‘Katamari Damacy’ Creator’s New Game Is About Teen Angst, Cute Dogs, and Eye Boogers

As a child, beloved Japanese crippled developer Keita Takahashi was picked connected successful school, truthful helium ne'er felt similar going. His latest game, To a T, emulates immoderate of those challenges. It tells the communicative of Teen—a kid struggling to acceptable in, dealing with oculus boogers, and uncovering themselves done opus and exploration, each portion their arms are inexplicably stuck successful a T-pose.

To a T, to beryllium released by Annapurna Interactive May 28, follows Takahashi’s trajectory of creating colorful, playful games that are undeniably cute but incredibly odd. His best-known game, Katamari Damacy, is astir rolling up everything successful sight, from pens to people, successful an ever-growing ball, featuring an unforgettable soundtrack and the astir flamboyant king to ever grace games. Others, similar 2019’s Wattam, are eccentric, vibrant, and afloat of poop.

Created with the crippled workplace Uvula, To a T follows Teen’s struggles navigating the bathroom, getting dressed, and dealing with bullies arsenic their arms are trapped successful a T. Fortunately Teen’s dog, a shockingly adept carnal who puts modern work dogs to shame, is determination to assistance whenever Teen needs an other acceptable of movable hands. (Annapurna Interactive aptly describes Teen’s furry helper arsenic being “a precise cute dog.”)

The episodic communicative opens with an upbeat opus astir the crippled (not to beryllium confused with “The Giraffe Song,” sung successful a teaser video by Rebecca Sugar). During a little demo I played, I guided Teen done washing their face, picking outfits, and getting acceptable for school.

Hoping for immoderate deeper insights into the game, I tracked down Takahashi astatine an Xbox lawsuit successful San Francisco during GDC, wherever helium was hiding successful a backmost country distant from the bustle of the time and the bar. But, portion he's loath to reply excessively galore questions astir his crippled and what it each means, he’ll inactive gamely, mildly troll anyone who comes his way.

Below is an abbreviated mentation of a precise puzzling interview.

WIRED: Tell maine a small spot astir what is, generally, going connected successful this game.

Keita Takahashi: [Laughs] What’s mostly going connected with this game?

We’ll commencement there.

It’s a crippled astir a teen who’s stuck arsenic a T-pose and trying to fig retired wherever the T-pose is coming from. It’s a crippled about—umm. [Long pause] Do I request to explain? [Another agelong pause] No. [Laughs]

That’s fair. Who is this character? How would you picture them?

A teenager, 13-years-old, pistillate oregon male, immoderate I mean, I don’t care—stuck successful a T-pose, for immoderate reason.

What makes T the cleanable pose?

Because it’s perfect! You are perfect. I deliberation it’s conscionable perfect.

What bash you deliberation the hardest happening to bash erstwhile you’re T-posed is?

Go to the bathroom. That’s wherefore the canine helps [with] everything. Changing the clothing, bathroom, washing your face.

I’ve ne'er played a crippled that had maine commencement by going to the bathroom.