Quickie Video Game Review - Noby Noby Boy on the PS3

Ever since Katamari Damacy's debut, we've known that its creator, Keita Takahashi, had quite the imagination. His colorful designs and trippy characters made Katamari memorable in their own right; the addicting game play was a plus, but it was the design and the concept of the game that made it memorable. Who would have thought rolling a sticky ball around the house, collecting random objects like a snowball collects snowflakes, would be so much fun?

So, when news leaked out that Takahashi was working on a new game that would be available on the PS3's Playstation Network, gamers were curious and excited. As screens from the game, which we soon found out was called Noby Noby Boy, started to leak out, all anyone observing on the internet could say was, "WTF?"

Noby Noby Boy is about a character called Boy who must stretch his body to help another stretchy creature called Girl stretch to the moon and beyond. It's the epitome of the "sandbox game". There are people, cars, fish, cows, spacemen, and all sorts of creatures wandering around your little square "sandbox", which is dotted with trees and various nonsensical structures. You press the analog sticks in opposite directions to stretch him out, use the L2 and R2 buttons to make him fly, or you can press them near objects and creatures to swallow them.

Sooo... what's the goal in all of this?

There are no points, no time limits, no scores, and no achievements. The only goal is to stretch Boy as far as you can and report your length to Girl. Girl absorbs your length and stretches herself even farther. Every Noby Noby Boy player around the world contributes, helping Girl to stretch to other planets where Boy can stretch and explore. So, essentially, it opens up a new and different sandbox to play in.

And how much did you say it costs?

$5. It's available for download on the Playstation Network.

Just for the PS3?

For now, yes. Recently, though, it's been announced that there will be a mobile/iPhone version released soon.

Would you recommend it?

Yes! Even though it's simple and not at all a challenge, being that it is more of a toy than a game, it's incredibly entertaining. Trying to stretch your Boy as far as you can is just one way to enjoy the game. You can eat lots of other objects and critters and watch them come out the other end (with an appropriate farting noise, to boot!) or tangle yourself around various structures.

Because you are able to visit other planets as Girl reaches them, it opens up plenty of possibilities for expansion. As of right now, Girl has reached the moon and is on her way to Mars. While I enjoyed Earth, the moon is much more fun to play around in, and perhaps Mars will be even better. The more people who join in, the faster Girl can reach Mars and beyond. So, in a sense, it's a collaborative effort to reach a destination. That's about as close as this game will ever come to any sort of "goal" or "score".

Plus, for only $5, why would you not give it a try? That's cheaper than a late-nite 4th meal from Taco Bell, and you don't wake up in the morning with excessive gas!

Overall Recommendation:

It's weird, but it's really fun. If you have a PS3 and some spare change, you've got no excuse not to at least try Noby Noby Boy! Even if you don't like it, you have to admit that eating people and/or animals and projectile pooping them out is pretty amusing.