Five years after Something We Made turned photography into the basis for a wonderfully laid-back adventure, TOEM 2 returns with another journey built around observing the world rather than rushing through it. Published by Popagenda and reviewed here on PlayStation 5, the sequel once again follows a young photographer travelling from one quirky location to another in search of a mysterious TOEM phenomenon. Along the way, the camera becomes the key to solving problems for locals, documenting wildlife and uncovering the little details hidden throughout each environment. The formula is immediately familiar, but that is hardly a problem when the appeal lies precisely in taking things slowly and enjoying the journey.
The basic premise remains deliberately light, with the trip towards the latest TOEM serving more as an excuse to explore than as the foundation for an elaborate narrative. Each region introduces a colorful cast of characters with small problems that can be solved in exchange for stamps, while photographing creatures and completing other activities fills out the player’s collection. The writing gives these encounters plenty of personality, with oddball situations and gentle humor making even the simplest errands entertaining. There is less narrative depth than some might expect from a sequel after such a long wait, however, and the story ultimately feels more like connective tissue between the locations than something that carries the experience itself.
Photography remains the heart of the gameplay, and it is still an enjoyable way to turn observation into puzzle-solving. Pulling out the camera shifts the perspective into first person, allowing players to zoom in on distant objects, search for creatures and identify details that are easy to miss from the normal viewpoint. Some objectives are straightforward, while others deliberately play with wording or perspective, encouraging players to consider what a request actually means rather than simply looking for an obvious object. The puzzles generally err on the easy side, which fits the game’s relaxing philosophy but can occasionally make a solution feel almost automatic. There are enough more inventive photographic challenges and minigames to keep things interesting, although players looking for substantial brainteasers will find TOEM 2 rather undemanding.
The sequel does make exploration more dynamic by finally allowing the protagonist to jump and climb. These additions give the diorama-like environments a welcome sense of verticality, opening up rooftops, higher viewpoints and previously inaccessible corners. Movement consequently feels freer than in the original, while the ability to rotate the environments and adjust the camera distance makes searching for secrets more enjoyable. New regional tools, including equipment used for cutting, hammering and turning screws, also add another layer of interaction. They are useful additions, but the game rarely pushes them very far: each tool is generally tied to the region in which it is introduced, and combining different abilities to create more elaborate puzzles could have given the mechanics considerably more depth.
The controls themselves remain deliberately uncomplicated, which works particularly well on PS5. There is little friction between spotting something interesting and photographing it, and the camera’s zoom and aiming mechanics make the central activity accessible without removing the satisfaction of finding the right angle. The fixed camera height can sometimes feel restrictive for a game built around photography, especially when compared with the freedom that the three-dimensional environments otherwise provide. Still, the new jumping and climbing mechanics compensate to some degree by giving players more ways to approach a location. The result is a control scheme that is easy to pick up and rarely gets in the way of the game’s more important goal: encouraging curiosity.
Visually, TOEM 2 remains instantly recognisable thanks to its striking monochrome presentation, but the move towards more detailed three-dimensional environments gives the sequel considerably more visual substance. The worlds resemble miniature dioramas populated by expressive two-dimensional characters, creating an unusual mixture of flat illustration and 3D scenery. More detailed textures, lighting and shading give the environments greater volume than before, while the different locations have enough personality to prevent the journey from feeling visually repetitive. There is still a deliberately simple quality to the presentation, but that simplicity is part of the game’s identity rather than a limitation. The soundtrack complements it beautifully, with gentle lo-fi, piano and guitar-driven compositions that maintain the relaxed atmosphere without becoming intrusive.
That relaxed approach does come with a trade-off, particularly when it comes to longevity. Depending on how thoroughly the player explores, TOEM 2 can be completed in roughly five to six hours. The compact length suits a game designed around short, self-contained activities, but the experience ends just as its new mechanics begin to demonstrate their potential. The contextual tools in particular could have benefited from more elaborate applications, while the more linear structure means there is less reason to return to previous areas with newly acquired abilities than there was in the original. The lower difficulty also means that completionists are unlikely to encounter much resistance.
Ultimately, TOEM 2 understands exactly what made its predecessor appealing and wisely avoids disrupting that formula simply for the sake of change. The photography remains clever and satisfying, the characters provide plenty of charm, and the combination of monochrome artwork, playful environments and soothing music creates an unusually pleasant atmosphere. At the same time, the sequel’s conservatism is also its biggest weakness: the new tools, vertical exploration and expanded environments are welcome, but they do not fundamentally transform the experience, while the short campaign leaves some of those ideas feeling underused. Players expecting a substantial evolution may therefore find TOEM 2 familiar to a fault, but anyone looking for another gentle photographic adventure will find a polished and consistently charming follow-up that makes its case through atmosphere, curiosity and small moments rather than complexity.
Score: 8.2/10