Get ready to roll, because Katamari is back to take you on another weird and wacky adventure! Steamroll your way through fun and engaging levels, sticking as many different objects to your ball as possible. It’s quick and fun, but, like all parents, the King of All Cosmos loves to chat a little too much at inconvenient times.

Rom the history books

With its fourteen-year run, Katamari is one of Bandai Namco’s longest-running series. Originally created by Keita Takahashi, the series still continues without its original creator. It has had some hits, but also some misses along the way. But enough about the past; let’s talk about the present. (I wrote this sentence before remembering that this is a time travel story… Sorry!)
The story of Once Upon a Katamari begins with the Prince and the King of All Cosmos doing some spring cleaning around the palace. However, the King quickly gets bored and starts fidgeting with a scroll he finds lying around the palace. This quickly turns into a series of tricks as he tosses the scroll up into the air — and then, BOOM! He accidentally destroys the Earth, the Moon, and many other stars and planets. Realising what he has done to the night sky, the King sends his son on a quest through time with the Katamari Ball to collect as many resources as possible to rebuild the universe. The Prince’s journey takes him through some of history’s most iconic periods and locations. From the Jurassic period to feudal Japan and the Wild West, among others. No place in time is safe for the Katamari Ball.

Keep on rolling

As we have come to expect from the Katamari series, Once Upon A Katamari is a level-based game. You start each level by receiving an objective, and it is your job as the player to succeed or outperform as much as possible before the timer runs out. Goals vary, but always involve growing the ball in some way. This could mean making the Katamari exceed a certain size or collecting a certain number of items. The latter is my favourite because it can result in thrilling moments when the timer starts running out. One example is the Far West level, where you have to collect 50 drinks. In the last ten seconds. I spotted a few party-goers outside and managed to stick to their booze supply in the nick of time.
The controls in Once Upon a Katamari are also something special. As in previous instalments, you control your direction by using both the left and right sticks simultaneously. This control scheme is unique to the series and takes some getting used to, but once you have mastered it, you can perform precise movements without much thought. The game also has a simplified control scheme that mostly uses the left stick, but I would recommend taking the time to learn the full controls, as I found the simplified controls hindered my movement from time to time. What irritated me with both control schemes, and what motivated me to test them both out, was the camera. There isn’t really an effective way to control it, and the viewpoint can be strange at times. For me, though, this didn’t detract from the main experience too much.

Son! Let’s have a chat!

Something that did manage to get under my skin from time to time was the games’ pacing. The King of All Cosmos loves to talk between levels. It’s not just for story exposition; he wants to have a chat with his son before and after every level. I would have been fine with just a funny, quirky sentence or two, but it always took a bit too long. What’s more, every time you reload a level after returning to the main menu, you have to sit through the same conversation. This conflicted with the fast and fun level design. Replayability is key to this game, so be prepared to press the skip dialogue button a lot if you want to unlock all the customisation items.
Every level hides a Katamari cousin that you can stick to the ball and use as a playable character afterwards. For the first time ever, you can also customise the Prince himself. You can change the shape of his head and his expression. You can even find items in the game to dress him in. There is a lot to collect. The only downside is that the pacing drags down the fun if you mostly like Katamari for its high-octane levels.

Conclusion

Once Upon A Katamari is at a standard we have come to expect from the series. The fun, engaging levels and the replayable formula offer hours of fun for those chasing high scores. With a cousin to collect on every level and customisation items to unlock, you are guaranteed to find something new when you replay. The only downside is that the pacing can disrupt the flow of the gameplay, as the King of All Cosmos interrupts it too often with his monologues before and after every level. Once Upon a Katamari is available now for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

7/10

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch