Keita Takahashi made the right move in separating himself from Katamari Damacy. More of a good thing isn’t always what the world needs. Game sequels are, in principle, about improving on a solid foundation, molding an imperfect idea into something that is greater than its predecessor. Katamari Damacy was pretty much perfect on the first try and Takahashi knew that trying to bottle that lightning in a follow-up would end in failure. He did end up working on the first sequel, We Love Katamari, but he did it for the fans, not because he thought he could make a better game. Namco went ahead and made two more Takahashi-less Katamari games. They were not what you’d call great. Katamari Damacy Tribute, however, looks very promising.
Colorful cel-shading in place of Damacy’s usual subdued pastels is a nice start. Remixed classic Katamari tunes is even better. Most exciting though is the premise of this entry being a tribute to the original, and not an attempt to reinvent the wheel. When you have a game that’s more or less perfect as is, and you want to keep making money off it, the best thing you can do is just remake it with a nice graphical overhaul and some decent extra content. This is what is known as “The Nintendo Strategy”. Even without Takahashi on board, I have a good feeling about this one.
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