Analysis of Katamari Damacy SeriesKatamari Damacy is an example of a game that falls on both the paidia and ludus sides of the gaming dichotomy in that the game allows for freedom of movement in a large environment, embodies genuinely absurd game play that is truly fun, and is heavily based on experimentation, exploration, and replay value. However there remains basic goals and rules that must be followed in order for the mechanics of the game play to be challenging and actually worth playing (Frasca 222.) The inclusion of a linear storyline works to connect the player to their assumed avatar, a tiny galactic prince. The basic premise of the game is simple – you are the son of the King of all Cosmos, one night your father destroys the night sky in a dream and leaves it up to you to replace the missing stars in the sky. He sends you to earth with a “Katamari” a ball like item that seems to be pretty sticky, as a result your Katamari will pick up items relative to it’s size. This is the basis of gameplay for the entirety of the game, The rules for each level are simple, The king drops you off in a random area on earth (It may be a house, or a city or a bigger area) with a random sized Katamari, The king will then decide on a goal size for the specific katamari to be and give you a time limit with which to gather enough items to fulfill the size requirement. The overall goal is to please your father while simultaneously rebuilding all celestial bodies in the sky. If you roll a Katamari large enough before the time limit is exhausted you are allowed to roll freely continuing to roll up more items and beef up your katamari size, or explore the intricate environments created by the developers. Depending on your size, you may roll around desktops picking up thumbtacks, coins, and pieces of chocolate, after some time you may be able to pick up a pen, then a book, maybe some toys, dogs and cats. There are plenty of secret places to find, and items to collect, but replaying a level several times is not uncommon as certain areas may be unreachable if you grow too large, or unreachable if you’re too small. The challenge comes with mastering the unique style of controlling the tiny prince. Basically you assume the task of rolling these Katamari’s across your environment with your bare hands so using the Dual Analog Control sticks you control each arm independently. The controls are similar to driving a tank, the left analog stick controls the left tread movement, and the right respectively, if you push the left stick forward, and pull the right stick backward you will pivot around the katamari in a left most direction. Pressing forward on both sticks will roll you forward etc. Learning to control the Katamari is simple for some, harder for others, one can easily play and succeed in the game by simply directing the Katamari in different directions, but more experienced players find a whole new level of game play that is involved with more complicated Katamari maneuvering. This new way of arranging the control interface makes the game fun. Your area of movement is generally boundless, but certain areas can only become unlocked if you reach a certain size. The freedom of whether to continue rolling up these bananas or to explore the alley way to the right allows for an exploration dynamic that may lead you to an area with many objects that could increase your katamari size quickly, or to a prize or special unlockable. Perhaps the best part of this game is that it doesn’t require a whole lot of emotional investment, the story is generally light hearted, but you’re able to play through the entire game and put it down for a few weeks only to get a “rolling-itch” and try to slap a few more inches onto the Katamari’s you have rolled previously, the fun is in constantly trying to better yourself, or your friends are constantly trying to get the best of your amply rolled Katamari’s.