The Indie Informer

Toem 2 Review: Quilt Of Many Colors

Toem 2

Developer Something We Made • Publisher Something We Made, popagenda • Release September 29, 2026 • Reviewed On PC

There is a term in Norwegian and Danish that describes the feeling of being cozily content in the pleasantness arising from a comfortable atmosphere: Hygge. It makes me think of Toem for several reasons. One, and the most obvious, is that is such a large part of what the game makes me feel. But it also helps me understand the sequel and why it exists. I don’t know why I hadn’t put the two concepts together until now but, with the developer Something We Made based in Sweden, the idea that Toem could be a blanket term like Hygge finally clicked. When we got the surprise announcement of a sequel, I had no real idea what to expect. Toem, in my mind, was a specific event that happens in the fictional world’s mountains, and I couldn’t see what would make our protagonist make the climb again.

In Toem 2, that’s not the experience we seek, though the opening is filled with nostalgic revisitings. This adventure, like my last, kicks off in the comforting Homelanda, and it’s the perfect introduction to the novel art style. Seeing my snug little room, easy living room, and cheering Nana transformed in 3D thawed any reservations I had about whether the new look could evoke the feelings of the original.

Ushered to the TV, I quickly discovered via a news report, what I hadn’t understood about the word Toem. It doesn’t describe a single thing, but rather a type of happening. In this lovely world of black and white, it represents a moment of radical and memorizing change.

In this case, the phenomenon is set to arrive in a faraway park built around a nearly mythical tree. This is my destination this time around. With a new goal, my route is likewise changed, though fans of the first game will recognize much of the structure.

And therein is the snag of the game for me. It is possible that my familiarity with the title mitigated some of my joy of discovery — though it was still an incredibly joyful journey — but I felt this new chapter didn’t reach the same creative heights as its predecessor.

Toem 2 does, however, absolutely deliver on playful delight. Still needing to do good deeds in return for stamps that act as your bus ticket, I wield my camera with abandon. The fantasy trope world had me smiling through the whole level. The big city’s aquarium genuinely felt like a mini field trip. And I couldn’t be happier running around the abundant farm level filling out my compendium of critters.

New camera tools, like the hammer or screwdriver, introduce interesting ways to engage with the environment, as well as the ability to focus with the lens on certain objects to effect specific outcomes.

Overall, Toem 2 is a solid entry in what I hope becomes a long-lived series. I don’t feel the sequel reached as far creatively for its puzzles as the original game. However, there is no denying the absolutely encompassing pleasure it is to run through this world, camera in hand, helping the people around me.

The ending rewards seeing a few of the longer quests through to the end in a heart-warming way, and I watched the credits roll after five hour filled with contentment.