Once Upon A Katamari - Review

Once Upon a Katamari is rolling up another iteration of its game; and yes, it has had a very long run with the series, but this time, it almost seems as though it’s a celebration of Katamari games from when it first started in the early 2000s. There has been a decent list of games in the series. Is this latest iteration the best at what they have, or have they tried to reinvent the rolling wheel?

For the most part, most Katamari games are extremely similar in that they have a quirky storyline, usually led by the King of All Cosmos. This game is no different, because its whacky narrative, has The Royal family deciding to have a cleaning day, after the King of All Cosmos came across a scroll. The game has you begin this cleaning day right there, with the first level being the tutorial, showing players how to move all around the place, whilst dealing with an ever-increasing size to your ball of stuff. While you are doing that, the King of All Cosmos shows why he is often a little odd at times and instead of cleaning like everyone else, is playing with the scroll. Of course, by playing we mean throwing into space, and making the worst mess possible, destroying the cosmos.

This is where you enter in as the Prince, who will be helping put things back in order by going through different eras. Did you get all that? I hope I did, but am also sure I misinterpreted the quirky story. In all honesty, it’s a little tricky to explain the narrative of the game without watching the animation sequences yourself. Regardless of how weird, whacky, crazy and quirky the story is, ultimately the game always goes back to the same thing. Pushing (and pulling) and just growing the Katamari ball around different levels and themes. Once Upon A Katamari just goes through different eras and times, in order to let players do that.

The game’s first level starts in the Edo period in Japan, and moves on to the American Frontier where it's Cowboy themed, and others such as the Jurassic period (and more). The eras’ aesthetics are clearly different; however, the same gameplay is then executed throughout the different timelines. That said, there are different requirements that will keep players on their toes on each different level. For example, some might require players to grow their Katamari a specific size in a short time frame, and some levels will require you to specifically only pick up only sweets, or even help pick up tumbleweeds to clean out the town. Regardless of what it is, it definitely gives players a bit of a challenge throughout the variation of eras, opposed to only trying to grow the biggest Katamari in a limited amount of time.

You begin the game by starting off as The Prince, and as you keep going, you start to unlock a wide range of cousins, which you can use for variation. Just to be clear, the game embraces designs of these cousins that match its whacky narrative, so be prepared for that. There’s a bunch of hilarious cousins from ones that look like a cactus, to a donut or the Japanese desert Dango, to even one that looks like it’s wearing a horse outfit. This parallel helps confirm the games uniqueness, it has a crazy story, but it also has the same crazy gameplay, with plenty of cousins to shift that crazy around ever so slightly. Not many games embrace both sides like that, you might get a serious story but quirky visuals, or vice versa, but never both and Once Upon A Katamari shines for leaning into that. It would not be a Katamari title without an amazingly weird soundtrack and that is present as well, the music tracks that go with the action is just super fun. For those who really love the music, players will be able to unlock a bunch of music scores where they’ll be able to play back their favourite tracks.

So, for those Katamari fans that are out there, there’s lots you can do to enjoy visually and collect musically. The game also keeps track of all the different objects you’ve collected when playing the game in its entirety, which some are categorised under a wide variety such as Food, Vegetables, Decorations, Furniture, Seating and a whole lot more. I guess it only makes sense if you’re trying to fix the entire Cosmos after completely destroying it.

There’s a whole lot more we would absolutely love to talk about in detail with the games fun and whacky visuals and ideologies, but ultimately, Once Upon A Katamari is still the same base game it has always been. It has a funny and hilariously whacky story to set you up rolling objects (sometimes specific ones) on each level. But also, one that takes you through a lot of fun themes and as you can expect, there are special collectibles that can be found through each level, such as golden crowns.

Once Upon A Katamari is great for those who simply want to clock out from work or from having a run at a very challenging game, and just have a bit of fun here and there. It’s not taxing or one that you need full concentration (for the most part). You can play it casually here and there and know that you can use it to unwind from your real-life stresses. If you’re a fan of the series, then you’ll know what to expect and have fun with it. If you’re new to the franchise, it might take some time to understand and know its whacky nature. Regardless, it’s an easy pick up and one that will want to get you rolling.

The Score

8.0

Review code provided by Bandai Namco

The Pros

Hilariously funny and whacky narrative that’ll get you rolling

Clearly made for the fans of the series

Will be familiar to those who have played its predecessors

The Cons

Those new to the game might find it a little odd/weird

Could start to get repetitious

Same formula that hasn’t changed 2 decades