Review – Once Upon a Katamari

More than ten years later is enough time to make any video game fan question whether a franchise will actually return. In Damacy’s case, the wait is finally over. arrives as the first genuinely new entry in the series since 2011, promising to revitalize the formula that won over players around the world with its absurd and enchanting proposal. Developed by Rengame and published by Bandai Namco, the game attempts to balance nostalgia and innovation in a time-traveling package.​​

The premise is familiar to anyone who knows the series, placing the King of All Cosmos at the center of yet another of his monumental mischief, this time destroying the Earth and the stars by playing with a mysterious parchment. It is up to the Prince to remedy the damage by rolling his katamari through different historical eras to rebuild the starry sky, in a narrative configuration that works as the perfect excuse for the most ambitious change of scenery in the franchise to date.

Cosmic chaos begins again

The essence of the gameplay remains untouched, which can be seen well by many at the same time as it creates a problem for others, as you still control the Prince while rolling a sticky ball that grows as you collect objects around the scene. Progression remains the beating heart of the experience, starting with collecting small items such as thumbtacks and coins, to eventually swallow increasingly larger elements. This formula originally created by Keita Takahashi was respected by Rengame by understanding how it works almost like a philosophy by maintaining simple controls and easy-to-understand mechanics.

However, Once Upon a Katamari is not content with just repeating the past and introduces the mechanic of power-ups, in the best Mario Kart style, in which you can pick up these items around the stage and activate them with R2. You can use a magnet to automatically attract nearby objects, changing the collection dynamics and enabling different strategies to achieve the objectives of each phase, as well as rockets, which accelerate their movement, and clocks that stop time. These are changes that may seem subtle, but they effectively change the way you approach challenges, especially in the final moments of each stage when time is against you.​

The different historical eras are not just used as mere cosmetics either. The Jurassic Period, Ice Age, and Feudal Japan all feature unique environmental characteristics that affect gameplay. The Ice Age, for example, features slippery surfaces that alter the katamari’s behavior, while the prehistoric environments offer dinosaurs as obstacles and, eventually, as collection targets when your katamari grows large enough.​​​ The past of Japan and the United States also offer diverse environmental settings and items that change the dynamics of collecting and completing missions.

Once Upon a Katamari also strives to expand customization, as in addition to being able to play as the Prince or choose between 68 different cousins, the game introduces a customization system that allows you to change the characters’ colors and faces. It’s a feature that meets the demand for personal expression, especially relevant in the context of online multiplayer, where standing out visually can be as important as your scrolling skills.​

Rolling between the past and the future

Speaking of multiplayer, Bandai Namco listened to the community and resumed competitive mode with KatamariBall for up to four players, with online and offline options. The proposal is simple, but chaotic, in which all players start simultaneously in the same scenario with the objective of rolling the largest katamari possible within the established time limit. It’s not just about collecting objects indiscriminately, as this mode requires constant decision-making under pressure and will force the player to take risks to devise their own strategy. In this mode, every choice can be the difference between victory and defeat.​

The art direction is possibly the most attention-grabbing aspect of the game. Each historical era receives a distinct visual treatment, going far beyond simple color palette changes. The Jurassic Period pulses with its lush vegetation and prehistoric creatures rendered in the series’ signature style, colorful, stylized and slightly surrealistic. Other eras always bring a strong characteristic factor and contextualize with visual elements that end up complementing the way you need to play and complete your missions.

Once Upon a Katamari manages to remain faithful to the established visual identity, with characters with a minimalist and expressive design, color-saturated environments and a profusion of objects that celebrate and satirize aspects of consumer culture. There is clear continuity with previous works, which also helps to maintain the cohesion of the franchise even after so long.​

Music has always been an essential component of the Katamari experience. The series has become known for its eclectic soundtracks that mix J-pop, jazz, electronic music and experimental compositions into a sonic cocktail that is impossible to ignore. Once Upon a Katamari promises to continue this tradition with original compositions by contemporary artists.​​

Traveling through time has never been so sticky

Despite reaching a new level for the franchise and its qualities, Once Upon a Katamari may be hampered by the conservative way in which the franchise treats its gameplay. Even with the simple controls, which make it easy to move the katamari, and the addition of power-ups, these elements do not fundamentally transform the experience and fans may feel like they are playing a visually updated version of games they have known for years.

The same happens with the level design which, when working with different characteristics to create individualized environments, the different historical eras, however visually distinct they may be, do not offer puzzles or obstacles radically different from those that the series has already explored. In the end, time served as a basis for Bandai Namco to bet on nostalgia as the main factor in the development of this new edition.

Once Upon a Katamari represents the return of a beloved franchise with the competent work of Rengame, investing heavily in whimsical art direction and respect for the original formula, with good gameplay additions and the resumption of online multiplayer. On the other hand, the game feels overly cautious, preferring the security of the established formula over genuine experimentation.

It’s more Katamari, which in itself has value, but for those waiting for the franchise to reinvent itself or at least evolve substantially, the game may disappoint. This is clearly the competent work of a respectful studio trying to keep alive a flame that perhaps should never have been rekindled without its original bearer. Once Upon a Katamari serves as a reminder that some experiences are unique products of their moments, creators, and contexts. You can scroll through time, collecting bits and pieces from different eras, but you can’t recreate the exact magic that made the original so special.