What to say about this odd game? Simple game mechanics, a simple objective, and maybe the best soundtrack ever combine to make an addictive, fun game that can be enjoyed by all. Playing as the Prince, the son of the King of All Cosmos, it falls to you to restore the stars to the sky after the King accidentally destroyed them all. How is this accomplished? By going to Earth to roll up raw materials to make the stars. Rolling around your katamari, you pick up items left around the Earth in 3 areas: a house, a town, and a world, the last of which is basically a catch-all of very large items. The rules are simple: you can pick up whatever you are as big as. Hit something too fast, and some items may fall off. Getting to the dictated size within the time limit will open at least one new level. You will start off at 1mm in size with the goal to get to 1cm in diameter. Each new level sees you starting a little bigger and with a higher finishing goal. There are also special "constellation" stages, with goals to get specific items, related to the constellation in question. The ability to pick up bigger items as the game progresses creates interesting fun. In earlier levels, picking up thumbtacks and postage stamps may get you big enough to pick up small mice. In later levels, picking up football players will lead to picking up the Jumbotron, then the stadium, and then even the island the stadium sits upon! People and animals you pick up will squirm and yell for a bit as the katamari captures them. It's interesting to see items you rolled under suddenly become barriers to your progress as you get bigger, only to see the tables turned again as you get big enough to swallow them up. The game goes by quickly, but replayability is high. You find yourself wanting, even needing, to replay levels to see if you can get the katamari a little bit bigger or find some objects you haven't yet collected, some of which are indeed quite rare or only accessable when the katamari is within certain sizes. There is also competitive, split-screen play available. Graphics are blocky, but I'm imagining they're supposed to be. I think the lack of hyper detail adds to the charm of the game. The camera occasionally gets trapped, leaving you blind, but the game automatically resizes everything as the katamari reaches certain sizes, mostly alleviating this. The game soundtrack may be the best ever. You will find yourself humming the tunes while out driving or waiting in lines. And at $20, the game is an excellent value. Hopefully this game will start a trend of more interesting Japanese titles making their way stateside. Seriously, this game needs to be in everyone's collection. If you can find a copy of this game, go get it. I guarantee a fun time.
Katamari Damacy is one of those rare gems that make absolutely no sense and surround the player in absurdity, yet provide for hours upon hours of bliss. It may pull you in with its dancing panda bears, colorful mushrooms... Read Full Review
From the opening sequence, it’s clear that Katamari Damacy is something unique and wholly original. The game’s premise is as simple and bizarre as its gameplay, as the King of All Cosmos tasks his young son, the Prince... Read Full Review
