Once Upon a Katamari Rolls Onto Switch and PS5 October 24
Bandai Namco is keeping the rolling tradition alive. On Monday the company shared a music video for Once Upon a Katamari, its newest entry in the much loved Katamari Damacy series, set to the song “Clémentine” by Satoru Kōsaki of MONACA.
The game launches on October 24 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC through Steam. It brings new stages and new songs while keeping the comforting, slightly chaotic gameplay the series is known for.
The story is as charming and silly as ever. After the King of All Cosmos accidentally wipes out the Earth and its stars, the Prince has to travel through time to put the night sky back together. Players can dress up the Prince and his 68 cousins with all sorts of colors and faces.
New this time is a four player competitive mode called KatamariBall, where everyone races to roll the biggest ball, playable both online and offline. A Deluxe King of All Sounds edition sweetens the deal with 60 songs and 26 costumes pulled from earlier games.
The franchise has rolled a long way since the original Katamari Damacy arrived on the PlayStation 2 in 2004. Over the years it has spread across consoles, handhelds, and phones, with HD revivals like Katamari Damacy Reroll and We Love Katamari Reroll keeping the classics in reach for new players.
My take: Few series are as pure joy as Katamari, and a new mainline entry feels overdue in the best way. The idea of four people frantically rolling balls against each other sounds like exactly the kind of happy mess I want in my life.
