“It won’t make sense, but you’ll get it.”
This was my introduction to Wattam. From creator Keita Takahashi, who brought the world Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy, Wattam is a game about friendship and explosions. After playing the demo at PAX South I can confidently say that I have no idea what was happening, but I had fun trying to figure it out.
The game begins with our hero, a bowler hat wearing green cube, finding himself alone. This is Mayor and he has a very special skill. When he takes off his hat he can make the most delightful explosions. This, as it turns out is the key to happiness in the wacky world of Wattam.
Players discover different ways to interact with the world, which in-turn unlocks new characters. They are able to switch between any available on-screen characters at any time, holding hands and scampering merrily around the level. Occasionally, everyone will come together to watch Mayor create an explosion, which usually triggers more new friends to show up.
Wattam is very much about discovering the differences that make us special. As such, you’ll move from character to character trying to learn what special skill they might have. The acorn can grow into a tree. The tree can swallow other characters, changing them into fruit. Suddenly a mouth comes along that can change the fruit into friendly little poops. This summons the toilet who flushes the poops in order to create gold. It’s bizarre, but in its own weird way it starts to make sense.
Cause & Effect?
In fact you’ll spend most of your time just seeing what each character does and how they interact with the others. It’s so intuitive that you’ll likely be several puzzles in before you even realize that this game has puzzles to solve.
Funomena originally announced the project back in 2014 at a Sony event. Since then Wattam was picked up by the good folks at Annapurna. After being formally re-announced in 2017, Wattam is looking to release sometime later this year.
