As a whole, The Wonderful End of the World is nothing more than a shameless Katamari Damacy clone. On the other hand, it copies the game well, which is fortunate since this is currently the only way to experience Katamari-like gameplay on the PC.

The story is short and simple: the world is ending and everything must be collected to create a new one. This is accomplished by running around each stage collecting anything and everything in sight. While progressing through levels, the character will gather up small objects like matchsticks, candy, and tennis balls. These will form to its body, increasing its size, and as it grows, larger objects can be picked up, transforming the character into a giant with trucks for arms or houses for feet. What really makes this game entertaining is its sense of scale. It is great fun to start off as a mess of small objects and grow into a hulking beast-of-a-thing, crashing through a city's industrial district, scooping up trees, bulldozers, and people as you go.

It should be said that the game is extremely lighthearted - childish even. Like the gameplay, The Wonderful End of the World attempts to emulate its inspiration's cheery atmosphere. Although it is not as well developed, there are quirky moments that might have some people, even the older folks, chuckling a bit. Some people may hate the games atmosphere altogether. It really depends on the individual's threshold for the ridiculously absurd.

The game's strongest point is in its unique and varied levels. Most of them significantly contrast each other in theme and style. There are standard levels like a house, a suburb, and a city, but some of the more distinct levels include a candy land inspired world with gumdrops, ginger bread houses, and candy corn planted in the gardens. One of the coolest stages involves a large game of Pong, within a larger game of Pac-Man, within a larger game of Centipede. Given that the levels are all so unique, and each has a distinct style and theme that is as equally varied and strange as the gameplay, they stay fresh and fun for a long time.

If there is any fault concerning the game's stages, it is in the fact that some of them are too easy. The challenge of the game lies within discovering what route through each level will allow for the highest score before the timer runs out. In essence, the player wants to grow as quickly as possible in order to collect the largest objects and obtain the highest score. Unfortunately, some levels are arranged too straightforwardly; the player would have to go out of their way to not get the highest score. Of course, a game's difficulty is subjective, but sadly, there are no difficulty options to counteract this.

The games other main fault involves getting stuck, which happens all to often. A player will be running about a stage, find a nice little gap that seems big enough to fit through, and then get stuck when trying to pass, forced to watch as the character convulses from some strange graphical glitch while jamming buttons to try and break free. Not to mention, this seems to occur when just about to get the score needed to unlock the next level. Suddenly, the guy is trapped, crucial seconds are wasted, and the level will just have to be restarted… again.

As it pertains to the graphics, they are bold and every bit as weird as the rest of the game. Objects are well detailed (when the theme of the level suits it), and the character morphs seamlessly with each added item. The only problem is that sometimes objects will disappear when far, or randomly appear when they are close.

The songs are all bright and happy, which mixes perfectly with the games atmosphere. Unfortunately, the sound effects are pretty bland. There is an unsatisfying slurping noise every time an object is picked up which is used for most items in the majority of levels. Some more rewarding sound effects would have been great, like a yell when picking up a person, or a horn when snatching a car.

There is much to be said on how well this game copies Katamai Damacy's gameplay. Though some may see nothing new with this game, for others, it will be well worth the price.

Graphics:
Although the graphics are nothing fancy, and there may be a few graphical anomalies, none are so bad as to affect gameplay.

Sound:
The sound effects could have been better, but the music more than makes up for it.

Gameplay:
You run around grabbing everything in sight. It does not get much simpler than that, and besides its simplicity, the game's strengths are in its uniquely themed environments and vast sense of scale.

Concept:
Unfortunately, this game will not win any awards for originality, nor would it win one for best use of an old concept, but the levels are great and they contribute to 90% of this game's fun.

Value:
Honestly, the game is a joy to play, but short. It only has twelve levels and most players will finish them in a day or two. There are a few attempts to add some replay value, like the addition of two extra gameplay modes and unlockable trophies, but they all fall short of having much significance. On the upside, the levels are so well designed that they can be played again and again, just for the fun of it.

Fun:
Why is there a Brontosaurus roaming through suburbia? Who cares? There is a ton of nonsensical things about this game, which only adds to its bizarre tone. Besides, there is a great sense of accomplishment when you finally get big enough to grab that Brontosaurus.

Overall:
The Wonderful End of the World is perfect for anyone who has never played Katamari Damacy, or is a fan of the game. For everyone else, there might not be enough of anything new here to warrant buying it. However, the levels are so enjoyable and well conceived, you could do worse things with your money than to buy this game.