To a T is a 3D narrative adventure about a teenager with permanently outstretched arms. It’s the latest project from Katamari Damacy designer, Keita Takahashi.
For almost 20 years now, Japanese designer Keita Takahashi has crafted games that are offbeat, perplexing, and often curiously life-affirming. If you haven’t played Katamari Damacy or Wattam before, we’d urge you to go and give them a try now.
To a T, announced in yesterday’s Annapurna Interactive showcase, looks simultaneously of a piece with Takahashi’s earlier work and – perhaps – even more ambitious. Yesterday’s trailer (see below) gave us the broad strokes: a teenager (simply named Teen) lives with their arms permanently outstretched in a T-pose, and the story relates how the kid fits in at school and finds their place in the world. Oh, and Teen also has a fluffy canine companion.
The game’s webpage describes the backstory in a bit more detail than that charming trailer, meanwhile:
to a T is a narrative adventure game that portrays the extraordinary life of a 13-year-old teenager, whose body happens to be in the shape of the letter “T.” They live in a modest seaside town that they explore by foot, train, or even their favorite unicycle, and interact with a the charming cast of characters who live there.
From teenager’s loyal fluffy canine companion and their caring mother, to a gang of despicable bullies and a giraffe that makes the most scrumptious sandwiches. After a chance encounter, the teenager discovers a newfound ability, and a story begins to unravel around a mysterious object enveloped in light that falls from the sky.
Over on Steam, there’s more detail about what we’ll get up to in the game. It’s a 3D narrative adventure that unfolds episodically “over multiple days” and takes in exploration, where you’re free to collect coins and chat to NPCs, as well as minigames in which Teen attempts to adapt to everyday tasks. We get a flavour of this in the trailer – with arms permanently outstretched, how do you brush your teeth?
There’s also character customisation, with clothes you can purchase from stores and keep in your wardrobe at home, and of course, that cute dog mentioned earlier.
The Steam description also suggests a more sombre side of the game that was only hinted at in the trailer. “While going to school and contending with bullies,” it reads, “Teen discovers a new ability granted to them by their extraordinary posture, and they start to uncover more about their mysterious lineage.”
If anyone’s too mean to Teen, we riot.
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To a T doesn’t have a release date yet, but we’ll be sure to update you when we learn of one.
