by [name redacted]

Originally published by Next Generation.

Katamari Damacy ends with the player roaming the Earth, ripping up all of its nations and rolling them into a ball. Hard to follow up on that.

The sequel is, therefore, the exact same game as the first. It had to be, really; that’s how sequels work. You capitalize on the investment of the first game by recycling your work and cashing in on the good will the first game bought you. The curious detail is that this sequel knows what it is; it was made with knowledge of the first game, and of the success of that game – for without that success, there would have been no sequel. And more to the point, it was made knowing just what people expect in a sequel.

In Japan, the game is called “Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy” — or “Everybody Loves Katamari Damacy”. This is a lucid observation. The game loved, and it was loved — by pretty much everyone, all the more for how odd it was. Katamari Damacy became one of those games you show people who don’t play videogames, to show you why you bother.

So the game has about as much good will as you can get. The only question is, how can it spend it? Katamari Damacy does everything it sets out to do. At the end, you’ve got the point. You’ve grown as far as you can grow. You’ve seen the result of your actions, both whimsical and sad. The only logical next step, then, is sideways.

If people want more of the same, far be it for Keita Takahashi to deny them. That’s not his way; his stated mission in life is to “make people smile.” The sequel, therefore, is all about pleasing fans of Katamari Damacy. Literally, that is the object of the game. The people of Earth sketch out their dream scenarios: what if the Prince were let loose in school, or in a gingerbread house? The King leans back, devours his newfound attention, and sets the player to his task. The end result is a more varied and interesting set of goals than in the previous game.

Katamari Damacy‘s real glory is in its levels: if you just want a fun game, it is that. If you need more to think about, the gameplay also gives you that. It gives everyone the chance to pull meaning from it as she likes. It’s smart and it’s poignant and it’s silly and it’s just plain bizarre. More than anything, it’s honest. We ♥ Katamari is just as honest. It does its job as a sequel, and it does its job about as well as it can spiritually. The more you know to look for, the more you will find. And if you look deep enough, just maybe you will learn something about the nature of success.

Or maybe you’ll just enjoy rolling a ball around.

We ♥ Katamari from Namco is due for release on PS2 this October.