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Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£35.99Subscribe now Essential Hardware Abiotic Factor Dune: Awakening PC Gaming Show Recommended reading 'It is very touching and very stupid': Katamari Damacy creator can't wait for us to experience the final scene of his new game To a T review: Not just wholesome, but wonderfully weird Deltarune's new chapters defy every rule of RPG logic Gaming Industry Resident game industry weirdo Yoko Taro laments that there aren't as many 'weird' people making videogames as there used to be Game Development 'The problem isn't necessarily the yellow paint', says the Witcher 4 design lead, but its overuse: 'People see through the smoke and mirrors' Lies of P's new easier difficulty modes reveal the true soul of a soulslike, and surprise: it's not dropping dead every time a monster sneezes Space Invaders creator recalls building arcade games with mirrors, making a prototype console that never saw release, and how short-sighted Taito's sales team was about videogames: 'These things will never sell' 'The age of gameplay mechanics has already passed' says Shadow of The Colossus director as he praises Katamari Damacy creator's new game for not being systems-driven 26 July 2025 "Even if there’s nothing novel about the mechanics, you can push the game further with a certain vibe or artwork." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: uvula) Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi is known for making unusual games, and his latest digital escapade To a T is no different. Players assume the role of a teenager stuck in a T-pose as they try to navigate everyday life via interactive scenes like brushing their teeth and eating breakfast. Speaking at GamesCom LATAM earlier this year, Takahashi revelled in his own ridiculous concept. "It's so stupid," he said in a chat shown on FGS live. "No smart game design, game mechanic, nothing." This simple, thematically driven approach also enamoured another venerable Japanese developer, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus director Fumito Ueda. Recently, the two got together with Denfaminicogamer (via Automaton Media) to chat about To a T's design, leading Ueda to declare that "the age of gameplay mechanics has already passed". Related Articles 'It is very touching and very stupid': Katamari Damacy creator can't wait for us to experience the final scene of his new game To a T review: Not just wholesome, but wonderfully weird Deltarune's new chapters defy every rule of RPG logic For context, Ueda had contacted Takahashi prior to their chat to ask him designer how to play To a T. Takahashi responded that the game didn't have any special mechanics, to which Ueda responded "That's great." During the pair's chat with Denfaminicogamer, Ueda clarified this response. "While I don't know why I replied with 'That's great' back then, I was most likely thinking 'The age of gameplay mechanics has already passed.' I guess this is not the age to release new devices or offer new mechanics with each and every game." TO A T | Reveal Trailer - YouTube But Ueda points out that games don't need to invent whole new systems when you use art and narrative design to drive the experience forward. "Even if there is nothing novel about the mechanics, you can push the game further with a certain vibe or artwork," he explains. "Personal preferences aside, what I'm saying is I think it would be better to give already existing game mechanics more definition." I certainly think there's some truth to what Ueda says here. Many if not most games released these days use existing mechanical frameworks that are revitalised through an interesting theme, story, or visual style. But I would also say that this has been the case for much of gaming's history too. True mechanical innovation is exceedingly rare, tending to occur incrementally rather than in sudden leaps. Even as far back as the 8-bit era, most games that were made were riffs on other titles rather than wholly original works. But since games could be made a lot quicker, with development times of months rather than years, innovation happened faster. It also probably helped that computers were rapidly iterating alongside the games played on them, enabling developers to create more ambitious, complex experiences. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. In any case, our own Chris Livingston likewise enjoyed Takahashi's latest as he describes in his To a T review, albeit slightly less than Ueda apparently did. "It's a shame that To a T can be frustrating to actually play at times," Chris said, citing the game's awkward camera. "[But] it's still worth struggling through the sometimes-awkward gameplay for the fabulous story contained within its five-hour duration. It's surprising, it's got a lot of laughs, and there's a nice message at its core." Best cozy games: Relaxed gaming Best anime games: Animation-inspired Best JRPGs: Classics and beyond Best cyberpunk games: Techno futures Best gacha games: Freemium fanatics Contributor Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims. 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'It is very touching and very stupid': Katamari Damacy creator can't wait for us to experience the final scene of his new game To a T review: Not just wholesome, but wonderfully weird Deltarune's new chapters defy every rule of RPG logic Resident game industry weirdo Yoko Taro laments that there aren't as many 'weird' people making videogames as there used to be 'The problem isn't necessarily the yellow paint', says the Witcher 4 design lead, but its overuse: 'People see through the smoke and mirrors' Lies of P's new easier difficulty modes reveal the true soul of a soulslike, and surprise: it's not dropping dead every time a monster sneezes Latest in Puzzle My heart's already been stolen by this stop-motion adventure made out of wood and 'mostly in a garden shed' Its demo only took me 10 minutes, but this claymation picture book puzzle game inspired by medieval alchemy is one to watch out for Today's Wordle answer for Saturday, July 26 Today's Wordle answer for Friday, July 25 Today's Wordle answer for Thursday, July 24 Today's Wordle answer for Wednesday, July 23 Latest in News A Wolfenstein TV series is in development by the Fallout TV series people: 'The story of killing Nazis is evergreen' Fans claim Blizzard's new Diablo Immortal x Hearthstone art was made with generative AI Gabe Newell on the difference between billionaires and the rest of us: 'an awful lot of luck' A 21-second video of a hand ignites a sizzling debate over the FPS 'tac sprint' Dune: Awakening 'temporarily' disables Steam Family Sharing, potentially through the end of 2025: 'We have unfortunately seen this feature abused frequently' After selling to Krafton, Last Epoch dev says fans shouldn't be worried about the Subnautica 2 dispute: 'Krafton isn't looking to change us' HARDWARE BUYING GUIDES LATEST GAME REVIEWS Best PCIe 5.0 SSD for gaming in 2025: the only Gen 5 drives I will allow in my PC Best graphics cards in 2025: I've tested pretty much every AMD and Nvidia GPU of the past 20 years and these are today's top cards Best gaming laptop in 2025: I've put the best of this new generation head-to-head and we have a winner Best gaming chair in 2025: I've tested a ton of gaming chairs and these are the seats I'd suggest for any PC gamer Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X review Killing Floor 3 review Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro review Wuchang: Fallen Feathers review Abiotic Factor review PC Gamer is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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