Once Upon A Katamari rolls into the limelight, signalling the return of one of gaming’s weirdest icons from the sixth generation of gaming. Making its return to consoles, since 2023’s We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie, Once Upon A Katamari marks the first true sequel in a long time for the series, as the last release was a remastered take on the beloved PlayStation 2 title.
Once Upon A Katamari takes the tried and tested formula of the series’ past and presents it as more of a straightforward game. In other words, although the 10 biomes or themed worlds present in Once Upon A Katamari begin with an extended animated cutscene, the game mostly forgoes exposition to give players more immediate access to the stages themselves. On the topic of the story, Once Upon A Katmari‘s main impetus opens with the King of All Cosmos and his family doing some spring cleaning, which inadvertently leads to him opening some form of arcane scroll that destroys the world and or universe.
In proper Katamari-fashion, Once Upon A Katamari has the player take on the role of the Prince (no pun intended) as he sets off on his spaceship across time itself, rolling things up using the titular Katamari to restore the universe to its former glory. For those new to the series, or rusty with their rolling skills, Once Upon A Katamari is a great starting point, as it’s both light on story and dense with levels and content to play alone, or with friends.
Although not the first time the series has featured any form of multiplayer action, Once Upon A Katamari pushes the envelope beyond older titles, with the introduction of Katamari Ball. This four-player local and online competitive Katamari rolling competition changes up the formula to make it feel more akin to a sport.
“Once Upon A Katamari is a great starting point, as it’s both light on story and dense with levels and content to play alone, or with friends.”
Instead of solely focusing on collecting stuff around the often eclectic levels to expand the size of your Katamari, KatamariBall requires players to avoid opposing players who may have grown larger than themselves. Objects that are attached to your Katamari must also be dropped off at designated goals, which add to the challenge and danger of the opposing players.
Complimenting and facilitating the focus on the multiplayer mayhem, Once Upon A Katamari features a wide gamut of unlockable cousins and cosmetics that can help players customize their look to stand out amongst the already diverse crowd. Once Upon A Katamari features 68 cousins to find and unlock, which generally boil down to seeing them in a stage and rolling them up.
Rolling is the name of the game, but like past entries into the series, Once Upon A Katamari features varied objectives and a slew of optional content to find and hunt while playing a stage. Stages include everything from series staples, such as Japanese-style homes, to underwater wonderlands and Western-inspired saloons, complete with cowboys and tumbleweeds.
Varied gameplay objectives include only collecting certain types of items, such as the aforementioned tumbleweed, to trying only to get a set amount of objects/living things that weigh the most. Side objectives in levels include collectable crowns, which often require players to first grow to a certain threshold, which can be a challenge when micro-managing the other stage objectives in any given level.
In truth, I found myself struggling in the early hours with my time with the game, always being just shy of the level clear requirement. Thankfully, Once Upon A Katamari features a lot in the ways of aiding the player learn the ropes to rolling, including many new power-ups, which the game refers to as Freebies. Freebies include everything from magnets that suck up nearby collectables, to a stopwatch that freezes time, and rockets and a target, which all give the Prince (or his cousins) that little extra boost to get through some of the tighter challenges.
Once Upon A Katamari also features both classic and simplified controls, which makes it ideal for both series vets and newcomers to quickly get the hang of things and get the ball rolling. Graphically, Once Upon A Katamari features the same striking low-poly look made famous on the PlayStation 2, but ups the ante when it comes to objects on screen and a rock-solid frame rate that doesn’t falter, even during multiplayer sessions.
“Once Upon A Katamari features a lot in the ways of aiding the player learn the ropes to rolling, including many new power-ups, which the game refers to as Freebies.”
Outside of the graphics and good level design, Once Upon A Katamari features an excellent soundtrack, including brand new songs that, like the game itself, highlight an eclectic mix of genres from J-Pop to alternative and techno tracks that bring the game to life. Specific versions of the upcoming game also come with a bunch of legacy songs from titles past, giving fans of the series a lot to listen to while they roll.
When it comes down to it, Once Upon A Katamari doesn’t reinvent the wheel (or rather, the Katamari) — instead, it gives players a ton of content to get through on top of a promising multiplayer mode, which should give those looking for a new party game something new to try with their friends. Once Upon A Katamari will release on October 24, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch platforms.
- PREORDER BONUS: Preorder now and receive 3 face customization parts. Customization parts can be obtained through normal progression.
- REROLL BONUS: Roll as COUSIN: YOUNG KING, the King of All Cosmos in his childhood form, who also appeared in past games! Freely customize him with the character customization feature. Bonus available for users who have save data from either Katamari Damacy REROLL or We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie on the same platform.
- PREORDER BONUS: Preorder now and receive 3 face customization parts. Customization parts can be obtained through normal progression.
- REROLL BONUS: Roll as COUSIN: YOUNG KING, the King of All Cosmos in his childhood form, who also appeared in past games! Freely customize him with the character customization feature. Bonus available for users who have save data from either Katamari Damacy REROLL or We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie on the same platform.
![Once Upon A Katamari Standard Edition - Pre-Purchase - Xbox Series X|S [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xO5l6qnHL._SL160_.jpg "Once Upon A Katamari (Ps5) Review")
- Preload now, play on 10/24
- Pre-order now to unlock 3 Face customization parts earlier in your katamari journey!
