I got it as a present and both Karen and I are enjoying it very much.
Yes, in many ways, it's "more Katamari", but that's usually a good thing: more kickass tunes, more things to roll up, more King of the Cosmos.
It's also different enough from the HD-era Katamari games where, in my opinion, the Katamari fatigue started to set in. The 360 and PS3 games just seemed to reuse the levels and ideas of the two PS2 games, but in HD. They didn't feel inspired.
And while, yes, stuff from past games are back, like the underwater level in which you have to avoid being fished out, or a level where you have to roll someone around to get them fat, there are more new twists I haven't seen before, like "roll up philosophers in Ancient Greece to force them to hang out with Socrates" (complete with famous quotes popping up on screen when you roll up Pythagoras or Archimedes) or rolling up tumbleweeds in the Far West while dealing with heavy winds.
The new settings are the main new thing and showcase new items and fun characters. The caricatures are very funny, and somehow it all feels wholesome, whether it's a cowboy asking you to roll up drinks so you can party, or someone asking you to tidy up an ancient Japan tea house before a tea ceremony.
I'm also enjoying the additional challenges in the game: finding 3 crowns, and rolling up a given number of items. I don't think this stuff was in previous games? Anyway, they add replayability as it's fairly unlikely you'll S-rank a stage, find the Cousin and the Present, AND find the three crowns in one go.
Speaking of the Cousins, I find some of them a bit more inspired than in previous games. Usually, they just looked like weird versions of the Prince, or had a bowl of soup for a head. Never felt the urge to switch characters then. But when I found Cousin Clip-Clop in the Far West, who looks like two dudes in a horse costume, I pretty much knew I'd play as him for the rest of the game. |
