Close, but no cigar
Though not a commercial success, the series of Katamari games (by Bandai Namco) have proven popular. However, there has been a demand by some for a PC version/port/equivalent. Dejobaan Games have decided to try for this slot. Unfortunately, it's not quite up there with the Katamari games just yet.
Gameplay
First off, instead of rolling a katamari bigger, you walk into stuff to absorb them (though the guy you play is supposedly just a puppet being controlled by the red haired girl you see around the game). Other than that, the gameplay is fairly similar to Katamari. Absorb stuff to get bigger to absorb bigger stuff. However, the gameplay has quite a few flaws. The collision detection is the biggest issue I have with this game. The game doesn't give you enough space sometimes to get through places which you CAN get through, but there's something rotating near it which rebounds you, even though you're not touching it. This can prove very frustrating. This is enhanced further with the camera. The camera angles in this game can be a little confusing. There have also been many occasions where the whole character has filled the screen and I couldn't see where I was going. Finally, some levels are very easy with plenty of small objects to absorb, while others have barely any so you wander round trying to find some. The difficulty curve is more like a circle as the levels don't generally follow on in difficulty.
Soundtrack
The in-game music isn't brilliant, but is bearable. It's certainly not the j-pop you get in Katamari games. However, the song on the menus in the game (singing about "the wonderful end of the world") is very catchy, much like the famous "Katamari on the Rocks" from Katamari Damacy.
Overall:
Not a bad game, but not brilliant. If you can't get any of the Katamari games, then give this a go. Otherwise, stick with the professionals at Namco Bandai.
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