Latest news with #Katamari
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
to a T review – surrealism and empathy from the maker of Katamari Damacy
Having your arms stuck in a permeant T-pose leads to a wonderfully surreal narrative adventure, in this new indie treat from Katamari creator Keita Takahashi. Keita Takahashi seems to be a very nice man. We met him back in 2018, and liked him immensely, but we're genuinely surprise he's still working in the games industry. He rose to fame with the first two Katamari Damacy games but after leaving Bandai Namco his assertion that he wanted to leave gaming behind and design playgrounds for children seemed like a much more obvious career path, for someone that absolutely doesn't want to be stuck making sequels or generic action games. That's certainly not been his fate and while titles like Noby Noby Boy and Wattam were wonderfully weird and inventive they weren't the breakout hits that his bank balance probably needed. His latest refusal to toe the line probably isn't destined to make him a billionaire either, but we're sure that was never the point of to a T. Instead, this is just a relentlessly sweet and charming game about the evils of bullying and the benefits of being nice to people. It's frequently surreal and ridiculous, but also capable of being serious, and somewhat dark, when it feels the need. Which given all the signing giraffes is quite some accomplishment. The game casts you as a young schoolkid whose arms are permanently stuck in a T-pose, with both stretched out 90° from his torso. If you're waiting for an explanation as to why then we're afraid we can't tell you, because your character (who you can customise and name as you see fit, along with his dog) doesn't know either. You find out eventually and the answer is… nothing you would expect. This has all been going on for a while before the game starts, as you're by now well used to sidling through doors and getting your dog to help you dress. You're also regularly bullied at school, which makes it obvious that being stuck like this is just a metaphor for any difference or peculiarity in real-life. Although the specific situations in to a T are fantastical, including the fact that the Japanese village you live in is also populated by anthropomorphic animals (most notably a cadre of food-obsessed giraffes), its take on bullying is surprisingly nuanced and well written. There're also some fun songs that are repeated just enough to become unavoidable earworms. The problem is that as well meaning as all this is, there's no core gameplay element to make it a compelling video game. You can wander around talking to people, and a lot of what they say can be interesting and/or charmingly silly, but that's all you're doing. The game describes itself as a 'narrative adventure' and that's very accurate, but what results is the sort of barely interactive experience that makes a Telltale game seem like Doom by comparison. There are some short little mini-games, like cleaning your teeth and eating breakfast, but the only goal beyond just triggering story sequences is collecting coins that you can spend on new outfits. This is gamified quite a bit when you realise your arms give you the ability to glide short distances, but it's still very basic stuff. One chapter also lets you play as your dog, trying to solve an array of simple puzzles and engaging in very basic platforming, but while this is more interactive than the normal chapters it's still not really much fun in its own right. More Trending Everything is all very charming – the cartoonish visuals are reminiscent of a slightly more realistic looking Wattam – but none of it really amounts to very much. The overall message is about getting on with people no matter their differences, but while that doesn't necessarily come across as trite it's also not really the sort of thing you need a £15 video game, with zero replayability, to tell you about. It also doesn't help that the game can be quite frustrating to play through, making it hard to know what you're supposed to do next, or where you're meant to be going. The lack of camera controls means it's hard to act on that information even if you do know what destination you're aiming for, either because the screen is too zoomed in, something's blocking your view, or you keep getting confused because the perspective changes. As with Wattam, we don't feel entirely comfortable criticising the game for its failings. We'll take a game trying to do something new and interesting over a workmanlike sequel any day of the week – whether it succeeds or not – but there's so little to the experience it's hard to imagine this fitting anyone to a T. In Short: Charming, silly, and occasionally profound but Keita Takahashi's latest lacks the gameplay hook of Katamari Damacy, even if it is surprisingly well written. Pros: Wonderfully and unashamedly bizarre, from the premise on down. A great script, that touches on some dark subjects, and charming visuals and music. Cons: There's very little gameplay involved and what there is, is either very simple or awkward to control. Barely five hours long, with no replayability. Score: 6/10 Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: £15.49Publisher: Annapurna InteractiveDeveloper: uvulaRelease Date: 28th May 2025 Age Rating: 7 Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Elden Ring Nightreign is From's worst-rated game in years but it is a hit on Steam MORE: Hell Is Us hands-on preview: 'AAA games are so bloody bland' MORE: Cyberpunk 2 release date narrowed down as production ramps up
The Verge
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Let's get this ball rolling.
The next game from Katamari creator Keita Takahashi launches very soon — To a T hits the PS5, Xbox, and PC on May 28th — but you can check it out early with this new Steam demo. I'm still not entirely sure what the game, which stars a kid stuck in a t-pose, is actually about, and this interview with Takahashi in Wired only has me more confused.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The first new Katamari game in years is coming to Apple Arcade in April
Our favorite kleptomaniac prince is back. There's a new Katamari Damacy game coming to Apple Arcade on April 3. Katamari Damacy Rolling Live is being developed by franchise steward Bandai Namco and, as the name suggests, brings those familiar rolling gameplay mechanics to iOS devices, Mac computers and Apple TV. The Apple Arcade exclusive doesn't look all that dissimilar to previous entries. You play as the prince, rolling up objects until they grow large enough to become stars. It's Katamari. The big difference here is the plot. The old games typically had you creating stars for the noble purpose of rebuilding the galaxy. This time, the stars are created for the benefit of the king's burgeoning career as a livestreamer. That's right. Successful runs boost the king's 'subscriber count' and this leads to positive comments from in-game fans. Once the viewership reaches a certain threshold, you unlock new stages. That's a fairly odd twist, but it's not as if anyone plays Katamari for the plot. You play for the satisfaction of rolling over stuff to get bigger. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Apple promises a 'captivating soundtrack that blends different genres.' It'll be tough to beat the OG soundtrack, which is one of the all-time greats, but we'll just have to wait and see. It's been around eight years since we've had any new Katamari game and around a decade since we've had a good one. Bandai Namco did release a remaster of the original title back in 2018 and the sequel in 2023. This isn't the only Apple Arcade news today. The platform announced an update to the well-received Skate City: New York that brings 30 new levels and 90 new objectives. It'll be available on March 27. There's also a new Space Invaders game coming on April 3.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Beloved PS2 Series Might Be Getting First New Game in 14 Years
It looks like a popular PS2 series is set to make a return with a new game, if a trademark application by its publisher is anything to go by. Bandai Namco Entertainment is no stranger to 'leaking' its own games by filing trademark applications shortly before announcements. This time, it looks set to announce something called Once Upon a Katamari. The Katamari series, which debuted in 2004, has been revived for modern consoles. However, it hasn't received a new entry in 14 years since 2011's PS Vita exclusive, Touch My Katamari. According to Gematsu, Bandai Namco filed a trademark application for Once Upon a Katamari and something called Gekishin Squadra on February 27 and February 14, respectively. Once Upon a Katamari was trademarked in Europe whereas Gekishin Squadra was trademarked in both Europe and the United States, indicating Western releases. At the moment, it's unclear if Touch My Katamari is a new game or not, but we can't think of any other possibilities. We've already received remastered versions of the classics, so we're leaning towards Touch My Katamari being a PS5 game. As for what Gekishin Squadra is, your guess is as good as ours. Gematsu pointed out that 'Gekishin' is not a Dragon Ball-specific term despite being used by the franchise before. We'll keep an eye out for more information and keep our readers posted. The post Beloved PS2 Series Might Be Getting First New Game in 14 Years appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
