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Are you a pc user who wishes they could get the Katamari Damacy experience on their computers
or are you someone who has played Katamari Damacy and want a similar experience? The
Wonderful End of the World could be the game for you.
While not explained ingame, the steam page says that you control a puppet that is tasked
with saving as much of Earth as possible, because the Earth is about to be eaten by
a mythological demon.
In order to save as much of Earth as possible your puppet starts off small. Absorbing anything
smaller than itself and growing bigger each time it collects enough stuff in the world.
The goal of each level is to either collect enough stuff before the timer runs out for
an A or A+ grade. Or just collect as much as you can to get a passing grade, unlocking
the next batch of levels.
The game can be controlled in three ways: mouse & keyboard, gamepad, or just the mouse.
Because all you have to do is walk around the map and absorb things. The only levels
where you can jump are on the two secret levels and then the only jump button is the space
bar. But that isn’t explained anywhere I have seen.
While the game is relatively easy, there are things that will get in your way of an A or
A+ rank. For one, inconsistent walking speeds happen on most levels. Sometimes the puppet
has great momentum to clear a level and sometimes it slows down to a crawl. Walking down slopes
sometimes helps to give it a boost but for the most part I’m confused as to why I get
so slow.
Another reason for wasted time is that some bigger objects or creatures bump the puppet
back. Sometimes continually if the thing is moving against your path. After a while learning
their hit box and pattern might help to avoid them slowing you down. But sometimes you might
have to force your way past these as the puppet might get stuck behind things blocking your
path.
The last thing to occasionally get in your way of an A grade is just having to learn
the level and the fastest path to grow bigger. Because if you learn the levels the game can
be completed in a little over an hour.
But that isn’t including the two extra modes with each level and the two secret levels
on top of the 12 that are there. The two extra modes are unlocked after getting 11 passing
grades. The first mode allows you to grab everything with no time limit. The second
mode gives you no time limit and no scoring. Just play as long as you like until you want
to quit.
Visually most levels look as though someone placed game engine assets into the levels.
Some seemingly random and most others in a purposeful way. Each level has its own theme.
A candyland, a black and white word level, an arcade, a library, and more. I think what
I like about traveling through these levels is the sense of scale. In one level I start
in a model diorama, growing bigger allows me to walk out of it and explore a mall. Then
after continuous growth I can eventually take down the walls and the building the diorama
was housed in disappears absorbed into my puppet’s body. So yeah at times it might
not be the prettiest of games but the way it presents itself is interesting.
The audio is also interesting: boops, squeaks, slurping, and other random noises as the puppet
collects everything in the levels. The music is mostly mellow with one track including
a didgeridoo. The soundtrack works it’s just not that amazing.
Overall I enjoy The Wonderful End of the World. It isn’t the most complex game but I think
it’s simplicity is meant for a kind of relaxing experience. As emphasized by the mostly mellow
soundtrack. The bounce back from some creatures isn’t as relaxing of an experience but I
learned to deal with it. Basically it is a weird game taking Katamari Damacy’s gameplay,
simplifying it and making it available for windows.
Currently you can buy The Wonderful End of the World for about $10 bucks.
Thanks for watching, any comments, likes, or dislikes on this video or any other of
my videos would be appreciated. My reviews for the classic Macintosh games Apeiron and
Invaders! can be checked out by clicking the annotations on this video.
If you want to get in contact with me message me on youtube or twitter.