Image: Something We Made

I'm not normally one for 'cozy' games, but it was hard to play more than a minute or two of the original TOEM without cracking a smile. It was a small but dense world of paper-doll dioramas, built for you to wander around, talk to its cheerful but slightly unhinged inhabitants, and take pictures of all the strange people, things, and critters you met. The only thing I could have asked for is more. And now I've got it, as TOEM 2 just rolled out onto Steam today, courtesy of Swedish indie outfit Something We Made.

Not a huge amount appears to have changed with TOEM 2. Once again, you're off on a quest to photograph the titular TOEMs - mysterious events and oddities around the world - as you wander from area to area, meeting new people as you travel. There's a little bit of light platforming, some clever puzzling in order to get your photography targets to reveal themselves, and plenty of non-linear exploration, but this is still a soft, gentle game about the joy of photography.

The one big addition is an assortment of new attachments you can get for your camera, allowing you to interact with the world in new ways. The Snip upgrade lets you cut paper in the world; the Bonk mode lets you tap on things and perhaps break stuff, revealing even more subjects to snap. So, a little more puzzling, but doing everything through your zoom lens.

The world of TOEM also has a bit of Moomin energy to it. Weird critters, wizards' towers, spooky (but friendly) skellingtons and strange creatures abound. Perhaps that's just the game's Swedish roots (also shared with the Moomins) shining through, and a bit of shared cultural heritage. I guess they just know how to best enjoy the outdoors over there, and the mind naturally wanders to all the weird little guys that could be lurking just out of sight.

TOEM 2 is out now for £16/$20, with a 15% launch discount and some savings if you own the original TOEM. But those wanting to get a cheap taste of what to expect can pick the first game up by itself at a steep 90% discount until October 1st.