XBOX REVIEW | Once Upon a Katamari

For quite a while, I had the desire to try out the Katamari Damacy series. I eventually tried emulating the PS2 game, but at the time, I got confused with the gameplay, and it didn’t run too well on my PC, so I gave up. Then, the Katamari Damacy series started releasing games on Xbox One/Xbox Series, so as soon as it hit Game Pass, I got into it, and I was quite happy to experience it for myself, as rolling around was very entertaining. Without further ado, shall we get into Once Upon a Katamari to see if it is as good as previous entries?

Things I liked!

• Roll ‘em up | The gameplay consists of the usual rolling around and trying to gather either as much as you can of everything or something specific, just one thing of a kind, collect water and distribute it around the desert, among others, which does make it a bit varied and engaging the whole way through. There’s a new simplified way to roll around with just one analogue stick if you choose to; I tried it out, but I preferred the regular dual-stick controls. Power-ups are a new addition that make all the difference here: they can freeze time, which not only gives you extra time but also stops moving objects/living beings; they can make you go faster and not be as affected by bumping into things you can’t roll yet; there’s a magnet power-up that pulls everything rollable in a short distance; and also a radar, to help you find your objectives and crowns. These crowns become mandatory to an extent later to unlock more levels; getting all crowns in a level is also tied to achievements.

• KatamariBall | There’s a new mode that’s initially against AI, where you compete with three other “princes” to see who rolls the biggest katamari in a certain amount of time; you can knock your smaller opponents’ katamari to steal their objects and get points according to the size you managed to get. You can also play it in online multiplayer. Getting first place nets you a reward exclusive to this mode: a katamari pattern. It’s a fun addition that adds to the already big replayability factor in the game.

• Creative goofiness | The Katamari Damacy series always had humour and an air of goofiness around it; it isn’t supposed to be taken seriously, and Once Upon a Katamari is no different. The story begins with the king finding a scroll, throwing it around and doing tricks with it. The problem is, he throws it into space, and upon getting there, it sucks all the stars, the moon, and even Earth. That’s when the king gives you, the prince, the mission of travelling through time with some weird spaceship to roll up everything in different places and time periods, such as: Edo Japan, Cowboy America, The Stone Age, Ancient Egypt, The Ice Age, Ancient Greece, the Jurassic Period, and the present day while helping people with their problems. There are also some funny references in certain levels, such as references to SpongeBob and The Little Mermaid in underwater levels. Even the credits are creative because you roll them as they move and get scored for it.

• Customisation | There are plenty of unlockable customisation options, starting with 69 different playable characters, 68 of them being cousins you can find in levels. You can also manually customise a character’s face, body, and colour. Apart from that, you can also find gifts in levels, which are accessories you can equip on your head, face, or body.

• What have I done? | There’s a hub area, which is the previously mentioned spaceship, that has a customisable break room where you can choose between themes from the areas you’ve previously completed. This hub area lets you check every object you have collected from each category, with more than three thousand available items. You can also check each planet you have created and its details, as well as re-watch any cutscene you’ve seen.

• The sounds of the universe | The king’s voice is, as usual, the scratching DJ disc sound, which I always find adds to the goofiness of everything. The sound effects are simple and do exactly what they’re meant to, indicating danger, speed, an abrupt stop, and every other action properly. The soundtrack has the same feeling as it does in previous entries, with fun, thematic songs depending on the place you’re rolling around in. You can play any song you’ve listened to in-game in the hub area and also buy the soundtrack from previous entries to use in-game as DLCs if you choose to.

• The king has great taste | As is the case in every other aspect of the game, the visuals and general presentation have a fun feeling about them too, with a lot of colours, funny-looking characters, animals, and beautifully drawn funny cutscenes. In short, it is what Katamari Damacy has always been, which is a positive.

Mixed & disliked!

• Nothing | Only stardust is left here as there was nothing bad about this game.

How long did I play the review before publishing? around 9 hours
How long to beat the story? 7 – 9 hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 5/38 – 110/1000G
How long to achieve 1000G | 20h+
You’ll love this game if you like these | Katamari Damacy & We Love Katamari

CONCLUSION

Score: 100/100

Once Upon a Katamari is a beautifully crafted game with no flaws that I can think of. The King of Cosmos has once again exceeded my expectations with another very fun entry to the series, with a lot of content, challenges, customisation options, great presentation, and many katamaris.