This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Eric Dayday.

Last year, Namco scored a surprise hit with Katamari Damacy. Actually, surprise hit might be an understatement. Who would’ve thought that a game with a decidedly Japanese flavor, very artistic and minimalist graphics, a nonsensical story, and featured overly simplistic gameplay that had you rolling anything and everything in sight using just the two analog sticks would appeal to us Americans? Well, apparently it struck most of us as entertaining and now Namco has rolled out (pun intended) We Love Katamari for us to experience it all over again. So is it fresh enough to pick up or is it just more of the same? That depends on what exactly it is you’re looking for in the sequel.

Almost everything you know and love from the original Katamari Damacy returns in We Love Katamari, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view. Since this is the good section, we’ll focus on the good.

The graphics return unscathed. That means plenty of angular models and blocky-headed characters – they remind me of a bit of those Little People toddler toys. Of course, without those designs, we couldn’t call this a Katamari game. It’s that design and artistic styling that gives this game its own distinct personality, and WLK is bursting at the seams with personality.

Along with the graphics, the humor carries over as well. The King of All Cosmos still speaks in the plural first person, in-game characters crack jokes about being rolled up, and the Prince, whom you control, continues to be belittled about his diminutive size. But, don’t worry, those that do will get what’s coming to them after they’re rolled up in a ball the size of a two-story house.

The story also carries a lot of the humor, though calling it a “story” is stretching it. Try as hard as they could to make any sense as to why the Prince is rolling stuff up, it’s still not a story. In the first one, the King of All Cosmos “accidentally” destroys all the stars in the sky (in the Japanese version, it’s alluded to that the King destroyed them while on a drunken bender) and the Prince has to fix his father’s mistake by rolling things up to put into the sky. This time around, Namco breaks the “fourth wall” and all the characters are fans of the game and they all ask the King for different kinds of favors that all end up with the Prince having to roll the katamari. Again, it’s a weak attempt, but why let that bother you when all you really want to do is roll, roll, roll.

Gameplay remains largely unchanged as well. Controlling the katamari is like driving a tank – up on both sticks moves you forward, down moves you back, both to the right is right, etc. The only new addition is the prince look. The old royal look, in which the Prince will fly high in the air to allow you a great look at your surroundings, is still present, but with the new prince look, he’ll jump on top of the katamari and give you a closer view of what is in your general vicinity. This view is a lot better for checking out what is directly around whereas the royal look is great for planning which future areas to tackle next.

Single-player gameplay may be almost identical to the first KD, but two player is where everything changes. The two-player vs. mode, in which the winner is determined by who rolls the biggest katamari or whoever gets rolled up, is back. But, the biggest innovation is two-player co-op. In this multiplayer mode, each player is responsible for pushing one side of the katamari – P1 gets the left half, P2 gets the right half. The only way to be successful in this mode is to communicate since you can only move forward if both of you hold up, etc. If you don’t then all I can say is good luck trying to turn the way you want. Also, good luck trying not to get into an argument with your partner when attempting this mode.

While We Love Katamari shares a lot with its predecessor, it outshines the original in the number of levels and cousins you can find scattered throughout. Whereas Katamari Damacy featured three levels that expanded as you progressed, We Love Katamari features quite a few more than three. Though the house to city progression still exists, at least it’s a different house and city. In addition to that, you’ll find yourself rolling underwater, within the clouds, along a race track, and even in outer space. And this time, when you start rolling up the world, it really feels like you’re rolling up the world. In KD, the world consisted of the main city, a new port city, a raised metropolis, and a few island towns. This time Namco added in some worldly landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the Arc de Triumph, and the Great Wall of China to make it feel like you were swallowing up the globe. It isn’t geographically correct, but the fact that they added them in there is awesome.

Just like in the first game, each stage hides a cousin and a present, though this time there is more than one cousin in some of the stages. Cousins are nothing more than a different skin for whoever is rolling the katamari, but it’s nice to have the option to change that up every once in a while. With over 30 cousins to find, it’ll definitely eat up some time. As an added bonus, finding all the cousins opens up a new level. Presents are also just cosmetic changes to your avatar, though this time, up to three accessories can be equipped – one on the head, back, and waist.

The soundtrack remains just as off the wall as the rest of the game. Lots of j-pop and lounge-type songs fill up the soundtrack. Unfortunately, it isn’t as catchy as the first game’s soundtrack. In fact, my personal favorites from WLK are arrangements and variations on KD’s “na-na-nana” theme.

There isn’t anything ostensibly bad about this game. The only hang ups anyone could possibly have with it are that it’s more of the same. It’s true that the sequel doesn’t deviate much from the old formula – there may be new stages, but objectives are still the same – but that’s what fans fell in love with and that’s what the fan’s wanted more of.

One other thing is that WLK is horribly short. You could get the “ending” in a couple of hours. That said, however, there is no true ending as the main goal to roll a bigger katamari or roll it to a certain size as fast as possible. In that sense, the game is more like a shooter or a puzzle game where the objective is to beat the high score.

And though this really isn’t a negative pertaining to the game’s overall score, it is good to know that We Love Katamari retails for $29.99, ten dollars more than the original was when it came out last November.

We Love Katamari is a great game - it’s simple and fun and that’s all fans really need and expect from it. Fans of the first game no doubt already have it in their grasp. If you’re new to the game, be warned that while you may not warm up to the game’s peculiar humor and style, the joy and satisfaction of clumping up random objects into a huge rolling ball is universal.

The gameplay is very simple and there is just something so refreshing about rolling up junk.

It won’t appeal to everyone, but the chunky colorful graphics fit with the game’s general theme

The soundtrack isn’t catchy like the first game’s, but it’s still good. Sound effects are funny

You would think rolling up stuff would be boring, but then you would be wrong.

Story is short, but you’re not playing it for the story. Your goal is making a bigger katamari.