Touch My Katamari Takes a Page from the Muppet Movie (Hands-On)
By:
Andre Segers
|
January 20, 2012, 12:01 pm

We were invited to San Francisco this week to go hands-on with a bunch of Namco’s upcoming games, and among them was a little Vita title by the name of Touch My Katamari.

Sure, most of us are familiar with the series, but there’s little doubt its allure isn’t quite what it once was. Which is what makes the game’s story in this new installment so brilliant. The ever-present ruler, King of the Cosmos, has realized he’s not quite as popular as he once was, and he sends his son, the Prince, to win the approval of his subjects by, what else? That’s right, rolling gigantic balls. It’s actually quite similar to last year’s Muppet movie, where the muppets’ quest to win back their fans wasn’t just relegated to the narrative of the movie.
 
Like the previous games in the series, you control the Prince, whose goal is to roll a ball throughout each level sucking up everything smaller than it in its path, which increases the ball’s size, and thus the amount of things it can collect (PeeWee Herman would love it!). To illustrate, your ball actually starts off relatively tiny, and thus anything larger than it, say a car, is a barrier. However, if you increase the ball’s size by rolling it over many smaller objects, such as toys, plants, or even small animals (sorry cat!), it’ll soon grow large enough to absorb the car too...then trees...then houses...you get the picture. Typically, you have to grow your ball large enough within a set time in order to satisfy the King’s subjects and win their approval.
 
Of course, the game carries over the classic dual-stick controls of most of its predecessors, while retaining the simpler single-control stick option from the PSP version (which new fans will appreciate). However, there’s also a third option, which allows you to roll the ball simply by scrolling your finger over it on the touchscreen. It’s not very precise, but it’s a fun control method to try out.
 
The touchscreen actually plays a much larger role though, in the form of changing the shape of your ball. In a series first, you can now squish or flatten your ball simply by simply “pinching” or “stretching” it using two fingers on either the touchscreen or the rear panel. When squished, your ball will be able to fit down narrow corridors, whereas it’ll be able to fit underneath low barriers--as well collect smaller objects more quickly--while flat. Though a small touch, it goes a long way to making Touch My Katamari feel unique from the rest of the series.
 
True to the series heritage, the presentation is very simple, but extremely endearing. The technically obsolete and simple environments are a delightfully stark contrast to the more “realistic” Vita games we’ve seen, and places the game’s emphases squarely where it should rest: on the gameplay. The script is equally charming, with the King even telling me about an option to skip his dialogue, just before warning me to never do so as “it’s rude,” and that he “doesn’t even know why the option exists.” I actually laughed out loud at this, which is rare for a videogame.
 
Based on what I saw, Touch My Katamari is a solid addition to this cherished, if slightly tired franchise. And while it may not quite win back all of the King’s original fans, at the bargain price of $29.99, he’ll surely earn himself some new ones. Look for this one to reach US stores on Feb 22nd.
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