It’s difficult to imagine a major games publisher putting out something as strange and wonderful as Katamari Damacy today. With development costs locked in an ever-upwards exponential spiral, publishers are more risk averse than ever, more likely to double down on existing, proven successes than take a punt on something new. Leave that to the indie darlings with little to lose.
But things were different in the days of the PlayStation 2. With development costs still relatively low, big publishers were more willing to take a chance on experimental or niche games within the budget or mid-price range. The huge success of the PS2 helped: with so many consoles in people’s homes, even the strangest title could find an audience, and Japanese publishers kept them well supplied. Koei published the cult hit rhythm action game Gitaroo Man. Sony put out the strange tale of Mr Mosquito. Capcom explored existential dread with Gregory Horror Show. And Namco released one of the most joyfully unhinged games of all time: Katamari Damacy.
The set up couldn’t be simpler. You have a sticky ball called a Katamari, and the aim is to use it to gather up as many objects as you can within the time limit. You can only pick up objects that are smaller than the Katamari, but as you attach more and more things to the ball, it gets bigger and bigger, and you can roll up larger and larger stuff. This is the core appeal of Katamari Damacy, a combination of catharsis and excess.
At the very start, your tiny ball is only bigfrom level to level, with pesky cats soon getting their comeuppance, then humans, then elephants. By the end of the game, you’ll be rolling up continents. Catharsis and excess. Take that, Earth.
