All eyes and controllers may be focused on Death Stranding right now, but it won’t be long before we can play another whimsical game about connection. Keita Takahashi’s Wattam is releasing on December 17th. The bizarre and creative journey from loneliness to connection comes from the creator of Katamari Damacy, another strange yet endearing title that’s captivated everyone who plays it. The release date announcement comes with a brand new trailer, albeit short, showing that Wattam launches just in time for the holidays.
Launching at $19.99, Wattam is being developed by Funomena and published by Annapurna Interactive, a publisher well-known for picking up unique misfit games that may not have a dedicated place elsewhere. All Annapurna games are guaranteed to have heart though. We previewed the game a few years ago at PlayStation Experience and loved this strange and experimental world that went from the lonely mayor and his exploding hat to a bunch of friends that had to solve unique puzzles, connecting and drawing even more strange friends together.
Wattam was originally announced as far back as 2015, repeatedly getting delayed year after year. After our preview of Wattam in 2017, it largely fell off the radar until resurfacing only recently, getting a release window of December just a few months ago, and now we finally know the exact date. At one time a Sony exclusive title, Wattam is also releasing for PC (via the Epic Games Store).
The PlayStation Blog also held an interview with Takahashi to talk to him about Wattam now that the release date is official. It has some unique new information about the game and its soundtrack, his refreshed takes on creativity, and an admission about how he messed up one of the Trophies in Katamari Damacy as he tinkered with the game prior to release, costing the team money to fix it.
It also has what is perhaps my favorite response ever to an interview question, in which the PS Blog asks him, “All your games are endearingly weird. Do you have to put additional effort into achieving quirkiness, or does it come completely naturally?” to which Takahashi simply responds, “All my games are not endearingly weird.”
The endearingly weird Wattam releases on December 17, 2019 for $19.99. It will be available on PS4 and PC via the Epic Games Store.
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