malvasia bianca

To a T, Keita Takahashi’s latest game, is charming, in a way that feels a little special? As expected in a Takahashi game, it’s surreal: the main character is a child whose arms are stuck in a T pose, a big giraffe runs the restaurant where he gets breakfast, and and so forth. But, unlike Takahashi’s other games (or at least the ones that I’ve played), the surreality is kind of underplayed: once you accept the town that it’s located in, it’s a story about a kid going through life, dealing with problems. And, until the last third or so of the game, those problems are pretty normal, human problems: not liking school, getting bullied, wondering where their dog is (leading to my favorite chapter of the game, where you get to play as the dog), etc. Not super surreal, not super videogamey.

I think there’s something interesting going on with To a T’s approach towards story telling that I can’t quite tease out. There’s an honest-to-god Greek chorus popping up at various moments; and I suppose the Greek theatre connection also relates to the fact that it’s pretty explicitly a morality play. For me, not in a way that was excessively preachy, there’s enough humanity (though that’s not really the right word, given how many non-humans in the game express the quality I’m looking for!) to keep it on the good side of that line. Maybe I should pick it as my next VGHVI game, to see if that group can help me tease this out?

And, both on the note of formal touches and on the note of being a Keita Takahashi game: each chapter is bookended by the same pair of songs, You are the perfect shape and Giraffe song. Which might be a little boring: a charming surprise the first time, then a little bit of a let down in the second and third chapters when I realized I wasn’t going to get more songs like that, it’s just the two of them. But then, as I continued through the game, I came around to the feeling that that’s okay, even good: the songs really are charming, the ritual of watching them structures the rhythms of the game nicely. And, well, you are a perfect shape, and also caring enough about cooking to wake up at 3am to bake the bread for sandwiches and then to go to your garden to pick vegetables is honestly a really good way to get a good life.

I mean, just look at those lyrics: “My name is Giraffe / I went to a school / So I could learn how to cook / Because I love to eat and share food. / Cooking is so amazing / I think it’s really magical / Taste, smell, texture, temperature / Gotta be just right!” Find something that you think is magical! Take it seriously! Try to do a good job with it! Share that magic with other people! This is a good way to live.

So yeah, maybe that’s where I’ll end up. I still haven’t figured out the game, but if you watch those two songs and think they’re charming, then you’d probably enjoy spending six or eight hours in the company of To a T.