Namco has recently released I Love Katamari [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch through the iTunes App Store.
I Love Katamari for the iPhone is the fourth installment in the Katamari Damacy series of puzzle games. The series, which is spread across various platforms (PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, and iPhone), involves rolling a magical, highly adhesive ball called a katamari around various locations, collecting increasingly larger objects. It sounds bizarre–and it is–but the series has received high praise from reviewers and collected a cult following of gamers.
As the story goes in this iPhone release,
The King of All Cosmos has accidentally knocked all the stars out of the sky during a crazy night out. It is up to the pint-sized Prince to put the twinkle back in the heavens in i Love Katamari. i Love Katamari delivers an experience only possible on the iPhone.
Have a look at a gameplay video of the PS2’s Katamari Damacy which is similar to the iPhone version:
The game features several play modes: Story Mode (find and roll-up the King’s requested object), Time Attack Mode (roll up as much as possible in a limited time), Exact Size Challenge Mode (match exactly a requested katamari size), and Eternal Mode (roll at your own pace without any time or size limit).
I Love Katamari has been rather well received by our readers, but some accurately note that as the katamari increases in size, the framerate of the game dips to a rather low level, making for sluggish gameplay. And, frankly, this iPhone installment is somewhat graphically bland as compared to the earlier console versions. But unique gamplay it does offer–in droves.
Hopefully the performance issues will be addressed in future updates.
App Store Link: I Love Katamari, $7.99
