EDIT 3/6/2024: After having played the game a bit more today and unlocking the eternal versions of the levels, I found less frustrating and was enjoying the game so much more than initially. I still think that the climbing isn't too good and levels can be rather claustrophobic (especially the house), but overall I find the game to be really fun.

I was considering rewriting the whole review because of this, but it's probably better that I keep that up and just add this on top of it and keep the original one as is.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I don't think there's much I can say about Katamari that hasn't already been said a million times over by people who are probably more qualified to talk about them bideo games than I am. It's an unbelievably charming experience that isn't quite like anything else. Truly one of the video games to ever.

It's not without it flaws though. The most notable of which being the Katamari doesn't always feel great to move. I found myself fumbling around in tight spaces on a number of occasions, leading to occasional frustration. The climbing can also be really finicky causing you to constantly bump into walls while losing progress. There's a chance maybe I'm just not very good and am blaming the game for my own shortcomings. But either way it's something that impacted my experience, so it feels worth mentioning.

It also seems to be a common complaint that the game is a lacking in the variety department. And while I do agree it could've benefited from some more unique levels/objectives I personally didn't mind it. Helps that the game is pretty short so it doesn't have much of a chance to overstay its welcome.

This review probably came off as rather negative considering it focused so much of the things it doesn't excel in, but don't let that fool you. I still enjoyed my time regardless. Glad I finally got around to playing this after having it sit in my Steam library collecting dust for over two years lol.

Allow me to present you with a question you might groan at the mere sight of witnessing it, fellow reader, that being: are videogames art?





To that I say a resound:... they are even better than that

I really don’t know where to even start with Katamari Damacy, much like with the weird kind-of-not-spherical bringers of chaos and destruction that give the game’s name, there isn’t really a beginning or end, it just keeps on rollin’...

I wouldn’t be the first to gush about its uniqueness, both in its completely bonkers yet adorably silly presentation and its rather peculiar control scheme, one that definitively takes some time to adjust to, but one you do it’s like riding on a bike. Managing both joysticks, knowing when to turn and when to stop, where to go and what to evade, it’s a waltz performed by a mystical otter that plays the accordion, and you may be thinking ‘’Deemon, that doesn’t make sense at all’’ and to that I say EXACTLY! It’s a hectic loop, there were times I was sweating wondering if I’d even come close to the required size to beat the game, only to steam roll while some of the most varied and oddly beautiful bangers play in the background, some even compliment you! And that’s when the stress starts to mix with an zen sensation, a melding process that culminates once you do it, you manage to reach the required size, and from your mind an profound and sound ‘’WOOOOOOOOO!’’ sensation appears as you begin to try to go even higher, reaching uncontemplated horizons by your small prince mind and achieve a perfect star shine... only for the King of the Universe to go ‘’You call this a star? Oh me oh my.’’ ...

It feels too chaotic, and yet, it’s perfectly calculated. There are so many maps that it feels like new surprises are neverending, yet there are so little that learning their routing becomes essential as well as pretty rewarding; there’s so much stuff that it may be hard to know where to start or on what you can even roll over, yet it’s placement is so finely tuned, so perfectly put together that it begins to be like a puzzle that gets easier as you go along, and even throws some extra challenges like finding the scattered gifts across the globe or trying out the constellation stages. Even when the King of the Universe throws you to repair his ‘’naughtiness’’ or time seems of the essence, there's always a moment of respite, a small victory whether it’s in pure calmness or pure ectasis, or something as simple as triying to find out a new crazy set up or what do they ask of you next. Going from having to just achieve 1 meter to the three-digit numbers was a feeling of progression that seems simple, but I wasn’t expecting to see so well-crafted in so little time, to make me keep coming back time and time again may to grab a scarf or shirt on the way, or get the biggest cow possible and make one hell of a Taurus.

The little intermissions, the songs, the movement... it’s such a silly experience, and I use that word with the best intent imaginable. Katamari Damacy is comfy and hilarious, stressful and maddening, a cocktail of emotions I don’t think a game has made me feel in such a way. There’s not a ton of games that say goodbye when closing them, and even among them, Katamari does it with an irreplicable sweetness, the same with which i does everything else.

You gotta defeat mouses if you want to go up against a Kraken, you need to see small worlds before going through the globe, and of course, if you want to make the sky shine, you gotta keep rollin’

And before I wrap this up, huge thanks to @Drax for recommending me this one, it was the reason I came back to it after giving it a go in 2022 and dropping it near the beggning and I’m so glad I returned, it was beyond worth it...

A short but incredibly fun experience, there's not many games out there like Katamari Damacy

It's interesting to consider that it's really in a league of it's own without many taking inspiration from it, the only thing really springing to mind currently being Donut County. What's also impressive is how little Katamari has aged, it's charming minimalist aesthetics and controls are just as solid as when they launched. Sure, Re-rolls HD-ification of it helps but in terms of visuals alone it's endlessly charming.

It's short, yes, able to be completed in about 4-5 hours if you just want to rush through, and only offers a handful of levels (albeit expanding each time you play), but it hits a sweet spot where it doesn't overstay it's welcome with the contents that it has. Don't get me wrong, I feel there's potential for a lot more (potential that most likely is explored in it's sequels), but I had a wonderful time with what's there.

The controls are good, the physics can get a little funky at times, but in a game where almost every asset can be absorbed into a cataclysmic snowball I think it can be excused for the few times the Katamari gets stuck or clips through the world.

Katamari has always been on my "want to play this someday" radar, but I never actually delved further into it - all I've known for many years is that it was supposedly about rolling up stuff to roll up even more stuff. But when I saw it for 4€ on sale the other day, I decided to just give it a try.

Surprisingly, Damacy Reroll already managed to set a record within the first 5 minutes in gameplay, where I was ready for nominating the game for the "worst controls of all time" award without even having finished the tutorial levels. Thankfully the award didn't go to Damacy and it didn't take me long to get used to the controls and enjoy the game properly. The twin-stick controls are really unique and simply describable as "easy to learn, hard to master", there's an additional layer of precision when you get the hang of them and it's quite satisfying to see.

The core gameplay is as straightforward as it gets - in the main missions, the Katamari (the ball you're rolling) has to reach a certain size within a certain time limit. Everything you roll over gets glued to the Katamari, so you'll have to start with coins and fruit first and when things get rolling (I'm sorry), you can roll over increasingly bigger things to a point where it's comical. It's so ridiculous, but Damacy Reroll does a great job at creating a sense of scale in each individual level. The side missions are also fun little challenges in the way that their main goal isn't having the biggest Katamari possible, but rather collecting a certain amount of something or having to guess your Katamari's size.

In terms of soundtrack, the dreamy songs fit the fever-dreamish vibe of the game's direction really well and are easy on the ears. Do yourself a favor and listen to Lonely Rolling Star. I think it's rather silly that the music is so cheerful and pleasant when there's a weapon of mass destruction mowing down everything in sight, but that's definitely part of the charm for me.

There's... not much else I have to say, except that I'm looking forward to playing We Love Katamari! Currently pretty engaged with Tekken 8, so my progress in Persona 3 Reload has been paused for the moment, but I'll get back to it soon. As always, thanks for reading my reviews!

It’s so intriguingly bizarre, with a simple concept that is just plain fun. Where it falters for me is in the controls, which are decidedly unique, but never really felt like I could get to grips with them because they feel rather unintuitive. When it’s not the controls, it’s me constantly getting stuck on things or getting bumped around. It ended up being a tad more frustrating than I imagined, but it was still mostly fun once I decided I didn’t care about 100% completion. I think that’s the best way to play this, too: don’t care about completion rates or percentages, just keep rolling and have a blast while doing it. I recommend it to anyone who’s curious, just go in with an open mind and strap in for a weird, weird ride.