It’s been roughly two years since we have heard anything about Wattam, the new game from Keita Takahashi, the creator of Katamari Damacy. But now that has changed, as developer Funomena and newly on-board publisher Annapurna Interactive have re-revealed the title.
Still boasting the same name, Wattam will no longer be a PS4 exclusive title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, like it was originally pitched. Rather, it is now coming to PC and “consoles.” Further, it’s ready to ship sometime next year, 2018.
Described as weird, wild, wacky, and whimsical, you’re invited by the mayor explore the colorful world of Wattam and “bond with over 100 unique and carefree characters.” In Wattam, the mayor loves creating colorful explosions. And the more “joyful” the explosion, the more characters will come and play. A story description adds:
The connections you form open a treasure chest of possibilities – playing, switching, stacking, climbing, chasing, floating, exploding and/or dancing all in the name of fun.
Each character in Wattam is said to contain their own unique melody, and you can chain together characters for whimsical mashups. Further, you will learn about the different origins of Wattam’s citizens, and then work together with them to solve a variety of weird puzzles, celebrate special events, and of course “explore your imagination to its finest.”
For those that don’t know what Katamari Damacy is (and thus why someone may be excited for another game from its creator Keita Takahashi): it is a third-person puzzle action developed and published by Namco that hit the PS2 back in 2004. The game was notably a result from a school project from the Namco Digital Hollywood Game Laboratory and was developed for less than $1 million, which is not very much money in game development.
To date, the game possess an impressive an 86 on Metacritic, and a hardcore cult-following. It is widely considered a sleeper-hit of 2004, and has led to the release of eight “sequels.”
In 2012, the game was added to the New York Musuem of Modern Art, where it was among the first 14 games to be displayed in the museum.
A new trailer to accompany the re-reveal has been released — you can check it out below: