We Love Katamari[lower-alpha 2] is a 2005 puzzle-action video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to the 2004 sleeper hitKatamari Damacy. The player controls a diminutive character named the Prince as he rolls around an adhesive ball called a "katamari" to collect increasingly larger objects, ranging from coins to pencils to buildings, in order to build stars as ordered by his father, the King of All Cosmos.
Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi opposed the idea of a sequel as he believed the video game industry's focus on sequels was detrimental to employee creativity. He agreed to direct We Love Katamari when Namco executives stated they would continue development with or without his input. The game was given a larger budget and staff compared to the original, with Takahashi leading a team of 30 employees to create it. We Love Katamari is themed around fanservice as a response to the significant support from fans for Katamari Damacy. Takahashi mandated that it needed to retain the spirit of its predecessor while also feeling new and fresh at the same time.
Critics enjoyed We Love Katamari for keeping the style of Katamari Damacy intact, such as its unique gameplay, heavily-stylized visuals, and soundtrack. Its new additions, such as multiplayer modes and additional level objectives, were also met with praise. Some believed the game did not feel like the creative leap of the original, and its new ideas did not change much overall. It was the only other Katamari game to have involvement from Takahashi, and was followed by Me & My Katamari later that year.
In We Love Katamari, the player controls the Prince, the 5-centimeter-tall son of the god-like entity the King of All Cosmos, who rolls around a "katamari", a magical ball that causes objects smaller than it to attach to it.[3][4][5] The player moves the Prince throughout each level, collecting objects in order to fulfill objectives set by his father. Collecting a certain number of objects causes the katamari to grow in size, allowing it to pick up larger objects that couldn't be rolled up earlier. Objects range from household objects like coins, pencils, and dice, to larger ones like buildings, mountains, and clouds. If the katamari collides with a moving object or a wall, objects attached to the katamari will fall off and decrease its size. Rolling against a wall allows the player katamari to "climb" it in order to reach higher areas.[3]
We Love Katamari differs from its predecessor in its level design. The standard game mode is "Make A Star", where the katamari must grow to a specific size as determined by the King.[3] New game modes include making the katamari as big as possible with a limited number of objects, rolling up snow to create the head of a snowman, collecting children and delivering them to a school,[6] and using a sumo wrestler to roll over food items to gain body mass.[6][7] Completing missions unlocks an alternative version of the level that features a new objective.[7] In most missions, players can find a cousin of the Prince which, when rolled up, can be selected as a playable character. There are also items known as "royal presents" that unlock clothing that the Prince and his cousins can wear. A cooperative two-player mode is available, where each player controls half of the katamari and must work together to roll up objects, as well as a "Battle" mode where players compete against each other to roll up more objects than their opponent.[3]
Plot
The first story in the game is a self-referential story of how the King of All Cosmos is reacting to the unexpected success of Katamari Damacy. After completing his goal to recreate the stars in the sky, the King of All Cosmos was surprised to discover that he had many fans down on Earth. King of All Cosmos seeks to help fulfill the wishes of his fans—with the help of his son and his son's cousins, who again travel Earth, rolling things into a Katamari.
The second story tells the life of the King of All Cosmos before becoming King. His father always pushed his son to go further and punished the future King whenever he failed a task. In his early life, he was a boxer. After losing first place in a boxing tournament, the Emperor throws his son's second-place trophy into the river out of disappointment. At some undisclosed time, after an argument concerning a strawberry shortcake, the future King runs away from home and gets into fights with street punks who in one altercation slice off the front of his pompadour haircut. The dejected future king bumps into a woman and they fall in love at first sight.
The future King's father lectures. In frustration and anger, the son lashes out, knocking his father to the ground. The king walks away without any further dispute, confusing the future king. Later that evening, the future king spies his father deep in thought, staring at the second-place boxing trophy. Recalling the incident from his childhood, and imagining his father fishing the trophy back out of the river, he realizes the love underlying his father's stern exterior all these years. He bursts into the room, crying, and kneels before his father to beg forgiveness. The father places a hand on his son's head and supports the future King's relationship with his future wife. After this reconciliation, all is well between the Emperor, the son, and his fiancée. But soon afterward, the Emperor falls ill. The Emperor crowns his son as the new King of All Cosmos and collapses shortly after.
At a later undisclosed time, the King is now a grown man, pacing back and forth in a waiting room. Suddenly, he hears the sound of a baby crying in the delivery room, as he rushes to investigate, and a nurse appears from a doorway to call him. Later, the King and the Queen are then shown happily looking down at their son, the Prince of All Cosmos, newly born and wrapped in a blanket, the character that the player controls during the game.
Namco announced We Love Katamari in April 2005.[8] It was demonstrated at that year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), where it gained favorable reception from attendees.[9] Takahashi opposed the idea of creating a sequel to Katamari Damacy, as it was his belief the industry relied heavily on sequels that limited creativity and what developers could implement into their games.[10] Namco already began work on a follow-up to Katamari in the form of a Christmas-themed version of the original, without involvement from Takahashi.[10] When he discovered the project's existence, executives stated development of the sequel would continue with or without his input. In response, Takahashi agreed to direct the sequel, tentatively titled Katamari Damacy 2.[11]
Takahashi chose to theme the sequel around supplying fan service as a response to the significant support from fans for the original Katamari Damacy.[12] This stemmed from Takahashi's gripe towards defining games with traditional methods, such as displaying product descriptions on the front of its cover art.[12] The development team chose to name the sequel We Love Katamari in reference to this concept, as well as the level structure focusing around taking requests from fictional fans.[12] Takahashi noted that such concepts would have been impossible to implement in Katamari Damacy due to it being an original project.[12]We Love Katamari was designed at a larger scale compared to the first game, and possessed a larger development team of 30 people.[12] Takahashi mandated that it had to keep the spirit of Katamari Damacy while feeling new at the same time.[12]
Like the first game, We Love Katamari rarely attempts realism, focusing heavily on characters and environments that are heavily stylized and bizarre in nature.[12] This absurdity carried over to the story, which Takahashi wrote as being a self-referential story about the characters knowing and talking about them being in a game.[12] The multiplayer modes were originally created for Katamari Damacy, but had to be cut due to time constraints. Takahashi and the development staff created these modes as it encouraged teamwork and gave players a sense of accomplishment.[12]
Release
The game was released in Japan on July 7, 2005 as Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy (Everyone Loves Katamari Damacy);[13][12] its cover art, featuring the development team cheering outside Namco's head office in Yaguchi, Ōta,[14] was created to further emphasize its centering around fanservice.[12] It was released in North America on September 20, 2005, and in Europe on February 2, 2006; the European release was published by Electronic Arts.[15]Namco Bandai Games re-released the game in Japan on June 8, 2006 under the PlayStation 2 The Best budget title line.[16]
Developed by Monkeycraft, a remaster of We Love Katamari, titled We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie, was released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Windows, Xbox One and Series X/S, on June 2, 2023. The remaster supports high-definition resolutions and other quality of life improvements.[17][18]
We Love Katamari was met with positive reception upon release. Metacritic gave it 86 out of 100.[19] It sold over 116,000 copies in Japan by the end of 2005.[31]The Sydney Morning Herald praised the game, stating that "the way the scale changes seamlessly is incredibly cunning with areas becoming accessible and later off-limits again according to the size of your flotsam-encrusted orb".[25]The Times gave it a favorable review and stated that "what's most important about We Love Katamari is that it represents a move in which Electronic Arts, the world's biggest games publisher, has been prepared to release a title that is new, entertaining, and ultimately original".[15]
Both GamePro and Game Informer praised the co-op mode introduced into the game, noting that it took some getting used to, but that the game was just as polished and fun as the single-player mode.[6][4]GameSpot also noted that the co-op can take some getting used to, but can be a great acquired taste.[7]IGN on the contrary, was more critical regarding co-op and stated that it didn't work well at all.[5]
The music was also received positively among critics. Game Informer noted that the music was just as artsy as its predecessor and found dogs barking the theme song brilliant.[6]GameSpy had similar comments stating that the music was just as cool as its predecessor but with more production values implemented into it. They further appreciated the ability to select their preferred song.[22]Eurogamer thought the music was better than its predecessor and noted that songs previously introduced being re-recorded with a wider range of vocals and the addition of classical pieces[20]GameSpot noted that unlike its predecessor, the music of the game is less focused on catchiness and moves into a more experimental direction.[7]X-Play found it to be one of the best out there although considered it to be inferior to its predecessor.[24]
Although the game was received positively overall, some reviews critique specific aspects of the game. Eurogamer noted at the mechanics aren't perfect, criticizing the imbalance in difficulty between levels.[20]IGN was critical of the gameplay and stated it wasn't as appealing as the first game. IGN further elaborated that they expected more creative changes to the gameplay.[5]GameSpot criticized the versus mode for having only three stages, making it have little replay value.[7]X-Play noted that the game didn't offer enough advancements from its predecessor.[24]
↑ Stylized as We ♥️ Katamari. Known in Japan as Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy (みんな大好き塊魂, Minna Daisuki Katamari Damashii, Everyone Loves Katamari Damacy).
Related Research Articles
Katamari Damacy is a third-person puzzle-action video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2. It was released in Japan in March 2004 and later in North America in September. Designer Keita Takahashi struggled to pitch the game to Namco's superiors, eventually seeking student aid from the Namco Digital Hollywood Game Laboratory to develop the project for less than US$ 1 million. As director, Takahashi emphasized concepts of novelty, ease of understanding, and enjoyment.
Taiko: Drum Master, also known as Taiko no Tatsujin: Taiko Drum Master in Japan, is a rhythm game developed and published by Namco for the Sony PlayStation 2 as part of the popular Japanese video game franchise Taiko no Tatsujin. It was released in North America in 2004, and Japan in 2005.
Klonoa is a platform video game series created by Namco in 1997. It stars Klonoa, an anthropomorphic creature who explores dream worlds. The series includes two main games: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (1997) for the PlayStation and Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (2001) for the PlayStation 2. A remake of Door to Phantomile was released for the Wii in 2008, and remasters of both games were released in 2022. The series also includes a set of handheld games released between 1999 and 2002 for the WonderSwan and Game Boy Advance.
Pac-Attack, also known as Pac-Panic, is a 1993 falling-tile puzzle video game developed and published by Namco for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. Versions for the Game Boy, Game Gear and Philips CD-i were also released. The player is tasked with clearing out blocks and ghosts without them stacking to the top of the playfield — blocks can be cleared by matching them in horizontal rows, while ghosts can be cleared by placing down a Pac-Man piece that can eat them. It is the first game in the Pac-Man series to be released exclusively for home platforms.
The King of All Cosmos is a character from the Katamari video game series. Created by video game developer Keita Takahashi, he first appears in the 2004 video game Katamari Damacy and is presented as a colossal-sized, god-like monarch who rules over the cosmos, which encompasses all the stars and planets in the sky. In the Katamari series, the King of All Cosmos instructs the franchise's player character, the Prince, to collect and roll up assortments of objects using a ball called a katamari until they are large enough to become celestial bodies. The character has had recurring appearances in the Katamari video game series as a major supporting character, as well as a number of crossover appearances. The King of All Cosmos is generally well received by critics and players, and is often cited as one of the most memorable or influential characters in the history of the video game industry.
Keita Takahashi is a Japanese game designer and artist, his most notable titles being Katamari Damacy and its sequel, We Love Katamari. The original Katamari game was a surprise hit and was praised for its quirkiness, originality, and charm. Takahashi is married to pianist and composer Asuka Sakai, who has worked with Takahashi on various projects.
Me & My Katamari is a 2005 third-person puzzle-action video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third game in the Katamari series, the first game on a portable system and the first game produced without the involvement of series creator Keita Takahashi. It is also the last Katamari game to be published by Namco as an independent company, having merged with Bandai earlier in 2005.
Yuu Miyake is a Japanese composer and sound engineer who formerly worked at Bandai Namco Entertainment. His most known work surfaced with Katamari Damacy soundtracks, on which he served as a sound director. Other notable works include various tracks in the Tekken and Ridge Racer series.
Beautiful Katamari, released in Japan as Beautiful Katamari Damacy, is a video game by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360. Beautiful Katamari is the fourth game in the Katamari series of games following Katamari Damacy, We Love Katamari, and Me & My Katamari.
Katamari Damacy Mobile was a video game developed by Namco Bandai Games for the Mitsubishi P904i series of mobile phones for NTT Docomo. It was released in June 2007 in Japan. It is a spin-off of the Katamari Damacy series, the second game on a handheld game console and the third game produced without the involvement of series creator Keita Takahashi.
I Love Katamari was a third-person puzzle-action video game developed by Namco Bandai Games for iOS. It is a continuation of the Katamari Damacy series of games. It was released worldwide in the App Store on December 14, 2008. A Windows Phone 7 version of the game was released in 2010. The version for Android was released in 2012 exclusively for Samsung Android devices. In this game, the King of All Cosmos instructs the game's protagonist – the Prince – to gather as many objects as possible to grow a highly adhesive ball called a Katamari large enough so that he can pick up special objects to bring to the King so that he can regain his memory.
Mr. Driller W is a 2009 puzzle video game developed and published for the WiiWare service by Namco Bandai Games. The eighth entry in the Mr. Driller series, gameplay revolves around clearing each level by destroying, or "drilling", large formations of colorful blocks. Players have an oxygen meter that acts as a time limit, and constantly depletes; air is replenished by collecting air capsules, and is depleted further by destroying brown "X" blocks.
Katamari Forever, known in Japan as Katamari Damacy Tribute, is a video game in the Katamari series. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 console in Japan on July 23, 2009, and in September for North America, Europe, and Australia.
Muscle March, known in Japan as Muscle Kōshinkyoku, is an action game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Wii through the WiiWare service. It was released in Japan in 2009, and in North America and the PAL region in 2010. Players control one of seven different bodybuilders and try to catch a thief that has stolen their bodybuilding friends' tub of protein powder. Its gameplay is similar to Hole In The Wall, where players use the Wiimote and Nunchuck to perform specific bodybuilder poses to pass through corresponding holes in walls left by the thief.
Katamari Damacy is a third-person puzzle-action video game that was published and developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The success of the game led to the release of six sequels in Japan and other territories: We Love Katamari, Me & My Katamari, Beautiful Katamari, Katamari Damacy Mobile, I Love Katamari, and Katamari Forever. It also inspired a spin-off game, Korogashi Puzzle Katamari Damacy.
Katamari is a Japanese video game franchise created by Keita Takahashi and developed and published by Namco. The series puts players in control of a young character called The Prince as he assists his father, the King of All Cosmos, in the re-creation of stars and planets by using a ball called a katamari to roll up objects. The first title in the series was Katamari Damacy for the PlayStation 2, which became a cult classic and led to several sequels and spin-offs.
Katamari Amore was a third-person puzzle-action video game published and developed by Namco Bandai Games for iOS. The game was revealed in a pre-release state at E3 2011, and was released to the public on September 29. Katamari Amore is the second game of the Katamari franchise to be released on iOS, and it featured Game Center integration.
Touch My Katamari, known in Japan as Katamari Damacy No-Vita, is a video game in the Katamari series. It was developed by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Vita and was released as a launch game in Japan on December 17, 2011 and in Europe and North America on February 22, 2012.
Cosmo Gang the Puzzle is a 1992 falling block puzzle arcade video game developed and published by Namco worldwide. The third game in its Cosmo Gang series, succeeding that year's Cosmo Gang the Video, players stack groups of blocks and aliens known as Jammers in a vertical-oriented well. The objective is to clear as many objects on the screen before they reach the top of the screen. Blocks are cleared by aligning them into complete horizontal rows, while Jammers are cleared by defeating them with blue-colored spheres.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is a 2022 Klonoa video game compilation developed by Monkey Craft and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It features remasters of the platform games Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (1997), originally released on PlayStation, and Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (2001), originally released on PlayStation 2. The remaster of Door to Phantomile is built from its 2008 Wii remake developed by Paon.
↑ "みんな大好き塊魂"[We Love Katamari]. www.katamaridamacy.jp (in Japanese). Namco Bandai Games. 2009. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
↑ "2005年ゲームソフト年間売上TOP300" [2005 Game Software Annual Sales Top 300]. Famitsū Gēmu Hakusho 2006ファミ通ゲーム白書2006[Famitsu Game Whitebook 2006] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Enterbrain. 2006. Archived from the original on January 27, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
