As a child, beloved Japanese game developer Keita Takahashi was picked on in school, so he never felt like going. His latest game, To a T, emulates some of those challenges. It tells the story of Teen—a kid struggling to fit in, dealing with eye boogers, and finding themselves through song and exploration, all while their arms are inexplicably stuck in a T-pose.
To a T, to be 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 about rolling up everything in sight, from pens to people, in an ever-growing ball, featuring an unforgettable soundtrack and the most flamboyant king to ever grace games. Others, like 2019’s Wattam, are eccentric, vibrant, and full of poop.
Created with the game studio Uvula, To a T follows Teen’s struggles navigating the bathroom, getting dressed, and dealing with bullies as their arms are trapped in a T. Fortunately Teen’s dog, a shockingly adept creature who puts modern service dogs to shame, is there to help whenever Teen needs an extra set of movable hands. (Annapurna Interactive aptly describes Teen’s furry helper as being “a very cute dog.”)
The episodic tale opens with an upbeat song about the game (not to be confused with “The Giraffe Song,” sung in a teaser video by Rebecca Sugar). During a brief demo I played, I guided Teen through washing their face, picking outfits, and getting ready for school.
Hoping for some deeper insights into the game, I tracked down Takahashi at an Xbox event in San Francisco during GDC, where he was hiding in a back corner away from the bustle of the day and the bar. But, while he’s loath to answer too many questions about his game and what it all means, he’ll still gamely, gently troll anyone who comes his way.
Below is an abbreviated version of a very puzzling interview.
WIRED: Tell me a little bit about what is, generally, going on in this game.
Keita Takahashi: [Laughs] What’s generally going on with this game?
We’ll start there.
It’s a game about a teenager who’s stuck as a T-pose and trying to figure out where the T-pose is coming from. It’s a game about—umm. [Long pause] Do I need to explain? [Another long pause] No. [Laughs]
That’s fair. Who is this character? How would you describe them?
A teenager, 13-years-old, female or male, whatever I mean, I don’t care—stuck in a T-pose, for some reason.
What makes T the perfect pose?
Because it’s perfect! You are perfect. I think it’s just perfect.
What do you think the hardest thing to do when you’re T-posed is?
Go to the bathroom. That’s why the dog helps [with] everything. Changing the clothing, bathroom, washing your face.
I’ve never played a game that had me start by going to the bathroom.
Really?
Yeah.
Why?
WIRED: It’s an excellent question. Tell me about the decision to—
Decision? [Laughs] Yeah, decisions, yes. I decided. Because our life could be more fun.
What do you think would make life more fun?
The path that you had before, then forgot—when you were younger, and there was more fun. People, for some reason—it’s easy to forget.
What do you think people lose from kids to adulthood?
What do you think?
How much time you got? What do you think?
Hmm. I don’t know why it’s easy for other people to forget more innocent or pure [times.] I don’t know why!
Did making this game help you rediscover innocence for yourself?
I’m not a teacher. [Laughs] I don’t want to push my soul to the people. I just want people to get some perspective on what a video game can do, rather than fighting or RPG stuff. This is for the next generation of game devs. They don’t need to stick to a platformer or something. They can make a new genre or category of game.
What genre would you call To a T?
No. [Laughs] I hate the concept of a genre. It’s just a marketing tool. You know, what Beyoncé said. [“I believe genres are traps that box us in and separate us,” Beyoncé said in a GQ interview.] The concept of the genre is kind of funny. That’s right!
It’s hard to define your games, but I’m curious how you, when forced into a corner by a red-headed journalist from WIRED, define your video games.
That’s part of the reason why I’m making this game. What’s the definition of a video game?
It’s—no wait, no, this is an interview of you.
[Laughs]
What do you think is a video game?
At least interactivity. That’s it. I just realized, what I want to do is make people smile and have fun. It doesn’t need to be interactivity, or it doesn’t need to be video game video games. I can make a cartoon or animation to make people have fun and laugh. This time, I just don’t care about the genre or what the video game is. This is just what I want to make.
I had another question but … I forgot.
That’s OK. Just forget.
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