Once Upon A KATAMARI

Katamari Forever has been one of my favorite games of all time basically since its release. Even before that I've been a fan of the series since WHK, and have literally thousands of hours in these games. So I understand the desire for any non-mobile Katamari game after SIXTEEN years (seventeen for you xbox players). This just ain't it. This game shares much of its source code with Rolling LIVE, a mobile game, and it shows. The levels are shockingly small and the physics is painfully clunky, especially when compared to the large expansive levels of Forever. So often will my rolling be stopped DEAD by something as ordinary as a single stair step, even when I'm ten times bigger than it and should be able to roll over it easily. It's so easy to get stuck or to fail wall climbs that it makes me wonder about the decision not to bring back the prince hop. I see and respect that others enjoy it, and if you're coming straight off of the remasters it's ok. But it could have been SO much more after, I emphasize, SIXTEEN YEARS of technical advancement. It's really disappointing that it's somehow less of a game than its predecessor from 2009. We have the technology and the power to go BIGGER, so why aren't we? (bc of the mobile engine truly, but why is this franchise stuck in mobile hell?) Not nearly worth the price tag, especially with the nickel and diming of the "DLC". Funnily enough, I think Rolling LIVE is the stronger of the two games.

while the game itself it alright, feels like it lacks soul somehow. i cannot explain to you why i felt that why. it just lacks IT

I love this game except for one, very irritating thing. For the love of God, please move the king's constant voice text box out of the middle if the screen. On a positive note, the levels are largely much better than previous versions and very fun to play. Get this game and be angry about the king's constant talking!

I have a couple of minor nitpicks. For example, compared to the first 2 games, it's really easy to get stuck in some of these levels, and getting unstuck can be an ordeal. I thought the customization options on the ship were going to be a lot more interesting at first, the game made it sound like you were going to be able to change a lot more than just the background. The first few hours of the game have you being told exactly where to go and what to do even if you have other plans. Some of the levels have gimmicks that are a bit convoluted, like the dynamite in the goldmine level. This stuff is really easy to overlook. The biggest problem this game has is how repetitive and tedious collecting the cousins is. I'm missing something like 11 cousins, mostly from the "as big as possible / as fast as possible" stages, which means I haven't unlocked the final 2 stages ("Tag, you're it!" 1&2), which is mildly frustrating. These stages often have 3 cousins, but you can only unlock 1 at a time, and you have to be a specific size for each one, and the levels get to be like 15 minutes long, so replaying them with the sheer goal of finding and grabbing a new cousin - and having to restart the level if you accidentally get too big first - just doesn't feel worth it for a few bonus levels. I'm tired, man. I paused my playthrough of Yakuza Ishiin to be here. That being said, it is essentially just more We Love Katamari, but not quite as good. I think the more Katamari you've played, the less excited you'll be for this, but I missed out on everything from WLK until now, and for a while - before I went into completionist mode - I was in love with it, but yeah, the level design just can't really touch on the perfection of WLK, and the completionist elements are annoying. I still had a lot of fun with it for the most part though, it's a solid entry and I'm not bothered enough by missing out on a few gimmick levels to say it ruined the game for me.

Let me get one thing out of the way right from the start: Once Upon a Katamari is a very solid Katamari game that fans of the core series will have a hard time passing up. That said, I simply can't agree with some of the claims that it's a "masterpiece" and I've played and genuinely loved every entry in the series except for the mobile titles. For newcomers, OUAK is just as welcoming as any other Katamari game. In fact it hardly matters whether you start with the original, jump in somewhere in the middle, or begin with the newest installment. Aside from a few small differences, the formula has remained largely the same. You roll around in a colorful, delightfully quirky world, collecting all kinds of objects and as your Katamari grows, unlocking new sections of each stage. The gameplay has always been and once again is, refreshingly straightforward. If I had to describe Katamari in just a few words, I'd call it a charming, colorful feel-good game for players of all ages. The truth however, and I say this as someone who has been with the series since the PlayStation 2 days and who spent an absurd amount of time with Beautiful, Forever and Touch My Katamari, is that after waiting fourteen years for a new mainline entry, I can unfortunately feel the magic starting to wear off with this release. Some people say Katamari doesn't need to reinvent itself, and for the most part I agree. The problem is that this time the developers played it a little too safe. There simply isn't enough evolution and some of the series more frustrating aspects have once again been left unaddressed. Sure, it's still amusing to see a dinosaur with a mushroom on its back while you're busy rolling up entire houses, but at the same time the formula is starting to feel a bit worn out. In fact, that's ultimately why I decided not to continue playing it more. The different historical eras and themes do make the stages feel more varied than before, the humor is still intact and the new power-ups are a welcome addition, but hey that's about it. On top of that, your Katamari still gets stuck in utterly ridiculous ways, collisions often feel odd and the camera occasionally seems to work against the player. The many unnecessary cutscenes and text pop-ups appearing in the middle of a run remain just as annoying as ever. The soundtrack is a similarly mixed bag. There are some really beautiful tracks by familiar composers and singers, but also a few extremely grating, techno-flavored songs that feel out of place and at times, frankly just made me angry. As mentioned before, it's a solid Katamari game and longtime fans will most likely give it a roll anyway. But I don't think the price is justified, in fact I'd go as far as to call it downright excessive, and the DLC practices are frankly shameless. I can still recommend Once Upon a Katamari but your best bet is to wait for a sale and steer clear of the King of All Sounds Edition and the DLCs.

if you liked the other Katamari games, you'll like this one.

I really wanted Beautiful Katamari Reroll, so when I saw this instead, I decided to wait for a sale. I noticed the mixed reviews when it launched and wasn’t sure what to think. To my pleasant surprise, this is one of the best Katamari games out there. It has a ton of content, with more unlockables than ever before, and almost everything about it feels spot-on. The only downside is summy DLC. Sadly I will likely end up picking up the rest of it at somepoint. Because I big doofus Whether you’re a longtime fan of the series or completely new to it, this is a great pickup. I waited for a sale, but if I had known it was this good, I definitely would’ve grabbed it sooner.

On one hand a really nice quirky game that has a lot to offer and will please any Katamari fan. Heavily let down by incessant menu-ing, clunky interface and way too much fluff. Gameplay itself is spot on, everything between levels is way too drawn out and clunky. You'll spend as much time clicking away dialog, tips and menus as you will be playing. This coupled with a very completionist attitude forcing you to unlock and replay a lot made it a thumbs down for me. Controls feel better and more clunky at the same time and it has very little QoL features so you'll be menu-ing around quite a bit to figure out what to do next.. It just gets tedious and that is the opposite for me what the predecessors did.

it is in-fact a Katamri game. i was hesitant because of some less enthusiastic reviews & Katamri games have never been a full-price endeavour for me. very good modern development of the game. tons of cousins to collect... NEEDS MORE PRESENTS. crowns feel unsatisfying as an "in game" collectible & appear only to be placed for achievement confirmation. 3-tier prestige mechanic for the maps is introduced FAR TOO LATE into the game, more that a dozen levels in... modern conveniences included like 1 stick role, single button dash. probably great for new-comers. king is as always an annoyance in your face while roiling. my biggest gripe here is that it should not be a dual-stage level pause when the area is expanded. tutorial should have been better. i like the hyper locked down region where all mechanics are explained quickly. It is short, but still felt drawn out movement function access locked out for no good reason. I SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO QUICK TURN BEFORE YOU EXPLAIN A QUICK TURN. i noticed at least 1 maybe 2 movement/ base mechanics explained after the tutorial stage which just bothers me on a psychological level. nice integrated collectible locator mechanics which is oh so appreciated because i've never been one to grind for them on my own, but i will typically use a guide to collect everything at the end game.

過去作の塊魂を遊んできたファンとして、久しぶりの新作を楽しみにしていました。 サントラもプレイ前から聴いていて、好きな曲もあります。 ただ、実際に80分ほど遊んだところ、楽しさよりもストレスの方が強くなってしまい、返品しました。 一番気になったのは、第一印象では塊魂らしさがあるのに、実際に触ると「気持ちよさ」や「遊び心」がうまく再現されていないように感じた点です。 まず、見た目に違和感がありました。 ぱっと見、塊魂らしいローポリ風の雰囲気は残っているのですが、新しく追加された要素の一部が過去作の世界にあまり馴染んでいないように見えます。 懐かしさはあるのに、新要素が自然に溶け込んでおらず、「過去作の上に別のものを乗せた」ように感じる場面がありました。 音まわりもかなり気になります。 塊魂は音楽や効果音の楽しさも大きな魅力だと思っていますが、今作ではその部分があまり気持ちよくありませんでした。 特に気になったのは、新要素のアイテム演出です。 アイテムを取ったときに「嬉しい」「楽しい」と感じる盛り上がりが弱く、むしろテンポを削がれることがあります。 時間停止系の演出では、BGMがまったく聞こえなくなる場面もあります。 塊魂の魅力のかなり大きな部分は音楽にあると思っています。 その音楽が途切れてしまうと、せっかくの楽しさが削られてしまいます。 新要素のアイテムで気持ちよくなりたいところなのに、音の演出がそれについてきていない印象でした。 ワールドマップも遊びやすいとは感じませんでした。 エリアが分割されていて、解放されるたびに強制的に移動させられる場面があります。 まだ遊んでいないコースがあるのに移動させられるため、自由に進めているというより、誘導されすぎているようなストレスがありました。 住人たちの声やマップ上のにぎやかさも、過去作と比べると物足りなく感じます。 過去作では、声や効果音が少しごちゃっと鳴ることで、独特のにぎやかさやキャラクター性につながっていたと思います。 今作では鳴らし方が単調になっており、印象に残りづらく、中途半端に感じました。 また、ステージに入る前の演出やロード中の遊び心も薄くなったように感じます。 過去作にあった、王様の顔を動かして文字を飛ばすような小さな遊びは、単なるおまけではなく、待ち時間すら塊魂らしくする要素だったと思います。 今作ではロードやマップ切り替え自体はあるのに、そうした遊び心が減っていて、少し味気なく感じました。 もちろん、過去作を知らずに新作として触る人なら、気にならない部分もあると思います。 塊魂の雰囲気や音楽が好きで、多少の違和感があっても新しいステージを遊びたい人には合うかもしれません。 ただ、過去作の「転がして大きくしていく気持ちよさ」「音楽と効果音の一体感」「無駄に見える部分まで楽しい遊び心」を期待している人には、引っかかる部分が多いと思います。 個人的には、懐かしさは感じたものの、新作としての完成度や気持ちよさには満足できませんでした。 過去作のファンとして期待していただけに、かなり残念です。