Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Developed and Published by: Namco

And you thought the Wario Ware Inc. games were weird! Well, think again, my friend. Katamari Damacy is one of the most bizarre games I have played in recent years, chock full of that distinctly wacky Japanese flavour that makes me wonder, how the hell did this game made, much less get released in North America? It also makes me wonder what kind of crack they are smoking overseas. Still, I am so glad that Katamari Damacy made it to our shores because original games are becoming fewer and fewer nowadays and it’s so refreshing to play a game with this level of creativity and intuitive gameplay. With all the first person shooters, racing sims and sweeping cinematic RPGs on the market, it’s easy to forget that video games started off as primarily abstract and quirky playthings rather than super serious, ultra-realistic models of real-life. Katamari Damacy is a feast for the senses and the nonsensical content invites you to turn off your mind and jump headfirst into the weirdness. So just do it, man.

In Japanese, a “katamari” is a cluster or bundle, and this term defines the entire gameplay experience quite well. You are a Prince, son of the King of All Cosmos. Your father has “accidentally” deleted all the stars in the sky, and has left it to you to clean up his mess. It seems that by travelling to Earth and rolling up all kinds of Earth objects into an enormous katamari, the stars and constellations can be replaced bit by bit. (Don’t think too hard about it, you might hurt yourself.) And so, this is the gist of the game: you, the Prince, roll around a giant ball of… stuff, absorbing as much of each level as you can until the size of the ball has reached your goal. Sounds ridiculously simple right? But so simple that you wouldn’t even want to bother playing? Hey I’m not done yet.

There is a little more to it — but not much. You have a time limit in which to roll up your joint… uh, I mean katamari. Objects within each level vary in size, and you can only absorb an object once your katamari is big enough to roll over it. If you roll into an object that is a lot bigger than you, you will get knocked back and pieces may actually fall off your katamari. Certain areas of each level will be blocked off to you until your ball is big enough to roll through the obstacles in your way. Now, it’s not just inanimate objects lying around, there are also living creatures like spiders, rats, dogs and cats… all of which can eventually be absorbed, but until they are, they will be scurrying around and getting in your way.

Although I have a penchant for weird and quirky games in general, Katamari Damacy won me over in a matter of seconds. It’s kind of like Marble Madness meets Tetris, but it’s more than that. Part of the appeal is the fact that the game is so simple (the only controls you really need are the two analog sticks) and yet it is strangely addictive. The other thing that makes this game so compelling is the wacky atmosphere and level design.

Katamari Damacy is surreal beyond words. The graphics are not overly detailed, and with the amount of objects on screen you can’t really expect them to be. But they’ve turned the somewhat blocky look of the objects and creatures into a quirky visual theme that really works.

There are little cut scenes in between levels that will have you laughing and wondering what the hell you are watching. The King’s demeaning dialogue and odd commentary on the game also amused the hell out of me. I can’t tell if the dialogue was translated poorly from Japanese or if it is just weird on purpose, but either way, it’s a lot of fun.

The amazing soundtrack is the icing on the cake, consisting of bouncy and off-the-wall Japanese electro-pop music. I must find the Japanese import CD of this.

For added replay value, there is also a head to head 2 player mode of the game, plus a number of hidden gifts and bonuses associated with collecting all of the different objects in a level.

Although Japanese games seem to be losing economic power in the game market right now, this game shows why we still desperately need their influence and sensibilities around. The Japanese have a knack for creative game design — they are thinking with a completely different side of their brains, and when it all clicks the results are brilliant and universally accessible. It’s stuff like this that makes the best argument for video games as an art form — nevermind all the Grand Theft Auto style games that are just knocking off the aesthetics of movies.

Trust me, don’t be put off by the strange title, packaging and seemingly mundane concept. Katamari Damacy is one game you simply must play. For the low price of $30 Canadian it’s hard to resist… I would recommend renting it at the very least. You’ll be hooked in no time. — Sean