Flower Child
This stage was pretty straightforward, littered with bushes containing dozens of flowers. There's also a pit in the center of the field that contains a small pond full of water plants. By the end of the three minutes, we had collected about 1,000 roses, posies, and various other flowers (along with a few fairies and gnomes). When time ran out, the King summoned us back to him. He debated which room of his home he should display this lovely katamari in before ending the demo.
By plugging in a second controller, we could also play the new co-op mode. The assumption would be that in a Katamari co-op mode, two players would control separate spheres in a split-screen mode as you both collect stuff. That's not the case, though -- this mode requires true cooperation. Both players control the same katamari, with each person's dual analog sticks functioning as one of the sticks would in the single-player game. That is to say, if you want to roll forward, both the first and second player need to push their analog sticks up. To turn right, player one pushes his sticks up while player two pushes his down.
And what better way to say, "I love you" than with the gift of a flowery katamari?
The Buddy System
It sounds a bit confusing, and if you're playing with someone who's new to Katamari, it will be. However, if you're playing with a skilled Katamari pro, you'll be surprised at how instinctive this mode becomes. Sure, you'll have to talk to each other as you play in order to plan out where you want to go, but it's awfully satisfying during those moments when nobody says a word and you end up doing well because you're both so into the game that you're thinking alike. Still, there are handy icons at the bottom of the screen showing which direction each of the four analog sticks are being pushed, so there's always a bit of visual reference. Since this mode can be a little more challenging, we were given five minutes each to complete the two stages in co-op.
Musically, the demo featured three new songs during the two stages (they seemed to change up depending on which character we chose). One was a mellow tune that had a Bj¿rk-type sound to it. Then, there was an exceptionally catchy J-pop song. The finally selection was a new rendition of the main theme from the first game, "Katamari on the Rocks," which was half-sung and half-yelled out. It was certainly odd, but quite catchy in its own right. The demo's title screen also featured random songs from the original game as sung by animals like dogs, cats, and ducks. From the sound of things, We Love Katamari will feature a soundtrack as odd and original as Damacy.
Sadly, the demo is pretty short, but it did help us get our Katamari fix for now. It did, however, leave us hungry for more, like a round, rolling appetizer that picks up everything in its path. Hopefully, Namco will get some more levels to play soon. We're especially looking forward to trying out the Vs. mode, which is supposedly getting a sizable upgrade from the barebones mode in the first title. C'mon, Namco, we have lots more love to give!
