WHAT’S NEW PLUS-SY CAT?
Digging into the random acts of gaming a lengthy PS Plus subscription offers
Last month’s PS Plus lineup kept things snappy, with the rapid action of fighter Granblue Fantasy Versus and racing game Need For Speed Heat (both on PS4). Rounding out September’s offering was photography game Toem on PS5, which we’re *ahem* focusing on here.
You split your time between exploring from a bird’s-eye perspective and peering through your viewfinder in first-person. Ascending a mountain in the hopes of snapping a picture of the titular phenomenon at its peak for your granny, much of the quest design revolves around sharing the world with others through photography. A greyscale colour palette may sound bland, but visual direction straight out of a children’s pop-up book brings charming, Scandinavianinspired landscapes to life.
While your camera gets upgraded along the way (at one point you acquire a tripod for spirited selfies) taking pictures never becomes overcomplicated, remaining a joy all the way to the top. That said, some NPC photo requests do take some noodling to figure out. Your path is punctuated by surreal asides that you’ll want to get a snap of regardless, like reuniting a family of balloons and witnessing the singing goats. Eagleeyed photographers may also enjoy the satisfying realisation that something they spotted ages ago is pivotal to their next quest.
All of that is rewarding in itself but successfully tracking down the things NPCs want to see also nets you a weird and wonderful wardrobe that’ll make your selfies all the more striking. Besides that, there’s a collection of cassettes for your HikeLady (a cute reference to the WalkMan) to sniff out and vibe along to.
If you enjoyed A Short Hike, you’re bound to love this similarly to-the-point jaunt. Clambering in at about four hours of playtime, it may be short but it’s perfectly formed.