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Sunday 13 January, 2008
GAMEPLAY
Upon playing the game further after a brief break, I noticed that the expanse of the newer levels in the game was practically limitless. As the levels progressed, the required size of the Katamari increased, even up to 30m (which is a lot in comparison to the 15m sized trees and buildings). I enjoyed this discovery as I was soon able to pick up almost anything in the entire play.
The challenges of the game began to present themselves in unique ways as I progressed through the game as well. In order to gather enough items to increase in size, I had to discover new areas which also required me to get to a certain size. This allowed for a refreshing gaming experience as I began to grow tired of picking up the seemingly endless spread of small fruits and vegetables.
DESIGN
For design, I chose to focus on the graphics of the game and particularly how they affected the overall level design in the game as well as how they increased the replay value of the game. I also noticed an interesting and clever graphical inclusion in the game that made me appreciate the detail that went in to the creation of the game. As you reach certain increments of size (such as every 10cm or every 1m) the screen blurs and you grow. However, even prior to these landmarks, as you begin to pick up items you slowly notice things getting very subtly smaller and smaller. At first I didn't notice this, but upon the realization, my like for the game, as well as my appreciation for its uniqueness increased.
In relation to the graphics, I found that the level design, though sometimes frustrating (as you could get stuck behind fences for seemingly forever), added to the overall "replayability" of the game. Even once you reached the assigned size, you are still allowed to explore the level for as long as your remaining time allows. This made my desire to complete the task within a short time period increase as I really wanted to explore the world roll over many new items. Even after you complete a level, you can try it again and try to get to a bigger size than you did the previous try. This made me enjoy playing the game and somewhat look past its overall brevity (as you could beat it in one sitting).
Though the story of the game seemed somewhat tacked on, I felt (since it in no way hindered or contributed to the gameplay) it was still tolerable (and often quite funny as the crazy king developed the storyline)
Overall, I felt this game was very fun and unique. Whereas most games might suffer from a weak storyline (as the one in this game) Katamari's simplicity allowed me to look past that an feel as though I was playing an arcade game that I would use all my quarters on. The replay factor was high and the controls, though initially difficult to figure out, became increasingly intuitive and helped strengthen the already high uniqueness of the game.
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