by forweg
from , , | Jun 2, 2007 |
Back in September of 2004, Namco released a quirky, low budget game called Katamari Damacy. The game was not expected to tear up the sales charts in North America and was released at the budget price of $20. You roll around a ball and have to get a bunch of stuff stuck to your ball as quickly as possible. Not exactly something that would seem to be successful in America.
However, those who purchased on release discovered simple yet wonderfully fun and addictive gameplay, bizarre humour, surreal visuals, and an eclectic and catchy soundtrack. Word of mouth spread and Katamari Damacy became an unexpected sleeper hit. Now, one year later, a sequel has been released called We Love Katamari (Everybody Loves Katamari Damacy in Japan). Could WLK possibly reach the high bar set by the original? Nope, it far exceeds it.
Story
This time around we follow the tragic childhood of the King Of All Cosmos. We discover the king had a harsh and abusive father. It hardly needs mentioning that this is presented in a purely non-serious, humorous fashion. The cutscenes include chopped off pompadours, a boxing rabbit, and red pandas. Yep, it's all just as weird and random as in KD. That's a good thing in my book.
And yes, the intro is just as stoned out as KD's.
Gameplay
You still roll a katamari around and collect as much junk as possible in a limited amount of time. The controls are basically the same as well. Namco knows not to fix what isn't broken.
WLK feels every bit as fun and fresh as the original. There simply are not enough original and unique games being made like this one. Maybe when there are a thousand other "roll a ball around and collect stuff" games I'll complain. I certainly won't be doing so any time soon.
This time around the stages are larger and more numerous, the locations are more varied, and the goals are more diverse. Many stages are hyper and crazy like in KD, but some are calm or even beautiful. It feels nice rolling up fireflies on a peaceful night or rolling up flowers in a beautiful paradise. Mix in goofy stages like controlling a sumo wrestler who has to eat as much food as possible before his bout, and WLK hardly ever gets old.
The 23 cousins from the first game return and are joined by 17 new cousins for a total of 40. You can now use them all in the single player mode, which is especially nice considering how awesomely designed they all are.
The presents return as well, and there are many, many, many more than in KD. Like the cousins, they are bizarre yet neat looking. Also like the cousins, some of the presents can be very challenging to find without help.
Passing the minimum requirement on each stage usually isn't difficult, but the king will scold you if you only get the minimum. Retrying the stages and getting the king's full approval can be quite challenging. So, in a certain sense, WLK has different difficulty levels for different players.
The dreaded "getting stuck" glitch has also thankfully been fixed.
Music and Sound
We Love Katamari does does something I didn't think was possible. It tops KD's soundtrack. While KD's soundtrack may be catchier, WLK's has more diversity and is more suitable to repeated listening.
Combining jazz, swing, J-Pop, electronic, rock, dance, and even some elements of rap, WLK easily has one of the most outstanding video game soundtracks I've ever heard. KD had variety, but WLK completely trumps it in that regard.
If you've played Katamari Damacy, you should know what to expect from the sound effects. Animals and people convincingly scream in terror (or in some cases, are delighted) when rolled up. Everything sounds like it should. The Punks still make that "din duh duh duh din din din din" sound. Oh, I love those punks.
Graphics
The graphics are fairly improved from KD but still retain the same strange art style. Objects look less blocky and have smoother edges. The graphical improvement is noticeable but not drastic, which I think is perfect.
The Cosmos is much prettier than before, too.
Length/Replay Value
WLK is a few hours longer than KD and there are many, many more unlockables.
The replay value in Katamari games is almost infinite. You can spend hours upon hours trying to complete your item collection or you can keep on trying to beat your high scores on each stage. Most of the stages in WLK also have a second goal and some even have three goals.
There are no eternal levels in We Love Katamari. However, there are four completely new bonus stages. I'd rather have four bonus stages than have eternal levels on stages I've already been through.
If you liked Katamari Damacy, buying We Love Katamari is a must. It is an improvement in every way. If you haven't played KD, WLK would be a great place to start the series. It'll be one of the most exceptional gaming experiences you've ever had. |
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