#32: Katamari Damacy

Katamari Damacy is a bizarre and fantastic game.  In it, you control a prince of the cosmos who's less than an inch tall.  The prince rolls around a ball (Katamari) that sticks to whatever it rolls over.  So, if you're in a child's room, you might roll up some candy and some small toys.  Rolling up the smaller junk makes your Katamari larger which in turn makes your Katamari able to roll up larger junk.  It's a simple concept that turns to addiction once you master the controls.

You need to have a little bit of a vengeance streak to truly enjoy Katamari Damacy.  There's nothing quite like being tormented and attacked by a cat one minute and then growing large enough to have it stuck on the edge of your Katamari the next.  Stupid cat.

The game progresses through regular home environments until you get large enough to start taking out towns.  The final level of any Katamari Damacy game involves starting off in one of those small houses and progressively collecting the whole freaking planet.  It's always a triumph to beat a Katamari game, because you're literally the king of the world.

Katamari Damacy's mood and setting is pure lunacy.  Your dad will insult you for no reason.  The town will have elephants on trampolines.  The colors are vibrant, like a child's 1st grade art project.

What makes Katamari Damacy the closest to crazy is its music.  The music is always matched to the level's setting.  You'll have triumphant music when your Katamari's large and serene music when your Katamari's submerged in water.  Its collection of Japanese pop songs starts off annoying, but end up becoming stuck in your head at the most inopportune times.  I had the theme song in my head for days after I beat it.  That just made me want to play the game more.

The game's repetitive nature ended up being its greatest strength.  Who knew that collecting garbage into a ball could be so enjoyable?