Katamari (series)
| Katamari | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Third-person puzzle-action |
| Developers | Bandai Namco |
| Publishers | Bandai Namco |
| Creators | Keita Takahashi |
| Original release | Katamari Damacy – 2004 |
The Katamari (塊?, lit. "Mass" or "Cluster") series is a video game franchise created by Keita Takahashi and developed and published by Namco (and subsequently Bandai Namco Entertainment). The series puts players in control of a character called The Prince as he uses 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.
In most games, players typically control the player character The Prince as he is ordered to do various tasks by the King of All Cosmos; for example, in the first title, the King binge drinks and inadvertently destroys all of the stars in the cosmos, to which The Prince is now tasked with fixing. To do this, The Prince uses an object called a katamari, which can roll up certain objects, depending on the Katamari's relative size to them. Players typically control the katamari using two analog sticks; players move forward and backward by pushing the analog sticks in that direction simultaneously. They can turn the katamari by pushing only one stick in the desired direction or pushing the sticks in opposite directions to do so faster.(Often described as 'tank controls') Players may also do a 180 turn that causes the Prince to jump on the other side of the Katamari typically by pressing the two sticks down into the controller. Players may cause the katamari to roll at high speeds typically by rapidly moving the two sticks in opposite directions back and forth. Players may also cause The Prince to jump and get a better look at the world by pressing L1. More recently, players are given the ability called the "Prince Hop" as well as look at the world in the first person.
Before each level, the King will often go on a nonsensical rant to The Prince, and refers to himself in the first person plural. In most levels, players are presented with a specific size that they must reach as well as a time that they must reach it by. As the katamari collects more objects, it becomes larger, as demonstrated by a size chart on its HUD. In earlier levels, players are given a katamari similar to the Prince's size, which allows him to only roll up small objects such as tacks and ants. Later levels allow the katamari to grow much larger to the point where it can roll up buildings and clouds. As it becomes larger, the katamari is then able to pick up larger objects. Living creatures will sometimes attack the katamari if it is smaller than them; once it becomes a certain size, they will often attempt to flee from it. If the katamari is only barely able to pick a living creature up, they will be knocked away; if they are not rolled up in time, they will escape. If players are attacked or crash, the katamari will sometimes lose items. If players roll up a long, slender object such as a pencil, it will sometimes poke outwards and cause the katamari to roll awkwardly until more objects are rolled up. In more recent games, players can hit a glowing pillar that causes all items close to the katamari that are small enough to be sucked into it.
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