The Katamari fandom has braved through the dry Katamari-less years of 2010s. I remember waiting for a new game with baited breath only for one to be announced for a handheld system I didn’t own. Fast-forward to 2018 when the Katamari Damacy remaster released and I was finally alive and rolling again. And now, we finally get the first new mainline entry since 2011’s Touch My Katamari. My only fear was that it was going to be a half-hearted nostalgia reiteration, but I’m happy to be proven wrong. Once Upon a Katamari isn’t just a brand new self-contained entry—it’s perhaps the most jam-packed and polished one ever with the full unbridled Katamari charm intact and darn proud of it.
For those unfortunate gamers who’ve never rolled a katamari ball in their life, first of all, I’m sorry for your loss, but here’s a brief overview what you’re missing out on. You begin as a tiny ball in a sandbox stage filled to the brim with wacky objects and civilians, all suited to the particular theme of course. The goal is to roll over as much stuff as possible, gradually growing large enough to overcome towering trees, buildings, and even perhaps reaching the very heavens. This same simple concept is alive and well in Once Upon a Katamari, practically unchanged from Katamari Damacy. No matter how wacky the games get, the gameplay loop has stayed true to its origins, and that’s one thing I continue to appreciate with the latest entry.
“If there’s one thing the game refuses to innovate or iterate on, it’s the storytelling.”
The story and presentation is also practically 1 for 1 from the first game, with some small differences. One stellar misfire, and everything goes sideways. It’s up to the pint-sized Prince to restore the fabric of time by going through a bunch of different eras and, you guessed it, rolling up everything in sight. A set of simple cutscenes highlight the Queen’s journey through time. It’s all wonderfully zany and charming in that classic Katamari fashion. If there’s one thing the game refuses to innovate or iterate on, it’s the storytelling.
The main distinction setting this entry apart from the rest is the level variety and sheer wealth of content. This might be one of the most jam-packed games in the series, but it also spreads itself evenly with great variety. While previous games took place in various locations within a vaguely 1990s Japan, this one explores nine different time periods across various continents. I’ve always wondered what shenanigans a Katamari game set in America’s wild west or ancient Greece could bring and, well, now I know.
One stage put me aboard a pirate ship at sea, moments before a rival ghostly ship appeared and boarded us. I eventually rolled up enough sabres and barrels to collect both crews, but I almost didn’t want to interrupt their fighting. Set-piece moments like this spice up the traditional gameplay and make levels feel more dynamic and unpredictable. The game’s theming even ties into objectives, giving each stage its own mini-narrative. Rolling up a boy until he was large enough to wear samurai armor had me laughing the whole way through. Instead of a katamari ball, you roll as the boy, picking up katanas and sweets as he bulks up. It’s such a unique level idea only a Katamari game could deliver, and this game has plenty like this.
Another thing I adore is how each of the nine eras has its own distinct overworld that contains the stages. Seeing how all the different objects, animals, and people begin to populate each overworld as you complete levels gives a fun sense of progression, even if it’s mostly cosmetic. Your space ship contains all your collectables and customization content, acting as the actual hub of the game. You can even decorate the ship’s upper floor with themes from the eras you’ve visited.
“While previous games took place in various locations within a vaguely 1990s Japan, this one explores nine different time periods across various continents.”
It’s also aboard your spaceship abode where the online multiplayer component of the game gets unlocked. Unfortunately, this is a disappointing area—not just because it takes quite a while to access (well into three eras of levels), but because there are no real local multiplayer options. A second player can control the same katamari as Player 1, but that’s about it. KatamariBall is the lone multiplayer mode and it’s actually fun despite the limitations: four players compete to build the biggest katamari, with larger players knocking objects off opponents before tallying their haul under a moving spaceship. Rewards include special katamari patterns, but they can only be used in this mode. It’s a hectic, competitive mode that rewards map knowledge and mechanical skill, but the lack of local multiplayer and the long wait to even access it is a misstep.
Speaking of missteps, KatamariBall is the only place I noticed framerate stutter. There are noticeable drops during matches, presumably from all four players rolling up objects at once. The game isn’t a big graphical leap from past entries, so the performance hiccups are inexcusable, especially on powerful consoles. I’m not knocking the graphics, by the way.
“KatamariBall is a hectic, competitive mode that rewards map knowledge and mechanical skill, but it’s the only time I experienced lag and takes a while to unlock.”
The art style remains the same polygonal, blocky, charming Katamari aesthetic that fans loved about the first game. This is a great boon for the game since it allows the chaos to be easily visible and understood at a glance. The rigid sharp lines on objects make it easy to know you’re looking at a Cousin, a Crown, or just another goofy object ready for rolling. I also find it easier than ever to discern whether an object is ‘rollable’ or not based on its relative size. And with this game’s nine distinct eras chalk-full of themed objects across time and space, that traditional art style is put to excellent use. There’s more unique objects to roll up than ever before, whether they be Egyptian-themed or from the wild west.
The music is pure Katamari goodness as well. I’ve been hooked on the series’ soundtracks since Lonely Rolling Star, and this game delivers another stellar set. With 30+ new tracks across wildly different genres, it’s one of the strongest musical lineups yet. “Skyscraper” is a wildly creative track using dance-pop as its base to jump between glitch-like instrumentation and fun vocals. Other tracks are more jazzy or rock-based, but there’s some that channel that optimistic Lonely Rolling Star energy without feeling too derivative. Each of the overworlds has its own theme, though these are much more laid back instrumental tracks. As a music nut and Katamari fan, I couldn’t be happier. It might be my soundtrack of the year, and more importantly, it’s unmistakably Katamari.
Even after trying the new game, I struggle to name the entry with the best levels. If I had a katamari ball rolling straight for my head, I’d say We Love Katamari or Katamari Forever. But in terms of sheer quantity and variety, Once Upon a Katamari beats them all. And unlike Katamari Forever, near-flawless though it is, there isn’t a single recycled classic level—not even an homage. It’s all brand-new material (aside from returning Cousins and the King’s constant snark). That alone makes this entry feel substantial. Fans get everything from cramped bedrooms to massive open areas where skyscrapers and entire islands are yours to roll up. The difficulty curve feels more approachable, too, without sacrificing challenge. Like recent remasters, you can use traditional tank-style controls or a modern control scheme. I stick with the classic controls due to habit, but newcomers will find the updated setup intuitive.
Unfortunately, getting interrupted by NPC dialogues while rolling can be quite counter-intuitive. When you open a new room or collect a cousin, the text appears right in the middle of the screen, blocking your visibility. You can skip through it, but only with the advance button, which is annoying during fast, time-sensitive runs. You also can’t change text speed, and auto-progression makes it easy to miss entire paragraphs if you’re trying to speed text up. Ugh, two steps forward, one step back I suppose.
By contrast, the level design is more intuitive than past entries. There are still no objective markers (thankfully), but strong theming and gameplay-linked objectives make navigation organic in a way older entries didn’t. A certain ability item actually does kind of function as an POI marker. The sonar item pings the general direction of Crowns and other objects of interest, while the new magnet ability item gravitates all nearby objects that are small enough to be glued to your katamari ball.
“Seeing how all the different objects, animals, and people begin to populate each overworld as you complete levels gives a fun sense of progression.”
There’s also more to collect than any other game in the series: three crowns per stage, cousins, presents, S-ranks, and optional challenges. Going for those targets adds a satisfying difficulty spike. The intuitive design and helpful items don’t make things cupcake easy though—they just make them more fair and fun.
But the game is missing one thing I really appreciated in earlier entries: endless mode (or eternal mode as it’s called in some titles). There’s something cathartic about mastering a stage and then freely rolling through it with no timer stressing you out. Most games limited this feature to a few levels, but Beautiful Katamari on Xbox 360 let players unlock endless mode for every stage. Considering how many objectives and crowns there are here, it’s a missed opportunity not to include any endless stages. Costume rewards are fun, but being able to roll my favorite stages with no timer would make for a more gameplay-oriented prize.
Once Upon a Katamari really impressed me. I didn’t expect to get so much brand new content across such varied stages. And with that classic Katamari charm worn on its sleave in such an unapologetic way, it’s just an irresistible package (and it’s half the price of Nintendo’s premium titles too). Despite some performance issues in multiplayer and the surprising absence of endless mode, it captures everything that makes Katamari special and delivers it with a fresh, inventive twist. For longtime fans, it’s a triumphant comeback well worth the 14 year wait. And for newcomers, it’s the most intuitive and welcome experience yet .
This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.
