Taking one look at this game and you will instantly notice similarities between Noby Noby Boy and the major collect-a-thon that was Katamari Damacy.  Noby Noby Boy is an entirely new concept centralized around the common concept of stretching.  While you stretch, your dimensions get uploaded to a database which develops Girl who wants to stretch to different planets which will grant players different environments to play around in.  The database doesn’t just take single dimensions; it is shared with everyone that plays the game.  This is a highly simplistic game that some will enjoy but hardcore enthusiast will wish there was something more.

           Katamari Damacy was known for its control scheme, music, and simple but humorous looking graphics. Noby Noby Boy sadly does not capture any of these perks.  I constantly fought with the controls trying to line things up correctly and struggled at what should have been simple tasks.  The left and right control sticks control the front and back end of the caterpillar looking creature.    Push them away from eachother and Boy will begin to grow.  Objects can be eaten to help Boy grow and lively objects can even hop on the back of Boy and ride him around which has its charm, but not for long.  You can even “shoot” objects out the back of you which loses its appeal after a couple times executing it and you can combine different objects and release them back into the wild in a bizarre hybrid fashion.  The L2 and R2 buttons serve two purposes.  If you tap L2 once, Boy will attempt to eat an object but only if it’s smaller than you.  If you repeatedly tap L2, Boy will actually begin to fly.  This is another case of frustration where one button serves multiple purposes.

          The game takes place on a solid square piece of land littered with randomely generated objects.  Think of the game as a huge playground for you to create your own game within.  One concept the game nailed correctly is the physics of Boy.  Stretching him out many meters and getting him tangled and into a knotted mess never falters or gets clunky.  You also never have to worry about dying in this game if you walk or stretch yourself off the edge; you simply shoot out the chimney of the HUB house.

         

Like stated above, the best thing this game has going for it is the community aspect.  Knowing your part of something bigger and ultimately working together with people you don’t even know is a cool perception.  You can even upload YouTube clips and share with everyone but getting a good video becomes a chore thanks to the awful camera design.

          Noby Noby Boy feels more like a tech demo than on actual game which could be what they were going for but sadly doesn’t hold much lasting appeal.  I expect many people to play it but not really get into it.  Still, you can’t argue with the $5 price point.  If you’re looking for something to kill some time with here and there it might be worth checking out, it holds some charm.  Anyone looking for a download with some depth will not be hard pressed if they skipped this quirky but shallow download.