you can reach it, as you have no way of bending your arms to get underneath it.

You then head out into the world to experience that episode. These episodes typically follow a day in your life, which consists of things like going to school, going to the park, and more. Each of these days involves more minigames, all which involve some element of doing your best with what you’ve got. Some of these are more active, like a food eating contest or a PE lesson where you have to repeat the button combinations, and some are more passive, like trying to pour drops from one test tube to another, not easy when you have to contort your whole body to make the drip.

The world is inhabited by a cast of eccentric characters, which is par for the course for Takahashi. You’ll meet giraffes that run food stands, science teachers with a mushroom haircut, and many more. You start off the game a little down in the dumps with some problems at school, living a relatively normal life, but as the game goes on, your character starts to experience a strange phenomenon, realising he is able to fly like a helicopter by spinning around. I won’t spoil too much about the story, but suffice to say, it is heart-warming.

There are also times when you have a bit more freedom, and can go about the town. You find coins lying about, which you can use to purchase things in shops, like new clothes. There’s a surprising amount of variety on offer, and a fair amount of places to visit and secrets to unlock. It’s not a huge world, but it feels quite dense.

One thing to note, I played this on the PlayStation 5 and whilst performance was generally good, you’ll notice a few occasions where the frame rate dips. I think this is due to the game rendering too much of the world and it’s characters all at once. It’s nothing game-breaking, but you may notice it.

Between each episode there are musical interludes, and the town chorus often follows you around and retells some of your adventures. I’m only really scratching the surface here, but I think to a T is a game you really should just experience. It’s not very expensive at all, costing around £14, and for the way the game makes you feel, I think that’s a bargain. If you want to spend a Sunday afternoon with a game that by the end just makes you feel good and more positive about life, then this is one I’d strongly recommend.

Rating - 4.5/5