Katamari Damacy
Posted December 12, 2004
What happens when your father the King of All Cosmos screws up and accidentally destroys every star in the nigh sky? He makes you; the Prince, clean up his mess and pick up the leftovers.
That’s the premise behind Nacmo’s zany intelligent masterpiece named Katamari Damacy. If you’re asking yourself what the heck a katamari is, it’s a little ball that the Prince rolls around that things stick to. This ball is his only tool to fix what his clumsy father went and did so he better get rolling!
Gameplay:
Probably the most amazing thing about Katamari Damacy that has to be mentioned first is that this game appeals to absolutely every one of all ages. At first my wife who is not a gamer raised an eyebrow when she saw me playing this simple looking, flamboyant videogame. What I found astonishing was I came home the next day and she had been sitting there for about three hours playing the game, something that she’s never done before.
But what kind of magic does this game have that it can turn people who normally don’t play videogames into addicts? The entire package comes to mind, but the most important reason is the gameplay.
The control is so simple and easy to learn this game is the very definition of pick up and play. Basically there are no buttons used in this game, while you look with the L1 button and jump with the R1 you don’t need any of the ones on the face of the controller. You control the Prince and his katamari’s every motion by maneuvering the analog sticks.
By pressing both forward the Prince will roll forward, likewise for moving backwards. To turn simply press one up and one down, to brake press both in the opposite direction you are going and to move side to side just press both in the direction you wish to go. The Prince can also charge his katamari for a speedy roll by alternating up and down with the analogs.
Now that you know how to move the Prince and his ball around it’s time to get to work and pick some stuff up. Every stage has a different objective in terms of katamari dimensions and the time limit you have to meet in order to complete your task. You can’t start off by picking up cars if you are as small as a tennis ball though you have to work your way up to the big stuff.
You’ll begin by picking up dice, thumbtacks and batteries but eventually you’ll be rolling over dogs, trucks and boulders. If you try to pick up something that is too big for your current size you will bounce off of it and lose some of what you’ve collected. So take care when you look at something you want to roll up.
There are also animals and people roaming around that will attack you if they feel like it, so be careful. If you do get attacked, remember who it was that got you when you are big enough, rolling them into your ball of stuff is very gratifying. Probably my favorite thing to do is to pick up people and animals because they twitch hysterically in a vein attempt to escape.
There are two different styles of levels through including making a star and making a constellation.
When you make a star your straightforward goal is to grab as much as you can within a time limit and get the biggest katamari you can. At the end, if you meet your objective the King of All Cosmos will turn your clump into a star. That star is named after the objects you collected the most of and depending how well you did the size and brightness are affected as well.
Making a constellation is a little different concept. Instead of moving around getting as much junk as possible you have a certain goal object to collect. For instance one stage will have you collecting crabs, another will have you picking up women and another will have you snatching up swans. Constellations aren’t just limited to that though, you will also have to go through a stage and pick up the largest of a certain object as well, not just grab as many as you can.
Both of these levels provide a great amount of variety even if they are essentially the same thing. Completing one stage unlocks another and just because you’ve created a star or constellation doesn’t mean you can’t go back and try to do better. In fact the game encourages you to try to get the biggest and brightest sky you can, so persistence is the key!
There’s more to do than just play through the single player stages incase you like getting the most out of your games. Everything that you pick up gets collected in a menu that you can explore and see what you’re missing, there are bonus stages to unlock that offer no time limit to pester you, presents litter stages for the Prince to wear and you can even unlock some of his cousins for multiplayer fun!
Multiplayer consists of you versus an opponent in an arena filled with objects. Whoever collects the most within the time limit is dubbed the true prince at the end. You can charge attack your opponent to knock things off of them and they can even be caught up in your katamari if it’s large enough. While there are only a few stages and themes to play through the multiplayer is enjoyable and a great way to break someone into the game.
Graphics:
Looking at screen shots just doesn’t do Katamari Damacy justice. They appear blocky and simple, but truthfully that’s what they are. Seeing these graphics in motion just goes to show that you don’t need a super powerhouse graphics engine to have a beautifully charming game.
Everything in the world is very blocky. It looks like a Lego fantasy come true, which is part of the instant appeal of this game. Everyone played with Lego’s when they were a kid and remembers toppling them over, this game just takes that one step further. Animals, people, plants and cars are made of up rectangles, squares, triangles and few circles. The result is an instantly identifiable style that looks great in motion and is incredibly humorous.
The sense of scale is another strong point. From starting at the size of golf balls to ending up the size of the moon everything is kept in perspective. People who once towered above you become mere ants and houses dwarf in comparison to you when they once loomed over you. To handle this transition of size the screen will blur to allow the shift, I wish this were a little more fluid because when this happens it can often lead to you becoming disoriented for a moment.
The camera can also be disorienting because while it is always fixated behind the Prince, sometimes he gets into an area or in front of something that blocks it. There is a circle that appears on screen to indicate where you are but if you can’t see where you are going that doesn’t help matters much.
Audio:
While the visuals are pleasing to the eyes the audio is absolutely righteous to the ears. From the sounds that everything in this game makes when you swallow it up to the killer soundtrack Katamari Damacy grabs a hold of you and doesn’t let go.
It has been ages since I have seen a game with such an addictive and creative soundtrack as presented here. Every track is as unique and wacky as the game is and you’ll find yourself humming these songs well after your PS 2 is shut off. Each stage has it’s own soundtrack blaring in the background as you roll around and they never become repetitive or annoying.
Conclusion:
Katamari Damacy is an absolute treasure. With some of the most addicting gameplay found on any Playstation 2 game this one will wow you and will even convert non-gamers into addicts once they watch it in motion. It may not be a graphical power like other titles the visual style will charm the pants off you and the audio will make you want to run out and buy a soundtrack its so good. We need more offbeat titles like this that show true inspiration from developers instead of the same old thing. At $19.99 this game is a no brainer and a must buy!
That’s the premise behind Nacmo’s zany intelligent masterpiece named Katamari Damacy. If you’re asking yourself what the heck a katamari is, it’s a little ball that the Prince rolls around that things stick to. This ball is his only tool to fix what his clumsy father went and did so he better get rolling!
Gameplay:
Probably the most amazing thing about Katamari Damacy that has to be mentioned first is that this game appeals to absolutely every one of all ages. At first my wife who is not a gamer raised an eyebrow when she saw me playing this simple looking, flamboyant videogame. What I found astonishing was I came home the next day and she had been sitting there for about three hours playing the game, something that she’s never done before.
But what kind of magic does this game have that it can turn people who normally don’t play videogames into addicts? The entire package comes to mind, but the most important reason is the gameplay.
The control is so simple and easy to learn this game is the very definition of pick up and play. Basically there are no buttons used in this game, while you look with the L1 button and jump with the R1 you don’t need any of the ones on the face of the controller. You control the Prince and his katamari’s every motion by maneuvering the analog sticks.
By pressing both forward the Prince will roll forward, likewise for moving backwards. To turn simply press one up and one down, to brake press both in the opposite direction you are going and to move side to side just press both in the direction you wish to go. The Prince can also charge his katamari for a speedy roll by alternating up and down with the analogs.
Now that you know how to move the Prince and his ball around it’s time to get to work and pick some stuff up. Every stage has a different objective in terms of katamari dimensions and the time limit you have to meet in order to complete your task. You can’t start off by picking up cars if you are as small as a tennis ball though you have to work your way up to the big stuff.
You’ll begin by picking up dice, thumbtacks and batteries but eventually you’ll be rolling over dogs, trucks and boulders. If you try to pick up something that is too big for your current size you will bounce off of it and lose some of what you’ve collected. So take care when you look at something you want to roll up.
There are also animals and people roaming around that will attack you if they feel like it, so be careful. If you do get attacked, remember who it was that got you when you are big enough, rolling them into your ball of stuff is very gratifying. Probably my favorite thing to do is to pick up people and animals because they twitch hysterically in a vein attempt to escape.
There are two different styles of levels through including making a star and making a constellation.
When you make a star your straightforward goal is to grab as much as you can within a time limit and get the biggest katamari you can. At the end, if you meet your objective the King of All Cosmos will turn your clump into a star. That star is named after the objects you collected the most of and depending how well you did the size and brightness are affected as well.
Making a constellation is a little different concept. Instead of moving around getting as much junk as possible you have a certain goal object to collect. For instance one stage will have you collecting crabs, another will have you picking up women and another will have you snatching up swans. Constellations aren’t just limited to that though, you will also have to go through a stage and pick up the largest of a certain object as well, not just grab as many as you can.
Both of these levels provide a great amount of variety even if they are essentially the same thing. Completing one stage unlocks another and just because you’ve created a star or constellation doesn’t mean you can’t go back and try to do better. In fact the game encourages you to try to get the biggest and brightest sky you can, so persistence is the key!
There’s more to do than just play through the single player stages incase you like getting the most out of your games. Everything that you pick up gets collected in a menu that you can explore and see what you’re missing, there are bonus stages to unlock that offer no time limit to pester you, presents litter stages for the Prince to wear and you can even unlock some of his cousins for multiplayer fun!
Multiplayer consists of you versus an opponent in an arena filled with objects. Whoever collects the most within the time limit is dubbed the true prince at the end. You can charge attack your opponent to knock things off of them and they can even be caught up in your katamari if it’s large enough. While there are only a few stages and themes to play through the multiplayer is enjoyable and a great way to break someone into the game.
Graphics:
Looking at screen shots just doesn’t do Katamari Damacy justice. They appear blocky and simple, but truthfully that’s what they are. Seeing these graphics in motion just goes to show that you don’t need a super powerhouse graphics engine to have a beautifully charming game.
Everything in the world is very blocky. It looks like a Lego fantasy come true, which is part of the instant appeal of this game. Everyone played with Lego’s when they were a kid and remembers toppling them over, this game just takes that one step further. Animals, people, plants and cars are made of up rectangles, squares, triangles and few circles. The result is an instantly identifiable style that looks great in motion and is incredibly humorous.
The sense of scale is another strong point. From starting at the size of golf balls to ending up the size of the moon everything is kept in perspective. People who once towered above you become mere ants and houses dwarf in comparison to you when they once loomed over you. To handle this transition of size the screen will blur to allow the shift, I wish this were a little more fluid because when this happens it can often lead to you becoming disoriented for a moment.
The camera can also be disorienting because while it is always fixated behind the Prince, sometimes he gets into an area or in front of something that blocks it. There is a circle that appears on screen to indicate where you are but if you can’t see where you are going that doesn’t help matters much.
Audio:
While the visuals are pleasing to the eyes the audio is absolutely righteous to the ears. From the sounds that everything in this game makes when you swallow it up to the killer soundtrack Katamari Damacy grabs a hold of you and doesn’t let go.
It has been ages since I have seen a game with such an addictive and creative soundtrack as presented here. Every track is as unique and wacky as the game is and you’ll find yourself humming these songs well after your PS 2 is shut off. Each stage has it’s own soundtrack blaring in the background as you roll around and they never become repetitive or annoying.
Conclusion:
Katamari Damacy is an absolute treasure. With some of the most addicting gameplay found on any Playstation 2 game this one will wow you and will even convert non-gamers into addicts once they watch it in motion. It may not be a graphical power like other titles the visual style will charm the pants off you and the audio will make you want to run out and buy a soundtrack its so good. We need more offbeat titles like this that show true inspiration from developers instead of the same old thing. At $19.99 this game is a no brainer and a must buy!