‘Katamari Damacy' Creator's New Game Is About Teen Angst, Cute Dogs, and Eye Boogers
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hypebeast
6 hours ago
- Hypebeast
‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle' Smashes Japanese Box Office Records
Summary Earlier this month, the highly anticipated first part of the final arc film forDemon Slayermade its premiere in Japanese theaters. In less than 10 days, the film rapidly dominated the Japanese box office,smashing multiple records. It achieved the highest grossing Japanese film on its opening day, for a single day and over its opening weekend. In addition to that, it also became the fastest film in Japan's box office history to reach an impressive ¥10 billion JPY (approx $67.6 million USD) in earnings, underscoring its immense popularity and critical success. The global premiere forDemon Slayer: Infinity Castle – Chapter 1: The Return of Akazais set to begin in August across various countries in Asia, allowing international fans to experience the film shortly after its successful premiere in Japan. Meanwhile, enthusiasts in the U.S. and U.K. will have a slightly longer wait, with the film scheduled for a later release on September 12, 2025. Over the weekend, a new key visual forDemon Slayer: Infinity Castle – Chapter 1: The Return of Akazawas also officially unveiled. This striking visual sets the stage for Infinity Castle's first major confrontation — the formidable Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, alongside Tanjiro, depicted amid a face-off against the notorious Upper Rank Three demon Akaza. 【絶賛公開中】劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限城編第一章 猗窩座再来 第3弾キービジュアルを公開しました。 強者の立つ場所へ — 鬼滅の刃公式 (@kimetsu_off)July 27, 2025
New York Post
10 hours ago
- New York Post
Ichiro Suzuki steals show with witty Hall of Fame speech in English
COOPERSTOWN — Ichiro Suzuki stole the show with his nearly 20-minute speech, delivered in English. Long known to those around him for speaking English well, Ichiro always chose to speak publicly in Japanese, using an interpreter. Now a Hall of Famer, Ichiro chose Sunday to break out a witty speech in front of a crowd of thousands of fans wearing his No. 51 Mariners jersey. Advertisement Afterward, speaking in Japanese again following his speech, Ichiro said he 'always knew' he would deliver the speech in English, in hopes of letting his American fans understand it as well as possible. 5 Ichiro Suzuki delivers a nearly 20-minute speech in English at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 'I played with him, so I knew he could do that,'' CC Sabathia said of Ichiro's speaking ability. 'It was good for people to get to know his personality and how hard he worked.' Advertisement Brian Cashman had a similar story, saying that when he traded for Ichiro in 2012, he and an interpreter spent over an hour on a phone call with Ichiro and his interpreter to explain what his role would be if he agreed to come to the Yankees. 'It took forever,'' Cashman said. A week later, Cashman introduced himself to Ichiro in person in The Bronx and was surprised. 5 Ichiro Suzuki jokes with fellow Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken Jr. before his speech. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Advertisement 5 Billy Wagner and Ichiro Suzuki chat during their Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 5 Ichiro Suzuki's wife, Yumiko Fukushima, watches her husband be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 'He responded by speaking better English than I did,'' Cashman said. Ichiro, in addition to thanking the Mariners and their fans, as well as his Orix team in Japan that let him come to the majors in 2001, also fondly recalled his time with the Yankees from 2012-14. Advertisement 'I enjoyed my two-and-a-half years in pinstripes and to get to experience the great leadership of Derek Jeter and the organization's proud touch,' Ichiro said. Billy Wagner said he'd been preparing his Hall of Fame speech 'for about 10 years' while waiting to get inducted. He finally got his chance Sunday, when the lefty became the first left-handed reliever to be enshrined in the Hall, in part thanks to his three-plus years with the Mets. 5 Billy Wagner shows off his new Hall of Fame ring. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post And while he's most remembered for his years in Houston — where his first manager was Terry Collins in 1995 and '96 — he noted the role his time in Queens played in his path to Cooperstown. But he also praised the Mets and their former owners, the Wilpons. Advertisement 'For a small-town guy like me, going to a big city, Fred Wilpon and his son, Jeff, and the Mets organization made it easy to come to the field and compete,' Wagner said. 'Because I got to ride in [to the ballpark] with Tom Glavine. They always had a great team surrounding me and that helped me reach this stage today.' Wagner noted that he and Whitey Ford are the only pitchers in the Hall of Fame who are shorter than 6 feet tall. He also noted that he is the only pitcher from a Division III college (Ferrum College) to get to Cooperstown. 'I'm from a very small part of southwest Virginia,'' Wagner said. 'To grow up in a small, rural area, this isn't something you think about.' Advertisement Dave Parker died in June at age 74. He had been preparing a speech for his induction and his son, Dave II, spoke on his behalf. The late Dick Allen's wife, Willa, also spoke on her husband's behalf. … Sandy Koufax, the oldest living Hall of Famer at age 89, was in attendance. … The start of the ceremony was delayed by an hour due to inclement weather. There were an estimated 30,000 fans in attendance.
USA Today
12 hours ago
- USA Today
Ichiro Suzuki becomes comedian during Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech
COOPERSTOWN, NY. — The day was filled with passionate speeches, inspirational messages, and ended Sunday with a comedy show by the least suspecting Hall of Famer, with most of the audience unaware he even spoke English. Ichiro Suzuki, the first Japanese Hall of Famer in baseball history, brought down the house with one of the most humorous speeches since the late Bob Uecker. Suzuki, who has had a full-time interpreter since he arrived in the United States in 2001, delivered his entire speech in English, cracking jokes with a perfect delivery, entertaining the crowd of 30,000 at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He was one of five players inducted in the 76th induction ceremony, joined by CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner and the late Dick Allen and Dave Parker. 'People often measure me by my records,'' Suzuki said. '3,000 hits, 10 Gold Gloves, 10 seasons of 200 hits. Not bad, huh? But the truth is that without baseball, you would say, 'This guy is such a dumbass.'" Suzuki's comedy act was just beginning, reciting baseball stats, his 3,089 hits, his record 262-hit season, and saying how his career was recognized by the Baseball Writers Association of America, but it still wasn't good enough for the one anonymous writer who didn't vote for him, preventing him from joining Mariano Rivera as the only unanimous Hall of Famers in history. He paused, listened to the laughter from the crowd, and then with a perfect delivery said, 'Oh, by the way, and that offer for that writer to have dinner at my house has now ... expired.'' He thanked the Seattle Mariners and Hall of Fame GM Pat Gillick for believing in him and signing him in 2001, thanked the New York Yankees for his 2 ½ years with them, and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter for his valuable leadership. And then thanked the Miami Marlins for extending his career for three more years, but with a twist: 'Honestly, when you guys called to offer me a contract for 2015,'' Suzuki said, pausing again, 'I had never heard of your team.'' Suzuki's teammates all knew that he spoke perfect English, and had a delightful sense of humor, but now the baseball world became clued into his secret. 'I played with him for three years, so I knew he could do that,'' Sabathia said. 'I was just excited for people to get to know his personality and how funny he is.'' In the press conference after the ceremony, Suzuki said there was never any thought to delivering his speech in Japanese, saying it was important to him to provide humor to the fans and baseball officials in attendance in Cooperstown, while also making sure everyone understood the importance of respecting the game. 'I always said that being a Hall of Famer wasn't a goal,'' Suzuki said, 'but to make people laugh here was a goal of mine.'' The only time Suzuki spoke Japanese during his entire speech was thanking Hideo Nomo for giving him the courage to play Major League Baseball. 'Because of Hideo's courage,'' Suzuki said, my eyes opened to the idea of challenging myself by going somewhere I never imagined.' Nomo was the first Japanese player in 30 years to play in MLB in 1995, pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and was an inspiration to Suzuki, who wrote an essay when he was in the sixth grade that he wanted to be a professional baseball player. 'I think you can imagine, there was much doubt when I tried to become the first position player from Japan in MLB,' he said. 'But it was more than just that. There was criticism and negativity. Someone even said to me, 'Don't embarrass the nation.' 'I encourage young players to dream, and dream big, but to also understand the difference between your dream and the goal. In order to make your dream your goal, you must be honest in thinking about what is important to achieve it.'' CC Sabathia hopes to see more Blacks in baseball Sabathia stressed throughout his speech and afterwards in a press conference, that he wants to do everything in his power to make sure he's not the last Black pitcher inducted into the Hall of Fame. He wants to be a role model in hopes of increasing the Black population of baseball, declining to just 6% on opening-day rosters this season. 'When I first started watching baseball, and Dave Parker was crushing homers,'' Sabathia said, 'the number of black players in the major leagues was at its highest, about 18%. Me and my friends played the game because we saw all of those guys on TV. There was always somebody who looked like me in a baseball unfiorm. 'Baseball has always been a great game for Black athletes, but the baseball culture has not always great for Black people. I hope we're starting to turn that around. ... 'I'm sitting here and thinking about it now, 'Who's next? Who's the next Black starting pitcher to win 20 games? Will there be another? I don't want to be the final Black pitcher standing here giving a Hall of Fame speech. I think it's on me and the next generation to find that next kid.'' Sabathia's speech also was effusive in praise for the women in his life, from his mother, Margie, to his aunts and grandmother, Ethel Rufus, raising him in Vallejo, California. He wouldn't be on stage this day, he said, if not for the love and support of his wife, Amber. His mother used to put on catcher's equipment to help him work on his pitching mechanics, and even talking about pitch selection in the garage. And he spent plenty of nights at his grandmother's house where he would pick grapefruits from her tree and throw them at a folding chair used as a strikezone in the back yard. When he wanted to work at Marine World as a teenager, his grandmother wouldn't let him, telling him he needed to focus on baseball. 'You'd be lucky to have even one of those women in your life,'' Sabathia said, 'and I had them all. A village of women who raised me, guided me, made me laugh, fed me, protected me, and a few times, literally save me, starting with my mom.'' Billy Wagner's wait finally ends Wagner, who had to wait until the 10th and final year of eligibility to enter the Hall of Fame while Suzuki and Sabathia made it on the first ballot, thanked dozens of teammates from Jeff Bagwell to Russ Springer to his pitching coaches to bullpen catchers to managers to writers. Wagner, 5-foot-10, is the second pitcher to be inducted under six feet tall. 'I wasn't the biggest, I wasn't left-handed [until twice breaking his right arm], I wasn't supposed to be here,' Wagner said. 'Perseverance isn't just a trait. It's a path to greatness. 'Being up here today, I feel like my baseball life has come full circle.' Dave Parker: Poet Parker, who died last month after battling Parkinson's since 2012, was able to let his son, David Parker II, present just what he wanted to say in his Hall of Fame speech, and wrote a poem before he passed. Here I am, 39. About damn time. I know I had to wait a little, but that's what you do with fine aged wine. I'm a Pirate for life. Wouldn't have it no other way. That was my family, even though I didn't go on Parade Day. I love y'all, the Bucs on my heart because those two championships I got, y'all played in the first part. I'm in the Hall now, you can't take that away. That statue better look good -- you know I got a pretty face. Top-tier athlete, fashion icon, sex symbol. No reason to list the rest of my credentials. I'm him, period. The Cobra. Known for my rocket arm, and I will run any catcher over. To my friends, families: I love y'all. Thanks for staying by my side. I told y'all Cooperstown would be my last ride.'' Dick Allen presented by his widow Allen's widow, Willa Allen, spoke for the Allen family, letting people know that her husband was a kind and passionate man, and was much more than just a Hall of Fame ballplayer. She told the story about the time a 16-year-old fan asked for his autograph at Dodger Stadium. They talked for two hours, and Allen wound up helping him throughout his life. He was in attendance Sunday at the age of 70. "It's not about where you come from, but where you're determined to go,'' Allen said. 'It's about principle, passion and determination.'' When the ceremony ended, the players retreated to the Otesaga Hotel where they had a dinner for Hall of Fame players only. No family members. No friends. Just the players and commissioner Rob Manfred. But, before they got together and sat down, Suzuki had a request to his new Hall of Fame teammates. 'I hope I can hold the values of the Hall of Fame,'' Suzuki said. 'But please, I am 51 years old now. So easy on the hazing.'' Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.
