Once Upon a KATAMARI

I couldn’t stop smiling as each melon, shoe, playing card, traffic cone, and house satisfyingly snapped into place on my whirling clump of stuff as I rolled across time and space. The only time Once Upon A Katamari broke my delirious grin was when it tickled my ears with riffs so funky the bassist practically reached through my TV’s speakers and slapped a stank face out of me (and that’s meant as a compliment). This appropriately ostentatious, energetic return is the best the Katamari series has been since the PlayStation 2 era. With cleverly implemented tweaks to the ever-satisfying gauntlet of rolling delights, a stellar soundtrack, and offbeat charm in spades, there will always be room on my hard drive for Once Upon A Katamari.

Once Upon a Katamari is another excellent title in the series. The game design is still timeless, and the act of picking up everything in your path never gets old. The additions of power-ups don't change the game dramatically, but the solid level design and varied objectives do a good job at keeping the game fresh. The time travel concept also helps in that regard. Still bathed in that joyful but lo-fi presentation, Once Upon a Katamari is a game that's benefitted from long stretches between releases and remains a great title for both veterans and newcomers alike.

Once Upon a Katamari feels like it is as strong of an entry as a game like We Love Katamari. The time traveling element really suits the series. The character customization is a lot of fun. I’m not a KatamariBall fan and think the Simple control scheme option is far from it. But overall Once Upon a Katamari is a great installment that captures the essence of the series.

Once Upon a Katamari successfully preserves the essential fun of rolling a ball and sticking everything to it, while also adding a delightful new layer by having players travel through various time periods. As the first new Katamari series title in 14 years, it serves as a welcome gift for long-time fans.

Once Upon a Katamari is a delightfully bizarre and captivating experience that thrives on absurdity. Rolling up everything from dancing cockroaches and mermaids to entire ships or orcas creates a strangely hypnotic rhythm that grows more satisfying over time. For completionists, it serves as a treasure trove of challenges and oddities; for others, it offers a blend of laughter, bewilderment, and gentle confusion. It may not resonate with everyone, but its unapologetically eccentric charm is precisely what makes it special – every piece of joyful madness eventually finds its devoted audience.