Mr. Lemming
Member
The December 2004 issue of Game Developer has a post-mortem of Katamari written by game director, Keita Takahashi. These articles are my favorite part of the magazine and this one is no different. The origins of Katamari are discussed, along with the rationale behind several design decisions. Yu Miyake, the sound director, also discusses the music behind the game. Apparently that is him humming on the title screen.
Things that went right:
Researching Scale
No Powerups
Controlling the Rolling
Peaceful, Easy Feeling
Audible Experience
Things that went Wrong:
Tipping the scale
Falling Apart
The Camera and the Queasy
Not Getting Oblong
Time Limits
"We are living in a strange world when I see that this "half-baked idea" is being praised as something totally new. I'm not trying to be humble, but it would be great if the favorable reviews of this game motivated other people to create something new, without focusing on the bottom line for once."
Things that went right:
Researching Scale
No Powerups
Controlling the Rolling
Peaceful, Easy Feeling
Audible Experience
Things that went Wrong:
Tipping the scale
Falling Apart
The Camera and the Queasy
Not Getting Oblong
Time Limits
"We are living in a strange world when I see that this "half-baked idea" is being praised as something totally new. I'm not trying to be humble, but it would be great if the favorable reviews of this game motivated other people to create something new, without focusing on the bottom line for once."