Review: Noby Noby Boy (PS3)

Part of the initial attraction stems from the fact that the creator of Noby is Keita Takahashi, who has been previously responsible for the wonderful Katamari Damacy series. Fans of the Katamari titles will already know to expect the unexpected from Takahashi-san and Noby certainly lives up to that billing. ‘Noby’ roughly translated mean stretch and that’s the whole purchase of this unique experience. Note Gamestyle hesitates to use the word ‘game’ here, as arguably Noby is too lightweight and devoid of elements to represent a game as such. This is reflected in the price point; as for around £3 you can purchase the full thing. Really, it wouldn’t look out of place as a novel mini-game in a full Katamari release but on the PlayStation 3 it seems little more than a technical demonstration for the possibilities offerd by the Sixaxis controller.

The story for what it is concerns your BOY character, who has the ability to stretch himself to huge proportions. You can cause havoc across several randomly generated maps that feature the distinctive style of Katamari. These are home to various objects and individuals who roam about constantly and don’t seem to mind the annoyance of having BOY battering them or restricting their freedom to move. However these child-like areas are very confined and players will have to be wary of falling off. The ultimate aim is to stretch yourself and then your size translates into points. These points can then be submitted to the Sun character and accumulated. Sun actually gazes down upon the world in which you reside, watching over you. The purpose of the points soon becomes apparent as they are passed onto GIRL, who will then stretch herself. Yes, it is pure Katamari madness!

The importance of GIRL is that as she grows out from the Earth, she will eventually reach the moon and them move onto other planets in the system. So the aim is to keep on growing and unlock new environments on new planets once reached. Via the menu you can see how the journey is going and what players have managed to create huge BOY lengths. Whether or not you wish to keep repeating the stretch game play to achieve such goals is really down to you. For Gamestyle we’ve enjoyed Flower and even Linger In Shadows, but Noby Noby Boy is more of a gimmick and a short lived one at that. You may tend to drop into it now and again for a quick blast but little more.

Thankfully the game does offer online support and this is where that stretching accumulation comes into its own. The journey to the moon and beyond is an extremely long one, so online users are effectively working as a team to achieve such a goal. This community spirit is also supported through the inclusion of a screenshot mode (the pictures with this review are our very own) and the option to record videos, including a You Tube format. After all Noby Noby Boy is very much about experimentation and seeing what can happen. Trophies are also included but the actions to unlock these are hidden, so again you just have to push the boundaries in search of silverware.

The control scheme is a little confused at first and certainly takes some practice to enable the full range of movements that BOY offers. The controller is effectively split down the middle, with the left and right sides corresponding to the front and back of BOY. You can also control the camera through motion or even zoom out to the planet overhead. Referring to the manual is a must for your first few attempts, otherwise you will roam around in a state of shock at what you’ve purchased.

Visually this is no blockbuster and certainly lacks the download polish of Flower and other releases of late. Yet that’s Katamari, which has always been childish and colourful. The soundtrack is however very disappointing. Perhaps it will expand once we reach new areas and the only way to see what Takahashi-san has in store for us is to get involved.

Noby Noby Boy is a title that will really divide gamers. With a little more work and tangible elements this could have been a really fun and unique experience. In this format despite its aspirations, Noby lacks the charm and community of LittleBigPlanet. Given the recent releases of the PSN Store this is one we cannot recommend to anyone apart from fans of the series.

Rating: 4 / 10

Words by Jason Julier