1-2 Players Rated E (Mild Fantasy Violence)
Release Date 2004/09/21 (US), 2004/03/18 (JP)
Retail Price $19.99
Buy at Amazon

Overall Rating 9 out of 10

First Impressions

Katamari Damacy is weird and wacky and wonderful, and just simply a great game.

Okay, so the King of All Cosmos has destroyed all the stars and orders you, his tiny son, to fix the problem. The way you do this, of course, is to roll up everything you can find into giant balls of junk. They have to be of a size the King chooses. If you succeed, the Katamari ball will be beamed into space, where it becomes a star or constellation. If you fail, after scolding you and whining for a while, the King will make stardust out of your tiny, pathetic Katamari ball.

While nearly every other game is fighting to eek the last bit of photorealism into their rehash of last year’s games, Katamari Damacy ignores realism and ultimately is more visually rewarding as a result. This game is great, not for amazing graphics or sound, but for its unique concept and humorous execution.

Katamari ends a little too quickly, but has good replay value and leaves you eager for a sequel (hopefully the King of All Cosmos will discover loose-fit pants before the sequel makes it to store shelves).

On Second Thought

We will revisit Katamari Damacy in a month and see if the game continues to hold our interest.

Dissecting Katamari Damacy

ESRB Rating – E (Mild Fantasy Violence)

An "E" rating is appropriate for Katamari Damacy. People and animals run screaming and frightened from your rolling mass of stuff. In fact, it is pretty amusing to have cows and kittens still mooing and meowing and stuck in your wad of star fodder. The most objectionable part of this game is the King’s pants.

Play Modes – (7 out of 10)

There are basically two play modes in Katamari Damacy, Earth and Space Mushroom. In addition, you view and manage the results of your efforts, “collections,” saved games, and configuration settings on your Home Planet. The two play modes and Home Planet are selected through a navigation mode called “My Cosmos.”

Earth Mode  – One player mode, where you go to Earth with the mission of rolling up a Katamari ball of some size or made up of some item that the King requests. This is meat of the game, where you roll up stuff on your Katamari ball to restore the stars and constellations. Each time the King asks you to roll up a larger Katamari or to pack it with, say, fish. The King is not easy to please and is prone to criticize your work.

Space Mushroom Mode – Two player battle mode, where you and another player roll around in an arena, racing to see who can build a Katamari ball fastest. This is a simple split-screen game that can be fun, but almost seems like an afterthought.

Home Planet Mode – Your Home Planet is where you manage your Royal Presents, game settings, saved game data, view the constellations or objects you have collected, and your photo album (if you have found the camera and taken pictures).

Sound / Music – (7 out of 10)

Nothing amazing here. The sound is somewhat squeaky, but not bad. The music is simple and catchy, running in your head long after turning the PlayStation off.

Controls – (9.5 out of 10)

Rolling the Katamari ball takes coordinated movement of the two analog sticks. You basically push both up to roll forward, both back to roll backwards, to either side when turning left and right, and opposite directions to brake. This is a pretty decent movement system.

Graphics – (8 out of 10)

The graphics are not cutting edge, except in their simplicity. The figures are blocky and amusing, and only detailed enough to communicate what they are.

Fun Factor – (9 out of 10)

Katamari Damacy is enough fun that you wish it lasted longer and offered more play modes. Namco has done a good job with this game but leaves you wanting more.

Innovation – (10 out of 10)

As far as rolling a Katamari ball around and picking up cows and sushi and trees and houses goes, Katamari Damacy stands alone. The only other game that is only vaguely similar is Marble Madness.

Overall – (9 out of 10)

Even given its simplistic graphics and sound, Katamari Damacy is great fun, full of humor, and laced with weirdness. It is well worth the low price and makes you look forward to playing the sequel.

Tags: Platforms · Playstation2 · Reviews