Confession time: I have an enormous soft spot for games of the genre that might be best described as “wacky Japanese stuff.” It’s why I’ve got a well-loved copy of Mister Mosquito sitting on my shelf, right next to Chulip (the Harvest Moon-style game where the goal is to kiss everyone in sight) and Under the Skin (the game where an alien invader submits Earth’s population to grade school-caliber pranks). My innate gamer instincts tell me that these might not be the highest quality gaming experiences out there, but something in me finds them charming and irresistibly appealing. So when I heard about Koei’s new DS title, Prey the Stars, which stars a dog-like creature that eats everything in sight, I was immediately intrigued. Now that I’ve spent time with the game I can tell you that it’s a delightful little dose of Japanese weirdness that doesn’t quite have the gameplay chops to stand out.

Prey the Stars tells the (nigh-incomprehensible) story of four alien dogs — Gabu, Bari, Pero, and Chuchu — who come to Earth hungry, and begin eating anything they can get their mouths around. There’s something going on involving spirits, but the story is pretty hard to understand, and completely superfluous anyway. All you need to know is that the creatures are here to eat whatever they can, and all that stands in their way is each other.

Each stage has all kinds of objects scattered across a grid-like floor. In some levels (like the Food Festival) these objects are actually food, in others it can be anything from washing machines to helicopters, but whatever they may be the goal is to eat as much as possible. Each object you devour gives you a certain number of points (based on size) and winning a stage is as simple as having the highest score when the last item is eaten.

 
There’s a wide variety of stages available, encompassing everything
 from bustling downtown areas to underground mines.

Of course, it’s not just as simple as eating the largest items immediately — the game allows for a little deeper strategy than that. For example, some items possess different properties, which require you to approach them differently; while standard items can simply be “Bitten” with the A button, others require you to “Lick” or “Suck” the item first (with the X and Y buttons, respectively) to avoid being injured or to gain maximum points. To eat larger items, your character must grow, which is achieved by eating special “POW” items. Various attacks (which can slow, shrink, or even kill your opponents) can be gained by eating three of the same type of item in a row. Also, eating enough items lets you enter “GABUGABU Time,” which grants you double points and immunity to attacks for a limited period. When you’re running around the level, firing attacks at your opponents as you vie for the top spot, the game begins to feel a little like a slower-paced, more cerebral game of Mario Kart. Like that series, you’ve got a selection of different characters with varying attributes (here, it’s Licking, Biting, and Sucking, with each attribute determining how fast a character performs that action), levels with stage-specific bonuses and challenges, and matches that often end with a last-minute come-from-behind.

 
Your character can gain many different powers and advantages,
usually by eating several like items in a row.

The Mario Kart analogy also works because, like that series, Prey the Stars’ single-player mode is little more than a warm-up for where the game really shines: multiplayer. Prey the Stars supports up to four players from a single DS card, multiple copies of the game, and over Wi-Fi Connection. While going through Story Mode is still necessary to unlock the various stages and skins (outfits for your characters, which can have positive or negative effects on their stats), playing against AI characters can’t hold a candle to facing off against live human opponents.

Despite all of this, though, Prey the Stars’ biggest flaw is that it’s simply not that exciting. While the thrill of seeing your cute little creature devour appliances can keep you interested for the first few stages, once you’ve grown accustomed to the gameplay and style of the game it becomes apparent that there’s really not that much game here. The more strategic elements of the game become unnecessary once you realize that simply mashing A near every item you see yields victory as often as not.

 
The onscreen action can get pretty frantic.

At least the game’s presentation is solid. The characters (designed by the popular Japanese graphic artist/toy designer Touma) are cute, hyper-stylized creatures, and the levels have a sort of cartoony charm. The game uses reasonably good 3D graphics, considering the DS’s limitations in this area. The music is lighthearted and happy-go-lucky — kind of like the Katamari Damacy soundtrack, only less catchy. Some will find the whole thing too cutesy for their tastes, and neither the visuals nor the audio are as memorable they ought to be, but they get the job done.

Prey the Stars is a decent enough little game, but its defining characteristic is its quirky style, not its quality. After the novelty of the game’s premise and style wear off, what you’re left with is an average action/puzzle title that’s fun for a few multiplayer matches but otherwise forgettable. Fans of the very bizarre or the very Japanese (strange how often those two coincide) will probably dig it, but anyone who needs a little more substance than style in their games can safely pass this one by.

Gameplay: 6.8
Run around each stage, eating anything you can before your opponents do. While the gameplay is fresh and different when you start the game, before long you can see that it’s actually not that deep or interesting. Various power-ups, stage-specific hazards, and attacks spice things up a little, but not really enough to keep things exciting in the long-term.

Graphics: 7.4
The visual style, based heavily on Japanese pop-art, is cute and interesting, but not as memorable or unique as some other, similar titles (like Katamari or Loco Roco). The 3D visuals aren’t bad, considering the system, but they don’t really impress, either.

Sound: 7.0
There are a few catchy tunes in the game, but nothing that will really stick in your head the next day. Some of the sound effects can get old when they repeat frequently in a given level, but there’s enough variety to keep things from getting too irritating.

Difficulty: Easy
While the AI enemies can sometimes frustrate you by stealing your victory with a well-timed attack, more often than not you can win each stage with little effort.

Multiplayer: 7.8
Playing against friends is considerably more fun than playing against the computer, and the weird vibe of the game helps keep it fun in a “What the…did you see that?” kind of way.

Concept: 7.5
The setup and style of the game are interesting, if only for their strangeness. The gameplay is fairly unique, but it never quite manages to get exciting. The idea of a 50-foot alien dog chomping on skyscrapers is great, but the execution is more “ho, hum” than “oh, wow.”

Overall: 6.9
Prey the Stars is a case of all sizzle, no steak; that is, underneath the cute, quirky premise and presentation, it simply doesn’t have gameplay that’s compelling enough to keep you interested. Fans of the Japanese aesthetic or peculiar games in general will enjoy it; otherwise, it’s a niche title that won’t hold your interest past a couple of multiplayer matches.