Namco's Katamari Damacy is now 20 years old – it launched in Japan on March 18th, 2004.
The brainchild of Keita Takahashi, this puzzle action title tasks the player with rolling a magical ball – known as a Katamari – around each level, picking up objects until the ball reaches the correct size.
Takahashi faced opposition within Namco when he pitched the idea, and was only able to get the game made thanks to aid from the Namco Digital Hollywood Game Laboratory.
Despite the reservations of Namco, Katamari Damacy (which means 'Clump Spirit' in Japanese) was a success in both its homeland and North America and has since spawned a series of sequels, as well as a remaster in the shape of Katamari Damacy Reroll.
Subsequent games in the series include We Love Katamari (2005), Katamari Forever (2009) and Touch My Katamari (2011).