Once Upon a Katamari

“Overall, Once Upon A Katamari is a big expansion over its earlier iterations, but with the added complexity and stricter time limits, some of the charm and fun of just exploring has been lost. This is still a solid entry in the series, but certainly not one of my favorites.”

“Once Upon a Katamari is a love letter to all the other games, for a game that doesn't always love you back. If there's ever been a time you wanted to shut a king up, it's here. There's still a sprinkle of happiness to roll over any and everything, but my Katamari may be getting a little flat.”

“However, nearly 50 levels weren't necessary. Bandai Namco should have streamlined things a bit and eliminated all the stages that use a rather flat and boring design. Fortunately, many of the missions employ new ideas or well-executed variations on familiar concepts. It doesn't surpass the fantastic We Love Katamari , but Once Upon a Katamari is a solid entry that fans shouldn't miss.”

“Much like the remasters before it, Once Upon a Katamari is a great reminder that there's still nothing quite like this series, and it feels as fresh today as it did with Keita Takahashi's original over two decades ago.”

“Once Upon A Katamari delivers an amazingly fun time. It may be derivative with its graphics and story, but the impressive level variety across nine eras and sheer wealth of content ensure fans and newcomers will be rolling until they're sick of smiling. This is easily one of the best games in the series and one of the most charming games of the year.”

“A soaring exercise of how to refresh a franchise, Once Upon a KATAMARI consistently stays neck-and-neck with its history, sometimes surpassing it.”

“Once Upon a Katamari proves its worth as a mainline sequel and differentiates itself from other action-puzzlers with its irresistible game feel.Rolling the katamari and sticking things to its surface with a satisfying pop is a continuous, sensory delight not dissimilar to vacuuming up gems in Vampire Survivors. Refined controls and the introduction of power-ups like the Magnet simply enhance this core experience, making for a deeply satisfying roll-'em-up.”

“Bandai Namco really hit a home run with this latest entry in the Katamari Damacy series. It's calming, cozy, and whimsical—in other words, everything you expect from a Katamari game. The time travel theme works well, and the ability to customize your appearance based on your gameplay performance really sells it.”

“In 2004, the esoteric, weird and wonderful genius of creator Keita Takahashi brought us Katamari Damacy - a fantastically odd game in which you roll ...”

“Once Upon a Katamari has an excellent concept, and excellent gameplay. The problem is that there are lots of Katamari games with the same excellent concept and gameplay. The new online modes and customization options are great ideas, but are very shallow in execution. There just isn’t enough evolution in any of the series’ core ideas.”

“Once Upon A Katamari feels like a confident step back into the series after having a crack at some remasters, and feels like a game that perfectly follows up on what those remasters set out to do. Everything that we all love about Katamari is still here and absolutely kicking. Small reservations with the progression system do precious little to take away from what is - ultimately - one of the most pure and appealing game concepts ever put to players. An absolutely fantastic return to form for a legacy franchise.”

“Once Upon a Katamari is a delightful return for the series, offering the same core gameplay fans know and love while also adding even more fun and cleverness.”

“Each stage is full of delightfully posed little jokes, characters, and charming anachronisms before you roll them up.”

“Bandai Namco has thus played to the nostalgia factor without taking the risk of modernizing its intellectual property, giving longtime fans another chance to roll their Katamari, but without offering any convincing glimpses into the future of the series.”

“Once Upon A Katamari's appropriately ostentatious, energetic return is the best the series has been since the PlayStation 2 era.”

“Katamari is inherently a chaotic game, despite its adorable, silly visuals and legendarily chill music tracks such as Lonely Rolling Star (the GOAT, in my humble opinion). There’s a lot going on, only so much time to engage with it all, and that’s a big part of the series’ classic appeal. It’s a score-challenging arcade game at heart, with the original game’s scope mostly about trying to make the biggest Katamari within the time limit.”

“Once Upon a Katamari gets what has made the series such a long-lasting and beloved gaming franchise. The latest Katamari game is simply a joy to experience, as it gives the Prince plenty of wacky objects to roll up and is a worthy sequel. Both newcomers and series veterans will have a blast with Bandai Namco’s latest, as it’s hard to imagine anyone not smiling while playing.”

“Katamari Damacy is back and it's still the same crazy, fun, and hypnotic game. The first real new chapter in the series after 14 years offers a remarkable amount of content, many customization options, and gameplay that is accessible to everyone but requires quite a bit of practice to master. The camera system, which has always been both a blessing and a curse for the series, has been improved, but especially in the more complex levels, it will require a great deal of patience.”

“Once Upon a Katamari doesn't stray one inch from the series' formula; in fact, it plays practically the same. But it enriches the formula with more challenges, more varied objectives, crazy levels, and four-player competitive multiplayer (including online). And it's all sprinkled with the game's trademark absurdist humor.”