It’s been a long time since I saw any news on this week’s game. I thought that it had disappeared, and then it randomly released! My knee hurts, so I am hanging out, and I’m always here for a 3D platformer, and Teeto does not disappoint.

This week is Teeto.

Teeto is a 3D platformer from Eat Pant Games and Super Rare Originals. The game was released July 15th for the PC, PS5 and Nintendo Switch and retails for $18.

It’s been a while, but I want to give a shoutout to the developer and publisher (and Pressengine) for the key. I really do appreciate it!

I do not remember Teeto being this dark when playing the demo, maybe because the demo doesn’t delve too much into the story, but it is darker than I thought it was going to be. Humans have vanished completely and are replaced with pesky, destructive shadow beings. A hyper-intelligent rabbit, Nory, has scienced a little blue blob named Teeto to save the world. Teeto has a story that is akin to the genre; it isn’t groundbreaking, but it checks the necessary boxes. Honestly, it is the NPCs that carry the game. The humor is a little darker than I thought it would be, and I love that it chose this route; I audibly chuckled many times. I absolutely love the bird that overstates the obvious, the two mushroom kids who want to be entrepreneurs, and the inflatable flamingo that is a little too much. It is really fun to seek out these side quest givers just to hear what they have to say.

Platforming and goody collecting is the name of the game. Each level has a count of stars, Vilonite (I just call them pink gems), and collectible Michaels. Collecting stars is fun, and looking through the store for skins for Teetoo is a good time, especially if you find extra skins during your time in each world. Camera work can get a little wonky sometimes, making some platforming sections a little more difficult, but it doesn’t destroy the overall fun.

Lots of indie games made their way inside Teeto, and I think that it is cute to be able to point them out. I usually chuckled when I saw them.

Vilonite, much like stars/moons in Mario, and Bananas in Donkey Kong, Vilonites are the currency to progress the story, and they are littered throughout each area. Teeto’s chapters are much smaller, which makes these collectibles easier to find, but it’s still fun to scour each area to 100% everything. Teeto does hit a rough patch when some of the objectives are the same across each level, with little to no variation. Getting from point A to point B is really fun, but the side objectives are what fail sometimes. I really do not want to “destroy the shadow flags” for the 50th time.

On the issue of Michaels, I don’t know, I just don’t know. Michaels are prototype versions of Teeto, and they’ve gotten lost, and you’ll need to collect them. I love the Michaels, especially the swath of different versions there are: I especially like Passive Agressive Michael and Struggling Artist Michael. I think that I got roped into just wanting to know what other Michaels were out there for a giggle or something.

A platformer needs good movement, and I think that Teeto does a good job. Teeto can dodge roll quite far, and couple that with an attack that practically resets the roll, and you’ll be moving fast throughout each level. If you need to bridge a larger gap, then gliding is an option. Teeto was born to absorb aspects of inanimate objects and use them to their advantage, and the gimmick works. I found that it mixes up the gameplay just enough to not overstay its welcome. Absorbing the essence of a flower to grapple across gaps, become a rock to power slam a door or the ground in search of goodies, or even become electricity to power subway cars are all unique and fun ways to get the player to play the game. Backtracking throughout each chapter was fun when I was able to get through an obstacle right after finding a “power up,” and the playable area is large enough that backtracking doesn’t feel bad.

The playable area in each level is quite large, but Teeto’s art design does a good job of keeping the player on the right track through the environment. There are no grays in this video game; it is all sunshine and bright colors, even when it is supposed to be dark and serious. Though sometimes rough around the edges, I still really like the way that all of the inanimate objects just have cartoon eyes and mouths plastered onto them to indicate that they have achieved sentience. Teeto is such a welcoming-looking game with its forest, park, and random home levels. It is a decivingly cute looking video game until you get to the language that some NPC’s use.

The language really isn’t that bad; it is more like PG-13 talk that caught me off guard. That being said, the voice acting is just plain fun, especially when the PR person from Peak is talking about how great it would be to get Bing Bong up a mountain. Large characters sound larger than life, and tiny Michaels make a little “hello” sound when you are near them. The soundtrack is also kind of good; there are a few chase moments that really amp it up, which I am always here for, especially the ones that really turn the volume up to 13.

I had a lot of fun with Teeto. Though the characters remind me a lot of Conkers with their out-of-pocket language, I laughed fairly often at the idea of what inanimate objects would talk about on a daily basis. The story checks all the boxes, the platforming is fun, and the absorbing mechanics add just enough depth to keep the player engaged. The game isn’t perfect, with camera issues being the most prominent, which can sometimes disrupt the gameplay. I rolled credits in just under 5 and a half hours, and I, for sure, did not 100% it. You can get a hefty amount of content for the price. Overall, I think that if you are someone that enjooys 3D platformers, then Teeto will fit just nicely in your library of games.

7/10