We ♥ Katamari
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[edit] Story
We Love Katamari's story is that after the events of the first game, The King of All Cosmos has grown very popular and has a legion of fans, you play as the Prince or his Cousins constantly any and all requests made by fans.
A second parallel story follows the King's past, showing the events that he tends to ramble about during loading screens in more detail. This story is told entirely though cutscenes with no dialog, but can easily be understood by the actions of the characters.
As a child, the King was trained by his father, the Former King of All Cosmos, who wanted him to become a top competitor. However, when the King (then the Prince) came in second place during a boxing match, his father tossed the trophy into the river. This sparked unease between the two.
While walking home one day, the King had his hair cut off during a knife fight, which he won despite having no weapons. Walking away, he bumped into his future Queen, who he instantly fell in love with. One day, while thinking about her, Papa became angry after finding out his son was in love, which resulted in a fight where the King punched his father. However, Papa simply got up and walked off after this, and stopped fighting with his son.
One day, the King peeked into his father's room to see his trophy sitting on a desk, with Papa looking at it with pride. Bursting into the room in tears, the King apologized and bowed to his father, who patted his head and smiled.
Not long after, the King introduced the Queen to Papa, who approved of her. They spent time together, having fun, until one day when Papa fell ill. Asking his son to come in, Papa tossed the crown to him, making him the new King. His head dropping dramatically, it looked as if Papa had died, but he was only sleeping. The Queen soon had a son, the Prince. Proud of his child, the King announced that his son would be as strong as the Sun.
[edit] Gameplay
The Gameplay of the original Katamari Damacy is kept fairly intact, with some innovative new additions. However, the core concepts and controls are basically the same, but with some revisions and expansions. The game is played mainly though the use of the dual analog sticks of the DualShock controller. Each one controls one half of the Katamari, like a tank. Pushing them together makes the katamari move forward, while pushing in different directions will turn the Katamari. The main purpose of beating the game is to roll up as many objects as possible in the Katamari, making it as large as possible. However, there are also stages where speed is more important than size.
Added to the game series' normal quirks and eccentricities is the expansion on the concept of theme-based levels. While certain stages focus on collecting specific items, some stages now have even more unusual goals, such as pushing a flaming Katamari to light a campfire, or collecting 1 million roses.
Two player mode has been expanded to include Cooperative mode, while Battle mode has had some cosmetic changes, as well as a more random style. Cooperative mode allows two players to roll a Katamari together in a team effort. Doing so requires coordination and communication between both players. Cooperative is available on all regular stages. Battle mode now takes place in the three in-game locations, rather than in a special battle arena. One of two battle modes is randomly picked at the start of the stage; one version has players collect the most of a specific item, while the other has one player try to hold on to a single item though the level (a la "capture the flag").
We Love Katamari's controls have been made more responsive and forgiving than its predecessor. It is easier to Quick Turn and slow a Katamari than in the first game, and rolling over large objects, i.e. up stairs or over a wall, is less likely to break items free of your Katamari. The Speed Dash is also easier to charge up. Notable, players who have played We Love Katamari before Katamari Damacy have stated that the earlier game is far harder simply due to the controls requiring more skill and practice to get used to.
[edit] Info
| Developer(s) | Namco, Now Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Namco, Electronic Arts |
| Compatible System(s) | |
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Release Date(s) |
Japan- July 6, 2005 South Korea- July 26, 2005 North America- September 25, 2005 Europe- February 2, 2006 Australasia- February 6, 2006 |
| Rating(s) |
CERO: A KMRB: All ESRB: E PEGI: 3+ OFLC: G |
| Rating Content | Fantasy Violence |
[edit] Reception
We Love Katamari was generally well received by critics, often stating it as being an improvement over Katamari Damacy. While maintaining the feel of the original, it expanded on many concepts and introduced new ones, as well as bringing an even larger, more detailed and highly explorative world.
