Keita Takahashi just knows how to make me emotional I guess. His approach reminds me a lot of Shigesato Itoi. In a way, most game developers are trying hard than ever to make games legitimate in comparison with other mediums. So many want to make their dramatic, pretentious "experience" and yet few are able to achieve that. I guess what I like about Itoi and Takahashi's approach is that they are just earnest. They want to make something with a lot of passion, they want it to be wholesome. They don't care if they are taken seriously, and yet their simple stories are able to pack emotion.

Wattam is able to switch mood really well, which is weird to say about a game with literal 'shit' in it. Maybe this is due in large part to the simplicity of visuals, or the diverse soundtrack, I'm not quite sure. It's always silly, and there is an underlying childishness throughout its runtime, and yet it had me in many different headspaces throughout. Mayor turning into Detective was genuinely hilarious. Maybe it was just the expression on his face, with the stubble around his mouth, and quickly sketched eyes. Then the Father goes on a monologue about losing his wife and kids, which is kinda fucked up for such a baby-sensory game. The Moon expresses an inner dialogue about the vein aspects that led him to be essentially a villain. This constant flipping of tone is weird, but it works? It's not some masterpiece, but it does work.

Wattam was refreshing to play, and is wholly unique. For that, I can appreciate it. It does feel really weird to write more than a one-liner for such a "dumb" game, but that's just an indicator of how special Wattam is.