<--- Previous Log (Metroid Prime)
(Yes it is the reroll banner but it's the best I got)
Lala Lalalalal la la la lala la lalalaaaa. Yes ladies and worms, we are back with our 3rd installment of “Tales from the backlog.” This series sees me, a freshly 17 year old kid, playing some fan favorite games and seeing how well they hold up. Today, we’re looking at that quirky, polygonal PS2 ball simulator, Katamari Damacy.
Some quick things before we get started. First of all, I almost completely redid my Metroid Prime writeup after some feedback. It’s still not perfect but it’s a lot more legible than it was. Secondly, I finished the game a while back but was too lazy to write it then. I’ve been playing Kingdom Hearts and will make an entry on that game whenever I feel like. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s jump in.
Game info:
- Release Date: March 18, 2004 (Japan) September 21, 2004 (elsewhere) (Nerdtendo’s age: 25 months)
- Developer(s): Namco
- Platform(s): Playstation 2 (original), Nintendo Switch, and Windows (remake)
- Genre: Puzzle/Action
Gameplay:
The entire game can be summarized in one sentence. Push ball, roll things up, grow. However, that is a really lame explanation so I’ll do you one better. You take control of the tiny Prince of all Cosmos. This prince wields a tiny ball known as a katamari. As he pushes his katamri, he runs over anything smaller than the ball, and said object is absorbed into the katamri which becomes bigger. Unlike most games where you control a character (i.e. every game ever), you do not control the katamari with the left stick. Instead, you use the left and right sticks in conjunction just like you would an RC car. Both sticks forward, you go straight forward. Push the left stick and ease up on the right, you turn right, so on and so forth. You are then given a time limit to make your katamari a certain size. Once you reach this size, you beat the level and move on to the next one.
Occasionally, you reach constellation levels. In these levels, the completion criteria change up a bit. For example, when you’re making Cancer, you have to roll up as many crabs as you can. If you make Gemini, you roll up as many twins as you can.
This is all you do for the entire game. No special power ups, no fighting, nada. That’s where the beauty lies. You see, Keita Takahasha, the game’s director, wanted the game to be simple, and rolling the katamari to be intrinsically fun. He nailed that part. The ball feels wonderful to roll. When it starts small, you move quickly and can easily change your direction, almost like you’re rolling a marble or ping-pong ball. As it get’s bigger and bigger though, it get’s heavier and heavier until it’s difficult to make turns. First it feels like a softball, then a basketball, then a bowling ball, then a bolder, etcetera and etcetera. It is so incredibly satisfying to feel the weight increase and the controls are so intuitive, I could roll around and pick things up for hours without getting bored. This speaks volumes to the game. If the simple act of controlling a ball can keep someone occupied for hours, you have something special.
(The Katamri in roughly the same place at three different sizes. This is all in one sitting within 20 minutes!)
Level Design:
In Katamri Damacy, there are 3 stages that they use for 20 or so levels. The objects that you can pick up in each stage alter from stage to stage but the layout is always the same. This can be seen as laziness and I don’t blame you if you view it as such, but if they reuse the same maps, the player gets a chance to learn each one intricitely, and when the challenges get tougher, they don’t have to relearn a stage.
3 stages is a bit few however. I think they could have added one or two more and it wouldn’t overwhelm the player too much. It is a pretty easy game afterall.
The amount of objects is incredibly impressive for a PS2 game. Yes, each individual object is pretty low-poly but it’s still pretty neat that literal hundreds of models can come together and in one stage with no noticable stuttering is amazing. There are even enough different kinds of objects to keep things from getting repetitive. Huge props to this team.
Music:
Oh boy that music. I’m no music major, so I’ve really had to think about why the music sounds so fun. The conclusion I’ve come to is the vocals, the upbeat tempos, and the bouncy melodies. In every single track, you can hear the energy behind the singers and I can’t help but smile at it. The wacky beats match perfectly with the wacky environments and I can’t get enough of it. For some examples of what I’m talking about. Here are the two main songs, “Katamari on the Rocks” and “Katamari Mambo”.
If I had one gripe with the music, it’s the amount of it. The main two songs you hear are the ones above, and while they are super fun to listen to, I wish there were more. There are plenty of songs in the OST that I can’t remember ever hearing in the main campaign. To sum it up, the music is really fun but there isn’t enough there.
Story:
Just like everything else in this acid trip of a game, the story is over the top, unbelievable, and so charming. The massive king of all cosmos (who is coincedentally, the prince’s father) got drunk one night and knocked every star and the moon out of the sky. He then sends his regrettably tiny son to earth. There, he must grow his katamri, and hang it in the sky as a star. Simultaneously, a young brother and sister go to watch their father’s space launch, but the launch is cancelled because the moon is gone.
It’s nothing special but it is goofy and doesn’t overstay its welcome so I’m perfectly fine with it. The story is comparable to that of a Super Mario Bros. game. It’s a loose thread to connect the gameplay and that’s all. The difference between Katamari and Mario is that Katamari has some effort put into it.
Graphics:
Boy does this game look good. The style is both pleasing and resourseful. Bright colors and basic geometry is the name of the game here. The world is clear-cut, the colors blend nicely, and nothing is ever harsh. Again, it’s oddly comparable to a Mario game. It is visually bubbly and fun and everything is clear as day.
I’d also like to mention how ingenius this style is for the game. The game has to render dozens of objects at once, so the geometry is kept very minimal. Instead of letting this hinder the visuals, the developers enhanced them by creating characters and environments identically sharp and minimal. I will never not appreciate people turning limitations into something enjoyable.
Conclusion:
I think this game deserves the title of masterpiece. Not once did I find myself bored or drudging through levels, and I credit that to the core gameplay. Keita Takahasha crafted every little piece of this game with so much love and it shows. Anyone can sit down and enjoy this one for a few minutes, or even hours and will leave satisfied. If you haven’t already, I suggest you go give it a try. I’ve attached the steam link to the bottom of this article.
Well that's all for today. Make sure you leave your opinions on the game, as well as my article if you feel so led. I hope you guys aren't hating these yet. Next on my list is Kingdom Hearts for the PS2! I've got a lot to say about that one. It's Disney so of course I loved it.... right? Well you'll have to wait and see. Also, make sure you re-check my Metroid Prime article. Thanks for reading this far and see you next time.
(Buy Katamri Damacy on Steam)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/848350/Katamari_Damacy_REROLL/
(Yes it is the reroll banner but it's the best I got)
Lala Lalalalal la la la lala la lalalaaaa. Yes ladies and worms, we are back with our 3rd installment of “Tales from the backlog.” This series sees me, a freshly 17 year old kid, playing some fan favorite games and seeing how well they hold up. Today, we’re looking at that quirky, polygonal PS2 ball simulator, Katamari Damacy.
Some quick things before we get started. First of all, I almost completely redid my Metroid Prime writeup after some feedback. It’s still not perfect but it’s a lot more legible than it was. Secondly, I finished the game a while back but was too lazy to write it then. I’ve been playing Kingdom Hearts and will make an entry on that game whenever I feel like. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s jump in.
Game info:
- Release Date: March 18, 2004 (Japan) September 21, 2004 (elsewhere) (Nerdtendo’s age: 25 months)
- Developer(s): Namco
- Platform(s): Playstation 2 (original), Nintendo Switch, and Windows (remake)
- Genre: Puzzle/Action
Gameplay:
The entire game can be summarized in one sentence. Push ball, roll things up, grow. However, that is a really lame explanation so I’ll do you one better. You take control of the tiny Prince of all Cosmos. This prince wields a tiny ball known as a katamari. As he pushes his katamri, he runs over anything smaller than the ball, and said object is absorbed into the katamri which becomes bigger. Unlike most games where you control a character (i.e. every game ever), you do not control the katamari with the left stick. Instead, you use the left and right sticks in conjunction just like you would an RC car. Both sticks forward, you go straight forward. Push the left stick and ease up on the right, you turn right, so on and so forth. You are then given a time limit to make your katamari a certain size. Once you reach this size, you beat the level and move on to the next one.
Occasionally, you reach constellation levels. In these levels, the completion criteria change up a bit. For example, when you’re making Cancer, you have to roll up as many crabs as you can. If you make Gemini, you roll up as many twins as you can.
This is all you do for the entire game. No special power ups, no fighting, nada. That’s where the beauty lies. You see, Keita Takahasha, the game’s director, wanted the game to be simple, and rolling the katamari to be intrinsically fun. He nailed that part. The ball feels wonderful to roll. When it starts small, you move quickly and can easily change your direction, almost like you’re rolling a marble or ping-pong ball. As it get’s bigger and bigger though, it get’s heavier and heavier until it’s difficult to make turns. First it feels like a softball, then a basketball, then a bowling ball, then a bolder, etcetera and etcetera. It is so incredibly satisfying to feel the weight increase and the controls are so intuitive, I could roll around and pick things up for hours without getting bored. This speaks volumes to the game. If the simple act of controlling a ball can keep someone occupied for hours, you have something special.
(The Katamri in roughly the same place at three different sizes. This is all in one sitting within 20 minutes!)
Level Design:
In Katamri Damacy, there are 3 stages that they use for 20 or so levels. The objects that you can pick up in each stage alter from stage to stage but the layout is always the same. This can be seen as laziness and I don’t blame you if you view it as such, but if they reuse the same maps, the player gets a chance to learn each one intricitely, and when the challenges get tougher, they don’t have to relearn a stage.
3 stages is a bit few however. I think they could have added one or two more and it wouldn’t overwhelm the player too much. It is a pretty easy game afterall.
The amount of objects is incredibly impressive for a PS2 game. Yes, each individual object is pretty low-poly but it’s still pretty neat that literal hundreds of models can come together and in one stage with no noticable stuttering is amazing. There are even enough different kinds of objects to keep things from getting repetitive. Huge props to this team.
Music:
Oh boy that music. I’m no music major, so I’ve really had to think about why the music sounds so fun. The conclusion I’ve come to is the vocals, the upbeat tempos, and the bouncy melodies. In every single track, you can hear the energy behind the singers and I can’t help but smile at it. The wacky beats match perfectly with the wacky environments and I can’t get enough of it. For some examples of what I’m talking about. Here are the two main songs, “Katamari on the Rocks” and “Katamari Mambo”.
If I had one gripe with the music, it’s the amount of it. The main two songs you hear are the ones above, and while they are super fun to listen to, I wish there were more. There are plenty of songs in the OST that I can’t remember ever hearing in the main campaign. To sum it up, the music is really fun but there isn’t enough there.
Story:
Just like everything else in this acid trip of a game, the story is over the top, unbelievable, and so charming. The massive king of all cosmos (who is coincedentally, the prince’s father) got drunk one night and knocked every star and the moon out of the sky. He then sends his regrettably tiny son to earth. There, he must grow his katamri, and hang it in the sky as a star. Simultaneously, a young brother and sister go to watch their father’s space launch, but the launch is cancelled because the moon is gone.
It’s nothing special but it is goofy and doesn’t overstay its welcome so I’m perfectly fine with it. The story is comparable to that of a Super Mario Bros. game. It’s a loose thread to connect the gameplay and that’s all. The difference between Katamari and Mario is that Katamari has some effort put into it.
Graphics:
Boy does this game look good. The style is both pleasing and resourseful. Bright colors and basic geometry is the name of the game here. The world is clear-cut, the colors blend nicely, and nothing is ever harsh. Again, it’s oddly comparable to a Mario game. It is visually bubbly and fun and everything is clear as day.
I’d also like to mention how ingenius this style is for the game. The game has to render dozens of objects at once, so the geometry is kept very minimal. Instead of letting this hinder the visuals, the developers enhanced them by creating characters and environments identically sharp and minimal. I will never not appreciate people turning limitations into something enjoyable.
Conclusion:
I think this game deserves the title of masterpiece. Not once did I find myself bored or drudging through levels, and I credit that to the core gameplay. Keita Takahasha crafted every little piece of this game with so much love and it shows. Anyone can sit down and enjoy this one for a few minutes, or even hours and will leave satisfied. If you haven’t already, I suggest you go give it a try. I’ve attached the steam link to the bottom of this article.
Well that's all for today. Make sure you leave your opinions on the game, as well as my article if you feel so led. I hope you guys aren't hating these yet. Next on my list is Kingdom Hearts for the PS2! I've got a lot to say about that one. It's Disney so of course I loved it.... right? Well you'll have to wait and see. Also, make sure you re-check my Metroid Prime article. Thanks for reading this far and see you next time.
(Buy Katamri Damacy on Steam)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/848350/Katamari_Damacy_REROLL/
Last edited by Nerdtendo,
