MUSIC:

The music in Katamari Damacy was widely hailed as imaginative and original (winning both IGN's and GameSpot's "Soundtrack of the Year 2004" awards), and was considered one of the game's best features. The soundtrack (pictured right) was released in Japan as Katamari Fortissimo Damacy. Its composition featured elements of traditional electronic video game music, as well as heavy jazz and samba influences.  Most of the tracks were composed by Yū Miyake, and many feature vocals from popular J-pop singers, and anime voice actors.

Takashi felt that the music of a video game was directly linked to the gameplay experience; for instance, in a typical video game, when there is a boss fight, there is special dramatic music that makes the gameplay more intense.  However, in Katamari Damacy, there is no boss and there are no enemies, so they created a soundtrack that’s original to the game and makes every level memorable.

Miyake felt that Takashi “allowed [him] to direct the music any way [he] wanted” and was bolstered by the fact that “[he] would never have been given that kind of creative freedom working for an ordinary director.”  His goal was to have the music appeal to everyone, he did this by having many different methods of directing and creating tunes.  When asked how Miyake generally came up with ideas he said he “often record[ed] [the] melodies that [he] had in [his] head using [his] cellular phone or PC by humming.”  He also stated the humming in the opening sequence of the game was in fact something that he had put in a test version of the game to work out later.  The team ended up liking it and kept it originally as a joke and then as something special to the game.  “I think the humming differentiates Katamari Damacy from other titles and fits the gameplay perfectly. This humming is also included in the opening theme music. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that singing is the best instrument we humans have.”

Collaborating with outside musicians was very popular in the game industry at the time, so they decided to hire 10 somewhat well known Japanese vocalists in all different music genres and ranges. After selecting vocalists, their “next step was to figure out how [they] could enhance the mood of the game through the music.”  They ended up using a “backward” process in that they created the music after selecting the vocalists, instead of before, so that they “could use the vocalists talents most effectively.” Miyake has gone to say how seriously they thought when creating the gameplay music. “Most game music nowadays is pretty forgettable. I wanted to create a soundtrack that would stick in player’s heads, sort of like an evil curse.”