Noby Noby Boy Details and Release Date Emerge

The newest game from the creator of Katamari Damacy looks to be the most bizarre game since, well...Katamari Damacy.

Set for a downloadable release on the PlayStation Network early next year, Noby Noby Boy has a collect-stuff-to-get-ginormous mechanic just like Katamari, but seems to abandon most of the objective-based trappings of that title for a pure sandbox experience. You control the BOY, a worm with little knobs for feet, who eats objects to embiggen his stomach, jumps around, and stretches himself. Controls are based around the two analog sticks, with the left stick controlling BOY's head and the right his rear. Push both sticks in the same direction to move that way, or pull them apart to stretch out BOY.

From there, you can report how much you stretched to GIRL, a giant who lives in the Earth's orbit, which causes her to enlarge based on how much do you did. GIRL receives data from all the users connected on PSN and can eventually get big enough to move beyond Earth to the rest of the solar system, unlocking each planet for play as she goes along. While the Katamari-esque visual style and unique mechanics sound intriguing enough, this communal element might be the most novel part of Noby Noby Boy. Namco Bandai estimates that it'll take players at least a couple weeks to stretch GIRL enough to get to The Moon, according to 1UP.

Namco Bandai has yet to officially announce a North American release, though 1UP claims the publisher is planning a worldwide launch. Noby Noby Boy will be priced at 800 yen in Japan and 3.99 Euros in PAL regions.