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Katamari is making a comeback with Once Upon a KATAMARI, and after spending an hour with the game, it’s clear the series hasn’t lost its charm. The core idea remains the same – you roll a sticky ball called a katamari around different areas, picking up objects to make it bigger and bigger. What starts as collecting small toys and snacks eventually grows into rolling up cars, buildings, and massive landmarks.
The game stays true to what made the original series special. That satisfying feeling of starting tiny and gradually becoming huge enough to pick up entire structures is still there. The colorful, toy-like art style and quirky humor that fans love also make a return, keeping every stage filled with the same chaotic energy that made Katamari famous.
New Features Mix Things Up
While the basics stay the same, Once Upon a KATAMARI adds several new tools to change how you play. The magnet tool lets you pull smaller or hard-to-reach items straight into your katamari without having to roll over them. There’s also more focus on making the game your own – you can play as the Prince or pick from many of his cousins, and even change their colors and facial features.
The game includes helpful items that make rolling more fun. A timer can freeze the countdown, giving you extra seconds to grab more objects. The radar points you toward specific targets when you’re having trouble finding what you need. These additions give missions more variety without making the game too complicated.
For players who want to compete, there’s KatamariBall mode where up to four people can race to see who rolls best. Even when playing offline, you can still enjoy this mode against computer-controlled opponents.
Different Worlds, Different Rules
The stages feel like visiting different attractions at a theme park. Each area has its own look and mission rules that give it a unique personality. During the preview, three different locations were available – Ancient Greece, Edo Japan, and a Present Day area without a specific theme.
Some missions are straightforward, like a tutorial stage where you have one minute to reach a target size. The time pressure makes every second count, but the timer item can help by freezing the clock for a few moments.
Other stages get more creative and challenging. One mission focuses on collecting sweets within eight minutes, where you stick candy and desserts onto your katamari. The twist is that grabbing wrong objects takes away points, so you need to be careful about what you pick up. Around the four-minute mark, a character appears and starts throwing cucumbers at you, knocking your katamari around and trying to mess up your run. This can drop your progress significantly – one mistake can bring you from 56% completion down to 36%, changing your grade from B to C.
The Ancient Greece stage offers perhaps the strangest mission – a philosopher hunt where you need to find and roll up eight philosophers scattered around the map. You literally crash your katamari into them until they stick, which fits perfectly with Katamari’s weird sense of humor.
The Edo Japan stage puts a different spin on things by focusing on food. Instead of rolling the katamari itself, you roll a person who collects food as he moves. The more food he gathers, the heavier he becomes until he reaches the target weight. It’s a funny twist that celebrates Japan’s food culture while keeping the rolling mechanics fresh.
The soundtrack matches the game’s wild energy with upbeat, catchy music that sometimes goes completely over the top. Whether you’re rolling through Ancient Greece or chasing sweets, the tunes keep the mood light and add to the ridiculous fun.
Final Thoughts
Once Upon a KATAMARI feels like a proper return for the series. It keeps everything that made fans fall in love with Katamari while adding enough new elements to keep the experience interesting. The core loop of growing from small objects to world-swallowing chaos remains as addictive as ever. The new tools like the magnet, timer, and radar add variety without making things too complex.
Even though only offline play with computer opponents was tested, the KatamariBall mode promises competitive multiplayer fun when the full game releases. Combined with the energetic soundtrack and the large cast of customizable cousins, Once Upon a KATAMARI delivers both the familiar Katamari experience and plenty of silly new surprises.
