Review: We Love Katamari (PS2)

Achieving critical success, as well as being nominated for no fewer than six BAFTA awards (although criminally failing to win any), We Love Katamari is yet another of a long line of games adored by the video games press, but largely ignored by the games-buying public. Why?

Maybe it's because Namco have taken the old adage "if it's not broken, don't fix it" to heart for this sequel to 2004's Katamari Damacy. The gameplay at the centre of We Love Katamari remains the same as that of its predecessor. Instead, Namco have simply provided more - more levels, more goals. Not that this lack of innovation will trouble many European players; the first game was never released in this region, so aside from the importing minority, most players will be coming to the gameplay for the first time.

So if the lack of a significant evolution in gameplay between old and new isn't deterring potential Katamari players, what is? Perhaps it's the gameplay itself? There are no footballs to kick, no cars to race, nary a platform to leap onto and no criminal acts to be committed. On top of that indignity, there isn't even any swearing. What Namco have provided instead is a masterpiece of level design, involving the simplest of all concepts - pushing a ball around. But not just any ball, oh no, this is a katamari. A katamari can pick things up; only small things at first, but as you pick up small things and your katamari expands, you can pick up bigger things and it won't be long until you're rolling up animals, people, cars and even houses. The katamari is controlled using a combination of both thumbsticks, mastery of which is the key to in-game success. Whilst it takes just a few moments to learn the controls in the well-crafted tutorial level, plenty of practice is needed to become the doyen of katamari rolling.

So, how does the game justify rolling everything up? Surprisingly, not to destroy the world, as picking up everything in a ball would seem to imply, but as a means to helping people. Following the events of the last game, the King of the Cosmos has become a something of a celebrity on Earth. Consequently, his fans are queuing up to ask for all kinds of katamari-based assistance, from cleaning an untidy room as quickly as possible, to collecting enough fireflies at night to create a reading light. Of course, the King is beyond this sort of thing, so he dispatches his son, the Prince, to do the dirty work once again.

We Love Katamari's levels initially appear quite simple. It's relatively easy to meet the requirements to complete many of the levels; however, if this is all you achieve, the fans will be disappointed with the size or speed with which you completed your katamari and they will challenge you to do better. These repeated plays of each level to improve performance reveal the nuances of the superb level design. Areas are found that can not be accessed if your katamari is too big or small; picking up large items too soon will make your katamari lopsided and more difficult to roll. Learning the layout of each level and being able to navigate the numerous slopes and walkways is essential to rolling the best katamari possible in the quickest time. But we're not just rolling for size this time: objectives range from collecting all of a certain item, to making a sumo wrestler fatter, to rolling a katamari of the correct diameter with no size guide.

One of the greatest achievements of We Love Katamari's gameplay is that it is totally accessible. The game's concept is so simple anyone can understand it; there are no complicated control schemes and no objectionable content, meaning the game can be enjoyed by anyone, be it novice or crafty veteran. What's more, the game has the all important "one more go" factor; you'll always want to go back to try a new route or explore the new area you just found, or simply just to roll a better katamari.

So the gameplay is excellent. Maybe it's We Love Katamari's irrepressible sense of style that people don't like? The visuals and graphics are both unique, but to Gamestyle's mind this is something that should be applauded and not condemned. The soundtrack features some of the catchiest and most memorable tunes yet to grace the soundtrack of any game and stand head and shoulders above the latest EA Trax. The visuals are surreal to say the least and employ a kaleidoscope of colours with Monty Pythonesque humour running through the game's cut scenes. The graphics are perhaps the ultimate summation of just how individual and unique We Love Katamari is.

Sadly, providing more of the same rather than remedying the few flaws found in Katamari Damacy means some niggles remain. The camera still struggles at times and the two-player mode remains little more than tacked-on afterthought to boost sales and never sparkles to the same degree as the solo game. But minor gripes aside, there is simply no good reason not to buy We Love Katamari, unless you're too shallow to see past the simple gameplay or unique visual style. This is a title that no self-respecting gamer should be without. Ingenious and designed with the sort of wild creative flair that most developers can only dream of possessing, Gamestyle loves Katamari. You should too.

Rating: 9 / 10

Words by Andy Lucas