TEDDY TOGETHER
life with your new friend
on an uneventful day, my twin sister told me about a game called nekotomo. the premise is pretty straightforward - two kitties, nekoko and tomomo, show up in your yard, and you take them in. you can talk with them and teach them words, which theyll use in conversation with you after. you can also help take care of them, feeding them or playing with them, and even dressing them up in cute little outfits (they can match !!!). there are some really heartfelt moments within, and its a very stress-free little game.
i was immediately smitten with it. however, there was one pretty big drawback: my japanese knowledge at that point in time was nigh nonexistent. even now, my reading capabilities are extremely rudimentary, and my listening comprehension is even worse. i need to buckle down and study harder so i can properly experience this little relaxed gem on the switch.
but, nekotomo is not what this writeup is about. this is about its cousin, kumatomo, otherwise known in europe as teddy together.
this one never got a US release, so until i hacked my 3ds, i wasnt able to play it for myself. every attempt at emulating it would not work and i dont really know why. shrug. either way, it was one of the first games i grabbed on my 3ds post-modification.
the premise is similar to nekotomo, somewhat. you open a package, and a living teddy bear with a key around their neck is inside. you give them a name, and you tell them yours. they say they know they need to do something important, but dont remember what it is, and want your help to remember it ! and so, with that, the game begins.
once you fill up a heart meter all the way, your teddy buddy will ask you a new question, and you tell them a little something about yourself. maybe its your favourite food, or a friend of yours that is strong, or your favourite comedian, your favourite song, what animal scares you... so on and so forth. upon answering these, your teddy will note it down in their notebook, and you can always go back and see past answers - or change them, if you need to. after answering a certain amount of special questions, your friendship level with your teddy will increase, and you unlock a new story scene. additionally, every so often, your bear will give you a little gift that you can go back and look at any time. they are incredibly cute and blew my heart up into little pieces with how sweet they are.
every day, you feed and bathe your teddy. if they get too hungry or dirty, they wont ask you questions, but thats about as far as negative consequences go in this game. the foods you can make are all really cute, but ive personally found sometimes chopping ingredients doesnt register the best ? i might just be sliding my stylus in the wrong area, though.
another mechanic is lollipops: if you feed your teddy 5 of the same flavor of lollipop, you can unlock a new fur colour. there are 8 of them you unlock via lollipops, but there are an additional 8 that you can get via teddy together amiibo. i dont have any of those, and i have no idea if anyone has documented them anywhere. its surprisingly hard to find info on this game, in english speakin spheres, anyway.
there is also a clothing shop, which is pretty self explanitory. you can sometimes find seasonal clothing in there that is limited until it rolls around again. not much to say here, but holy shit i love dressing my little buddy up.
gardening is something that is a little tedious, but personally, my autism lends itself to tedium lmao. i like to garden while i watch something. you can plant up to three seeds in one plot, and you water them using stars - which you get via caring for your teddy, answering special questions, or advancing your friendship level. after a certain point these become very easy to get - i am regularly maxed out on them even doing a ton of gardening. plant a single seed in a plot to guaranteed get what you put down. putting two or more will net you something random. i havent determined if there is any kind of pattern or relation to what you get per what seeds are used.
there are challenges for the garden, as well: things like filling all of your plots full of a specific type of plant (flowers, veggies, trees, or... another category ive yet to unlock ?), filling your garden with a specific rarity tier of plant, gathering a specific number of a particular plant, and similar. completing one will net you coins, or sometimes other items ! new plants, or clothes for your bear. after completing a certain amount of these, you unlock additional plots for your garden.
a neat feature is being able to introduce your teddy to your irl friends. after you hit a specific friendship level (it escapes me right now), you gain the ability to introduce a friend to them. you tap the option, and then upon passing the 3ds to the person in question, they will be prompted to press a button to continue. much like your teddy does with you, they will ask your friend a new question each time they speak. one of my friends told my teddy, sakutarou, that his nickname is "dumbass". hearing that little text to speech voice say that cracks me up every single time.
as your friendship level progresses, you learn what it is your teddy is set out to do; which is to find the flower of friendship and bring happiness to the world. that is about where i am at personally progress-wise.
i think this is a game not everyone would especially enjoy. its slow paced, with not a ton to do. a lot of english-speaking videos ive seen on the game are SO MEAN to the poor little bear, or call their voice creepy. your mileage may vary, of course, and one is entitled to their opinion in thinking such, but it does make me a little sad.
while this game is very straightforward and clearly meant to be something of an interactive storybook for kids, ive still gleaned some really heartfelt stuff from it all the same. checking in on it for a little while every day has been a pleasant routine, especially in the wake of a scary family emergency that is now resolving. sometimes, all you need is your little teddy bear friend to tell you that theyre there for you.
while i will admit the switch version of nekotomo feels a little better gameplay-wise to this, teddy together is still a really adorable and pleasant little thing. i recommend both titles for sure, especially if you are someone who enjoys more niche, relaxing titles.
