The Timeless Charm of Katamari Damacy

In a series of guest editorials on GamesIndustry.biz, developers share their appreciation for each other's work. This piece is contributed by Sigtrap co-founders Gary Lloyd and Luke Thompson, who recently launched Under Cover on Meta Quest. Katamari Damacy has been a favorite of mine since its release, and my admiration for it has only grown stronger as I became a game developer. Let's take a step back to 2004, when the PlayStation 2 and Xbox were in their prime. The gaming industry was witnessing significant advancements in technology, with games becoming increasingly complex, realistic, and immersive. Studios were eager to leverage these advancements to create impressive experiences. That year saw the release of iconic titles like Doom 3, Fable, Far Cry, GTA: San Andreas, Halo 2, World of Warcraft, and Half-Life 2, among others. Meanwhile, a team of developers at Namco in Japan was working on a unique game called Katamari Damacy. Unlike other games of the time, it didn't boast groundbreaking graphics or complex gameplay mechanics. Despite this, the game's designer, Keita Takahashi, faced challenges in pitching the game to Namco's executives. As a game developer and studio co-founder, I can relate to the difficulties of pitching unconventional ideas to profit-driven executives. I can almost imagine the conversation between Takahashi and the executives: Executive: "What's the game about?" Developer: "You control a small character who rolls a ball around various environments." Executive: "What's the objective?" Developer: "The ball grows as you roll it, and the level ends when it reaches a certain size." Executive: "And then?" Developer: "The next level starts, and you roll an even bigger ball, until you're rolling a ball the size of the planet." Executive: "Is that it?" Developer: "Yes, and the goal is to please your father, the King of All Cosmos." In all seriousness, Takahashi's courage to pitch this idea during a time when the industry was focused on complex, graphically intensive games is truly legendary. Having seen the game from both a player's and developer's perspective, I have immense admiration for the developers who created Katamari Damacy and the executives who greenlit the project. The game is a refreshing, absurd, and humorous experience with unique gameplay mechanics that are easy to learn but challenging to master. The straightforward graphics perfectly complement the game's wacky humor, making it a brilliant and entertaining experience. In 2019, I co-founded Exit Plan Games with Damien Monnier, and our debut title, Bang-on Balls: Chronicles, was heavily inspired by Katamari Damacy. The game development industry is often driven by trends, and companies tend to play it safe by following established formulas rather than taking risks on new, original ideas. However, there are still developers like Takahashi who dare to be different, and their contributions to the industry are invaluable. Fortunately, there are also gamers who appreciate and support these unique games, and they may one day become part of game development history themselves.