ULTIMATE GUIDE
KATMARI DAMACY
THE GENIUS OF DESIGNER KEITA TAKAHASHI SHINES IN 2004’S KATAMARI DAMACY, ONE OF MANY DELIGHTFULLY LEFT-FIELD JAPANESE RELEASES FOR THE PLAYSTATION 2. NAMCO WOULD GO ON TO CHURN OUT SEQUEL AFTER SEQUEL, BUT TAKAHASHI’S JOYOUSLY UPBEAT ORIGINAL REMAINS UNBEATABLE
WORDS BY LEWIS PACKWOOD
» [PlayStation 2] He might look rather regal, but the King Of All Cosmos is lazy, leaving his son to clean up the mess that he’s made.
» [PlayStation 2] Sure, it’s heavily compressed, but this wacky cinematic intro effortlessly captures the sheer silliness of the theme tune that accompanies it.
It’s difficult to imagine a major games publisher putting out something as strange and wonderful as Katamari Damacy today. With development costs locked in an ever-upwards exponential spiral, publishers are more risk averse than ever, more likely to double down on existing, proven successes than take a punt on something new. Leave that to the indie darlings with little to lose.
But things were different in the days of the PlayStation 2. With development costs still relatively low, big publishers were more willing to take a chance on experimental or niche games within the budget or mid-price range. The huge success of the PS2 helped: with so many consoles in people’s homes, even the strangest title could find an audience, and Japanese publishers kept them well supplied. Koei published the cult hit rhythm action game Gitaroo Man. Sony put out the strange tale of Mr Mosquito. Capcom explored existential dread with Gregory Horror Show. And Namco released one of the most joyfully unhinged games of all time: Katamari Damacy.
The set up couldn’t be simpler. You have a sticky ball called a Katamari, and the aim is to use it to gather up as many objects as you can within the time limit. You can only pick up objects that are smaller than the Katamari, but as you attach more and more things to the ball, it gets bigger and bigger, and you can roll up larger and larger stuff. This is the core appeal of Katamari Damacy, a combination of catharsis and excess.
KEEP ROLLING, ROLLING HERE ARE FIVE TIPS FOR A HAPPY KATAMARI LIFE
LINGER AT THE START
Usually the starting area is stuffed with small objects that will stick to your tiny Katamari, but the objects tend to get bigger further on, and thus act as obstacles to your little ball.
Hoover up as much stuff as you can to grow your ball before moving on.
KEEP MOVING
Starting and stopping your Katamari is a slow process, so it’s best to keep moving at all times rather than dilly-dallying along the way to nab every last trinket. Keep rolling – any items you miss can be nabbed the next time you roll around.
FLIP THOSE TURNS
If you’re heading towards a wall or obstacle, do a quick turn by pressing L3 and R3 simultaneously, which will cause the Prince to hop over the Katamari and face the opposite direction. It’s much quicker than slowing down and rotating the Prince around the ball.
BOOST JUDICIOUSLY
The boost move involves waggling the sticks, which more often than not means you’ll accidentally point the Katamari the wrong way and end up colliding with something and losing objects. Save the boost for big, open areas or when your Katamari gets stuck.
LOOK AND JUMP