Katamari Damacy

"Simply fun. Simply brilliant. Simply simple."

What makes the perfect game? Is it a game's graphics, the scope of its immersion, how much fun it is to play? Or is it the sum of its parts? Whatever makes a good game, Katamari Damacy fits the criteria. It's a game unlike any I have ever seen, and one of those ever-so-rare “pick up and play” games where absolutely anybody can pick up a Dual Shock and have fun with the game.

The basic premise of Katamari is that you are the son of the King of All Cosmos who, in a drunken stupor, has knocked all of the stars out from the sky. Therefore, it is your duty to go to Earth and roll big clumps of random crap to make into stars. The intro cinema has singing ducks, dancing pandas, lots of mushrooms (which is what Namco must have been on during development), frogs delivered by storks, and a banjo-playing King with, um, happy pants. Story cut scenes involve a Japanese family going to see a shuttle launch and listening to newscasters rant about the stars returning. Yes, it sounds weird and yes, it is VERY Japanese, which may be a good or bad thing depending on your preference.

What you cannot dispute is the sheer fun the game is. In the nine main stages, you start out small, picking up thumbtacks, mahjong pieces, candy wrappers, etc. As you pick up stuff and the katamari grows larger, you can pick up bigger things including bikes, batteries, kanji workbooks, fruit, tables, action figures, pots, pans, water guns, spiders, penguins, people, fences, buildings, trees, boulders, cars, walls, bridges, ships, stadiums, swords, high-rises, islands, clouds, whirlpools… I could go on, but I'll just say that the above mentioned things barely scratch the surface of all the things the game has. Shallow it is not, my friend. Controls are deceptively simple, using just the analog sticks to roll around, adding to the appeal for gamers and non-gamers alike. Sure, there's the occasional button press or trigger pull, but it's just for navigation through menus, so again, it's not complex.

In addition to the nine main stages, there are constellation stages where you must collect certain types of items in the allotted time to create constellations. For example, in order to make Gemini you have to roll up pairs of items, or find a bear to make Ursa Minor. While not as fun and lengthy as the main missions, they still offer wacky diversions that are fun in their own way. And as a reward for completing a constellation, you get to hear a little Japanese girl make random comments on them (“Taurus is back! Moooo!”) that will have you dumbfounded and laughing, sometimes simultaneously.

Multiplayer is also available, making Damacy a great party game in addition to a robust solo romp. If the notion of pulling an odd, rather Japanese game out at a buddies' house seems like an invitation for embarrassment, a few sessions of play with friends will quickly get you over the hurdle. I have taken Katamari to three parties recently, and absolutely EVERYONE in the room was dying to play the game. Not only that, but the majority of friends there hadn't picked up a controller in their life. If anything, this is a testament to the simple yet deceptive ‘pick-up-and-play-and-gee-this-is-FUN!' nature of the game.

The art in Katamari Damacy starts oozing out once you get over the fact that Katamari looks like an N64 game. Color explodes all around as lakes, circuses, construction sites, strip malls, and town centers are all just a minute (or meter in size) away. Everything is seamlessly connected, which may be hard to appreciate until you get to latter stages that span across the globe. All the humans and animals and buildings are rendered in a cubist-style, looking like Duplo people rather than realistic ones. This design choice is a perfect contrast to the spherical ball-rolling gameplay.

Adding to the audiovisual package is a trippy, eclectic soundtrack chock-full of simple J-pop, happy-go-lucky tunes, horribly off-key Japanese kids, a Sinatra-esque song, smooth jazz, and a bit of Muzak like the kind you hear when put on hold during a customer service call. While that may sound like an unrelated jumble of genres, it fits well with the crazy vibe of Katamari and will have you humming its tunes in no time.

No game is without some portion of problems, and Katamari has a few minor issues. I got stuck in tight passages or in seas of people more often than I would have liked, and in smaller stages getting too big sends the camera into the clouds (literally), rendering visibility near zero. But you will learn to tolerate both quirks, and it really doesn't detract from the experience.

Message-board types love to moan about games getting scored with 10s (or its equivalent) too much these days, that 10s nowadays mean nothing. And those same types may skim this page, see the 10, and scoff on their way to their digital stomping grounds, but they will be sorely mistaken. Without a doubt, Katamari Damacy encompasses everything that makes videogames fun: engaging gameplay, artsy graphics, and most of all, it's just plain fun to play. Take it from the many non-gamers I've introduced Katamari to; this is gaming at its finest. Roll on!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/04