Once Upon a Katamari Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, & PC)

I could be wrong, but I’m guessing you’re one of two folks. A diehard Katamari Damacy fan or a newbie without a clue just how fun it can be. It’s a classic series that has been around since as early as the PlayStation 2 era, but has since slowed down in momentum over the years. The recent HD remakes did help smooth things over, especially when they were for the best first two games in the series: 2018’s Katamari Damacy REROLL remaster, if you’re keen on checking out the series’ roots, and 2023’s We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie. 

Alternatively, you can check out the recent April 2025’s Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE mainline entry, albeit an Apple Arcade exclusive that, unfortunately, never made it to Switch or other consoles. Anyway, Once Upon a Katamari is finally here, a proper sequel that takes us back to all that we loved and adored about the original games. So, shall we see how the new entry fares in settling in your hard drive space, in competition with the massive stream of upcoming and new games of late? Here we go again.

Big Bang!

Games’ stories seldom get as ludicrous as Katamari Damacy’s: the King of the Cosmos up to his shenanigans again. This time, he’s taking a breather from cleaning his messy palace when he finds a mystical scroll and starts to juggle it around. He gets too excited and ends up whirling the scroll through the cosmos, destroying all of the planets and stars that make up the solar system. To fix his terrible mistake, he calls upon the Prince to travel back in time and save the galaxy. 

And so, aboard your S.S. Spaceship, you set off to different time periods: nine in total, from the Jurassic to the Ice Age and even the American Wild West. And more than double of your time is spent in the Imperial Japan era, sensibly, as Katamari Damacy is a Japanese-developed game. Introducing time traveling is a wise choice, indeed, giving you more varied, themed maps to explore and play through. Every map has its levels and stages, with the entire game summing up to 50 levels. 

So, as you can imagine, plenty of content to keep you busy, some roughly ten hours or so. But even more so when new, unlockable levels and stages open up after completing objectives. And further, new collectibles and items pop up, along with new, playable characters, giving you plenty of reasons for heading back in for multiple runs. And the levels are well-designed enough to actually want to head back for more, culminating in an all-around, absolutely worthwhile playthrough. 

Rib Crackin’

Digging further into the gameplay elements, you’ll often burst out in laughter at the numerous comedic references and writing. The King of Cosmos himself has a charming personality about him, although his one-liners and constant praising of himself can get on your nerves a bit. It’s clear the tone for Once Upon a Katamari, and the series at large, is a whimsical, humorous ride, where you let loose and relax those nerves. When the short cutscenes cue in between levels, they’re not at all annoying. Rather, silly, and definitely stealing a few laughs out of you. 

And onward the silliness seeps through to the character designs. And further to the maps, levels, and stages. From the King down the hierarchy to the cousins you recruit into your service, their character models will be entirely pleasant to the eye. It makes sense given the gameplay itself is, frankly, silly. I mean, the galaxy is in shambles. And the solution is to take your kamatari with you, which in Japanese means a ball of clump or mess. 

It’s a sticky ball that the prince rolls onto the items he’s required to pick up for each stage and sends up to space to form the planets and stars. You start by picking up smaller items than the ball: erasers, dried sardines, dice, and all. And gradually, the ball grows in size enough to pick up bigger items. Soon, you’ll have a gigantic ball big enough to pick up trees, buildings, and even giant animals like dinosaurs. Dead ass, the variety of items you can pick up in Once Upon a Katamari is near astonishing. So much variety, and themed per the map you’re currently in.

Comical Mess

And don’t forget the comical mess. You won’t be picking sensible stuff. I mean, you can pick up rocks, sometimes, that makes more sense to send up to space. But much of the stuff you can pick up is damn near absurd: wailing cats, self-confidence, philosophers, demons, entire cities… that’s just a fraction of how random and chaotic it can get. And the items don’t latch onto the ball in an organized fashion. It’s all just a giant blob of mess that you need to roll around tight corners and navigate vastly varied open spaces. 

The way to move forward is to roll over the item you need to pick up, which must be smaller than your ball. And depending on the item’s positioning, it can get pretty chaotic, but overall, it’s fun to navigate around the stages. So far, all of these will be familiar mechanics to anyone with any knowledge of Katamari Damacy, as the new game doesn’t really change much on that front. And that’s totally okay when the foundation is already strong and solid. 

Switch it Up

What’s new, however, is the time-travel, which you use your spaceship for. And freely select the map and level you’d like to explore next from the ship’s console. Your spaceship is your hub, essentially, where you can customize the prince, the room, and the cousins you collect. Every era you visit is also intriguing to a certain degree, packing lots of unique objects and environments, and even historical facts you might learn a thing or two from.

Meanwhile, the levels themselves do switch things up, offering a main story-like run-through of collecting specific items. And then more challenges open up, including timed runs, reaching a target size before a certain time limit, or tackling hazards like wind and icy floors. It’s notable how the developers haven’t been afraid to tap into their creativity, with the quirky details and absurd designs of some of the maps. And perhaps, these might make some levels more popular than others during reruns. 

Notable also are the Freebies, which Mario fans should instantly be familiar with. They are power-ups that you can roll over to give you a temporary boost, ranging from a magnet to attract ranged items to a rocket for a speed boost, and two more. Sure, they switch things up, especially when considering the fresh and inventive levels and scenarios the sizable maps bring. But it does feel like the developers held back a bit on pushing power-ups, and the unpredictability they can bring to levels, to the limits.

Precision is Key

Veterans will be familiar with the finicky controls of the twin-stick. And it does return in Once Upon a Katamari, albeit more refined. It does take some getting used to, and ultimately offers more precision. Those wanting a simpler alternative, though, can use the left stick alone for movement. And occasionally the right stick to turn. It’s much easier on younger kids. Given that, Once Upon a Katamari can feel a bit “made for kids.” Keep in mind, though, the camera will have its own mind, maintaining a fixed position most of the time. Yet, it never quite gets bothersome to the point of affecting gameplay. 

Otherwise, Once Upon a Katamari looks colorful and definitely has better visuals than ever before. And without losing its low-poly, psychedelic, technicolor, unique style. The audio is fantastic as well, from the sound effects to the soundtrack. Every item has its unique sound when latching onto your sticky kamatari. With the cats, for instance, making the funniest noises. And the soundtrack comes fully loaded with 60 songs, both new and old. From banging J-pop to cosmic funk, it’s definitely going to be a rock and roll concert, curating a playlist of your favorite songs. 

Verdict

Very little is there to dislike about Once Upon a Katamari. Once an established series, with a formula that works wonders on the inner child, new entries are always going to carry that charm with them. Sure, Katamari Damacy may have slowed down momentum over the years. But there’s no question that Once Upon a Katamari re-establishes all that it’s known and loved for.

All of that surreal humor, charm, and chaos return in gleeful modern art and gameplay. The absurdity of the story and map designs, with occasional moments of deep-diving into history, brings the entire playthrough full circle. 

Perhaps you might nitpick on a few issues here and there. Some awkwardness with the twin-stick tank-like controls. But otherwise, I don’t see how anyone isn’t going to have an absolute blast in Once Upon a Katamari.