TOEM 2, the sequel to Something We Made's black-and-white photo adventure, launches today, September 29, on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. The Swedish studio has confirmed a simultaneous worldwide unlock at 13:00 UTC, so players will get it at the same moment everywhere rather than midnight by midnight. The original TOEM came out almost exactly five years ago, and the studio is pitching the follow-up as an easy starting point for newcomers as well as a return trip for fans of the first game.
When TOEM 2 unlocks in your region
Something We Made posted a launch-timing map on Steam the day before release. Because every region unlocks at the same moment, local times vary a lot:
- Pacific (PDT): 6:00am
- Eastern (EDT): 9:00am
- Brazil (BRT): 10:00am
- UTC: 1:00pm
- Central Europe (CEST) and South Africa (SAST): 3:00pm
- India (IST): 6:30pm
- China (CST): 9:00pm
- Japan (JST): 10:00pm
- Eastern Australia (AEST): 11:00pm
On Steam the game supports Windows, macOS and Linux, and the store page lists full controller support. A free TOEM 2 demo is also on Steam if you want to try it before you buy.
The camera is still the whole game
As in the first game, you play a young photographer who sets out with a backpack and a camera to track down mysterious events called TOEMs. The camera is how you solve puzzles, find secrets and record what you discover. Something We Made says the camera has been upgraded for the sequel: new attachments let you use it in less conventional ways, and each region throws up problems that only those attachments can solve.
The camera screen has a zoom wheel on the left edge and separate snapshot, photo-album and focus controls, so the game still rewards careful framing over point-and-shoot. The film counter tops out at 256 shots, which hints at how many things there are to photograph along the way.
More movement, more places to poke around
The sequel gives you more ways to move. Something We Made says you can run, jump and climb through its new environments, which are built around hidden paths, scenic viewpoints and small details tucked away for anyone who looks closely. The studio keeps stressing curiosity: the world is meant to reward players who wander off the obvious route.
In the weeks before launch the studio used its Steam page to preview several regions. Cropten is a farming area. Taletorp leans into medieval fantasy, with carpentry, potion brewing and live-action roleplay in the local tavern. Deltburg is a canal town with an aquarium, a comedy show and, in the studio's words, a few plumbing issues. Each region brings its own cast of odd locals and critters, and helping them is how you move the story forward.
Stamps are your ticket forward
Progress still runs through a journal. Finishing quests, documenting discoveries and filling out a critter compendium earns stamps, and the stamps also work as your ticket to the next region. Every stamp you collect goes toward opening up the next part of the map, so side activities are how you progress rather than optional extras.
The quest list mixes photo challenges, favours for locals and plain oddities. Undiscovered entries stay hidden behind question marks until you stumble into them. None of it is on a clock: Something We Made says the game has no time limits and no tricky requirements for full completion, and it openly encourages players to sit on a bench, listen to music and take in the view.
The original is still on sale
If you missed the first game, there is still time to catch up cheaply. For TOEM's fifth anniversary, Something We Made put TOEM: A Photo Adventure on a 90 percent discount on Steam, and the sale runs until October 1. The sequel does not require it, since the studio built TOEM 2 to stand on its own, but the two games share the same hand-drawn monochrome look and relaxed pace.
TOEM 2 is available from 13:00 UTC today on PS5, Nintendo Switch and Steam.
