Katamari Amore
Encyclopedia
is a third-person
puzzle-action video game that is published and developed by Namco Bandai Games
for iOS
. With rumors beginning in March of 2011, the game was revealed in a pre-release state at E3 2011
, and was released to the public on September 29, 2011. Katamari Amore is the second game of the Katamari
franchise to be released on iOS, and features Game Center
integration.
There are multiple control schemes available for player preference. In the "Acceleration Sensor" scheme, the accelerometer
of the gaming device is utilized, and Prince is controlled by physically tilting the device. The "Double Virtual Pad" scheme, where dual virtual sticks are presented on-screen, is the most similar to the traditional style of controls featured in the original Katamari Damacy
game. The third control scheme, "Single Virtual Pad", which is chosen by default, is the same as the previous scheme in that it also utilizes multi-touch
, but only a single virtual stick is displayed on-screen. Regardless of the controls chosen, the option to quickly turn Prince around is achieved by tapping an on-screen button located at the bottom of the display.
Katamari Amore features several different modes of play. In "Story Mode", the player follows along with the game's storyline, and must complete the King's challenges. In "Time Attack Mode", the player simply attempts to roll the largest size katamari that he or she can before the time available runs out. In "Exact Size Challenge Mode", the player attempts to roll the katamari to a specified size, while "Eternal Mode" allows the player to freely roam the level with an unlimited amount of time to roll the katamari as large as he or she wants. Katamari Amore is initially installed on the device with a single level known as "John's Room" that is available to play in the "Time Attack Mode", while additional levels along with the unlocking of the rest of the game modes are available through in-game purchase of level "packs". "Eternal Mode" is only available for each level after it has been previously beaten.
The game features specific achievements
attainable by players, that integrate with leaderboards on Game Center
.
had submitted a trademark application to the European Union's
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market
for the name Katamari Amore. At the time, it was rumored that Namco Bandai would be releasing a new game for the Katamari Damacy series, but any other details were unknown to the general public. On June 9, 2011, Namco Bandai officially announced the development of the game at E3 2011
. On that day, Namco Bandai showcased a demo of the game on the E3 show floor that featured a playable first level and the Pac-Man
-themed level.
On September 23, 2011, it was confirmed that the release date of the game would be the week following on September 29, 2011. The game premiered with seven total levels that were available to purchase in a single set from within the game known as the "Have a Nice Trip!" Pack.
On October 27, 2011, Namco Bandai released seven additional levels for the game purchasable in a set known as the "Time Trip" Pack.
Virtual camera system
A virtual camera system aims at controlling a camera or a set of cameras to display a view of a 3D virtual world. Camera systems are used in videogames where their purpose is to show the action at the best possible angle; more generally, they are used in 3D virtual worlds when a third person view...
puzzle-action video game that is published and developed by Namco Bandai Games
Namco Bandai Games
is an arcade, mobile and home video game developer and publisher based in Japan which is the product of a merger between the video game development divisions of Bandai and Namco. Namco Bandai Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings and specializes in production and sales of...
for iOS
IOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
. With rumors beginning in March of 2011, the game was revealed in a pre-release state at E3 2011
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011, commonly known as E3 2011, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association . The event took place June 7–9, 2011 at the Los Angeles...
, and was released to the public on September 29, 2011. Katamari Amore is the second game of the Katamari
Katamari (series)
The Katamari series is a series of video games which puts players in control of a character called The Prince as he uses a ball called a katamari to roll up objects. The first title in the series was Katamari Damacy for the PlayStation 2, which became a cult classic and led to several sequels and...
franchise to be released on iOS, and features Game Center
Game Center
Game Center is an online multiplayer social gaming network released by Apple. It allows users to invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through matchmaking, track their achievements, and compare their high scores on a leader board.-History:...
integration.
Gameplay
Much of the gameplay is the same as other games in the Katamari series, where a player controls the Prince of All Cosmos who rolls up various items across different levels with a "katamari" in order to increase size. Along the way, and depending on the game mode selected by the player, Prince's father, the King of All Cosmos dictates specific challenges that must be met.There are multiple control schemes available for player preference. In the "Acceleration Sensor" scheme, the accelerometer
Accelerometer
An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, also called the four-acceleration. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration , but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame...
of the gaming device is utilized, and Prince is controlled by physically tilting the device. The "Double Virtual Pad" scheme, where dual virtual sticks are presented on-screen, is the most similar to the traditional style of controls featured in the original Katamari Damacy
Katamari Damacy
Katamari Damacy is a third-person puzzle-action video game that is published and developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was first released in Japan, and then later in South Korea and North America...
game. The third control scheme, "Single Virtual Pad", which is chosen by default, is the same as the previous scheme in that it also utilizes multi-touch
Multi-touch
In computing, multi-touch refers to a touch sensing surface's ability to recognize the presence of two or more points of contact with the surface...
, but only a single virtual stick is displayed on-screen. Regardless of the controls chosen, the option to quickly turn Prince around is achieved by tapping an on-screen button located at the bottom of the display.
Katamari Amore features several different modes of play. In "Story Mode", the player follows along with the game's storyline, and must complete the King's challenges. In "Time Attack Mode", the player simply attempts to roll the largest size katamari that he or she can before the time available runs out. In "Exact Size Challenge Mode", the player attempts to roll the katamari to a specified size, while "Eternal Mode" allows the player to freely roam the level with an unlimited amount of time to roll the katamari as large as he or she wants. Katamari Amore is initially installed on the device with a single level known as "John's Room" that is available to play in the "Time Attack Mode", while additional levels along with the unlocking of the rest of the game modes are available through in-game purchase of level "packs". "Eternal Mode" is only available for each level after it has been previously beaten.
The game features specific achievements
Achievement (video gaming)
In video gaming parlance, an achievement, also sometimes known as a trophy or challenge, is a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters...
attainable by players, that integrate with leaderboards on Game Center
Game Center
Game Center is an online multiplayer social gaming network released by Apple. It allows users to invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through matchmaking, track their achievements, and compare their high scores on a leader board.-History:...
.
Development
On March 28, 2011, it was reported that Namco Bandai GamesNamco Bandai Games
is an arcade, mobile and home video game developer and publisher based in Japan which is the product of a merger between the video game development divisions of Bandai and Namco. Namco Bandai Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings and specializes in production and sales of...
had submitted a trademark application to the European Union's
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market
The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market , or OHIM is the trademark and designs registry for the internal market of the European Union. It is based in Alicante, Spain, and its president is António Campinos.- Task :...
for the name Katamari Amore. At the time, it was rumored that Namco Bandai would be releasing a new game for the Katamari Damacy series, but any other details were unknown to the general public. On June 9, 2011, Namco Bandai officially announced the development of the game at E3 2011
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011, commonly known as E3 2011, was the 15th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association . The event took place June 7–9, 2011 at the Los Angeles...
. On that day, Namco Bandai showcased a demo of the game on the E3 show floor that featured a playable first level and the Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
-themed level.
On September 23, 2011, it was confirmed that the release date of the game would be the week following on September 29, 2011. The game premiered with seven total levels that were available to purchase in a single set from within the game known as the "Have a Nice Trip!" Pack.
On October 27, 2011, Namco Bandai released seven additional levels for the game purchasable in a set known as the "Time Trip" Pack.