Even though there are hundreds of thousands of games out there, I’m always looking for something that can spark that same feeling that I got when I was a kid. You know the feeling: No worries, no distractions, just deep-diving into a pixel-perfect world that takes you away from reality for a while. Enter Teeto: Power to Change.

Teeto is a small blue something-or-other that is granted the power to change into the things around him, such as bushes, rocks, or even sofas. He uses powers granted by these transformations to navigate the world around him, reaching new heights and overcoming adversity as he goes. He’s adorable, lovable, and a joy to have around. 

Interactive level selection

I’m a sucker for an interactive level selection screen. I don’t quite know why, perhaps it’s the added attention to detail and effort that goes into creating them, but being able to interact with the world around you and choose your level through interaction with objects never fails to grab my attention. 

Teeto opens up in a room where Teeto can run around and interact with various objects, such as a piano, some marker pens that can be picked up and actually draw wherever Teeto runs, and of course, the level selection. Everything is bright and vivid, which gives just a hint of the worlds you’ll enter through each level, and everything just feels nostalgic in a way that can’t be rivaled. 

The shadows are the enemy

With everything about Teeto and the world of the game being bright and vivid, it only makes sense that the main enemy of the game is the Shadow Corruption. They aim to drain the world of color (they’re not doing a very good job, it seems), and they’re surprisingly difficult to overcome at times. 

Whether you’re fighting them one-on-one or running away from a huge overpowered one, the fights are fun and challenging, but not so much that you want to throw your controller or rage-quit the game entirely. This is another point for Teeto in the nostalgia category, because the fights are reminiscent of those that featured in platforming heavyweights of our childhood, like Crash Bandicoot or Croc.

The power of friendship

Teeto is not alone in his adventures through the various levels. As soon as you enter the first level, which works as a tutorial, you meet Nory. She’s a small bunny rabbit with a big personality who loves experimenting, which is how Teeto came into being. 

Unfortunately, Teeto is not her first experiment. She also created a series of ‘Michaels’, small blue blobs with their own little personas who hide throughout the levels in different costumes. Now you need to collect them, at Nory’s request, so that they’re no longer free in the world. 

Nory comes with you everywhere, usually on your back, but she sits on the seat cushion whenever Teeto transforms into a sofa. This seems like a small detail, but it’s this attention to detail that makes Teeto stand out. It’s not strictly necessary for Nory to change position, but it is a nice touch and shows the care that has been put into developing the game.

If you want some real-life company while charging across the realm as Teeto, you can also play with a friend using split-screen co-op. Sadly, there is no online co-op, although I’m clinging to the hope that it will come so I can play with my fiancé.  

If you want to dive into Teeto, as you should, then you can download the demo to try out through Steam right now. It’s still in development by Eat Pant Games, and there isn’t a release date set in stone just yet, but the demo should keep you going for the time being.