$5 Review – Noby Noby Boy

$5 Review – n. A review of a game that anyone can buy for $5 or less.

The first game to christen Geekspective as a $5 review is Noby Noby Boy.

Noby Noby Boy was created by Keita Takahashi, the same man behind Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari.

You play as Boy, a super-stretchy, bottomless stomach, four legged worm boy.

At the beginning of the game, a fairy greets you and teaches you the ropes by making you guess what it’s trying to say. It points out that Noby Noby Boy is not goal oriented; relaxing and having fun is the name of the game. Boy is controlled with the two analog sticks: one for his head and one for his rear end. You walk Boy around and eat things that exist on the map. When you eat stuff, you are able to stretch Boy out more. If Boy eats too much, older objects will come shooting out of his rear end making whimsical sounds.

Though there may not be a goal nor an end to the game, there is a macro goal for the whole gaming community. That goal is to make Girl  ( bow-on-head, pink-hearted version of Boy) grow so that she connects all the planets together with her body. Gamers can report Boy’s length to her, which in-turn is fed to her in the form of hearts and makes her grow. When Girl reaches a new planet, that planet is unlocked to play on.

Noby Noby Boy supports up to four people playing at one time, either offline or online. The game play is basically the same either way: you control Boy, eat things, and stretch. One funny, and annoying, feature is being able to eat fellow players. However, while one Boy is inside another, he can move around and affect the outer Boy’s movements. While playing offline multiplayer the camera can only be controlled by the first player, leaving the other players to his or her mercy.

Noby Noby Boy’s graphics are very similar to other games Keita Takahashi has worked on before, though not as detailed. At times the vectors of the polygons can been seen when the camera zooms out automatically.

The opening music and bonus game content music are spot on for a game by Keita Takahashi and are very entertaining. However, the rest of the music is not very entertaining or unique, but it fits well as background music. The sound effects are very whimsical and help set the relaxed mood of the game. Veterans of Katamari will probably recognize some sound effects.

The no goal/end game play for many will seem very odd and can be viewed as one of the main turnoffs. But as stated in the beginning of the game, Noby Noby Boy is about relaxing and having fun, and oh yeah making Girl grow.

If you were a fan of Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari or are looking to relax and have fun for a few hours, Noby Noby Boy is worth your $5.

Tags: $5 Review, Katamari, Keita Takahashi, Noby Noby Boy, PS3