Once Upon a Katamari Reviews
Once Upon A Katamari delivers an amazingly fun time. It may be derivative with its graphics and story, but the impressive level variety across nine eras and sheer wealth of content ensure fans and newcomers will be rolling until they're sick of smiling. This is easily one of the best games in the series and one of the most charming games of the year.
Once Upon a KATAMARI is a Katamari game at its best, rolling, rolling, and rolling through time collecting items and constructing new planets. The 10+ year wait has been worth it, as it introduces just enough novelty all the while preserving the best bits of the series. Its uniqueness aside, it's the most approachable Katamari yet.
Once Upon A Katamari takes the tried and tested formula of the series past and presents it as more of a straightforward game
Long time fans of the off-the-wall action puzzler and newcomers alike are bound to have a ball.
Once Upon a Katamari is the return fans have been waiting for: colorful, eccentric, and brimming with the carefree absurdity that made Bandai Namco's franchise so unique. While it doesn't reinvent the formula, it tastefully modernizes it with a more cohesive structure. It's a game that chooses refinement over revolution, but does so with genuine love for its quirky universe and characters. In short, Once Upon a Katamari doesn't redefine the series; it celebrates it in the most joyful way possible.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It sticks hard to the formula established two decades ago, but Once Upon a Katamari's tumble through history has enough new ideas and relentless charm to make it a worthy entry for fans old and new.
Once Upon a Katamari keeps the series' trademark charm and eccentric humor intact. Some old flaws remain ' the clunky camera, minor grind, and brief loading pauses ' but they're easy to forgive. It's quirky, joyful, and still one of the few games that can make you smile just by playing.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Once Upon a KATAMARI makes its long-awaited return, delivering the series' trademark blend of simple yet addictive gameplay and quirky humor. Unfortunately, a few frustrating bugs also roll back in, but the game's charm is hard to resist.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Once Upon a Katamari is another excellent title in the series. The game design is still timeless, and the act of picking up everything in your path never gets old. The additions of power-ups don't change the game dramatically, but the solid level design and varied objectives do a good job at keeping the game fresh. The time travel concept also helps in that regard. Still bathed in that joyful but lo-fi presentation, Once Upon a Katamari is a game that's benefitted from long stretches between releases and remains a great title for both veterans and newcomers alike.
Once Upon A KATAMARI is a visually and audio-visually excellent experience, but unfortunately the gameplay lacks traction and suffers from a number of issues. On the other hand, the $40 price tag for such a game is insane, which makes it hard to recommend it.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The new Katamari has returned in the best possible way. The new features and the variety of missions add great layers to the gameplay, and the inclusion of different time periods brings an interesting twist compared to the past. There are a few minor shortcomings that slightly affect the experience, but they’re not enough to disrupt the overall flow of the game. Once Upon a Katamari offers an enjoyable experience for both newcomers and longtime fans, marking another success for the series.
Review in Persian | Read full review
It's even better that the one on Nintendo Switch feels like the third game in a trilogy with the two original PS2 games (that are also available in HD remaster form on Switch). Once Upon a Katamari is a full-fledged fresh entry in a series that hasn't had this kind of shot in the arm since HDTVs were a thing. Here's hoping we get a more consistent drip of Katamari following this charming entry that largely understands why the first one was such a cult hit.
The first brand new Katamari game in years, Once Upon a Katamari doesn't disappoint. While it suffers from the same issues the series always has, like wonky controls and camera, there's no denying that it's as fun as ever to play. There's nothing else like it, and we'll never grow tired of the utter weirdness of rolling up items with a special ball.
Once Upon A KATAMARI takes one of the most unique and enjoyable formulas in gaming history and makes it even more fun thanks to its many elements that add up to one cleverly quirky era-spanning adventure. 👑
If you can get past Once Upon A Katamari's sticky controls and a general sense of deja vu, the many time periods, customizable cousins, unique challenges, and features make even a decades-old formula feel fresh again.
The base game is $40 and can take you anywhere from 5 to 15 hours to beat. If you’re a fan of the series, it will be a must-buy for you. If you want to get into the series, or just really love good music, you’re going to want to check it out as well. I just personally wasn’t a fan of the controls or the stress induced from the timer.
Once Upon a KATAMARI is still really fun, but it doesn’t quite live up to the dream of what I wanted a new Katamari game to be. The developers clearly put a lot of thought into how they could mix up the series’ formula, and they did a great job of putting players in new situations, but too often, I just found myself wishing for more of the old style of stages. Still, if you’ve already played the earlier games in the series and want more, you’ll have a good time with Once Upon a KATAMARI.
Once Upon a Katamari doesn’t stray from the game’s core formula and makes some concessions which smooths out some of the rougher edges of the gameplay. I might say having such a troublesome father might make me reconsider my loyalties, but how can you stay mad at that face! If you haven’t been on a roll in a while, this is a perfectly suitable entry to get back on the ball!
Once Upon a Katamari is the new high point of this bizarre ball rolling series, will expertly crafted stages and loads of silly objects to roll up.
Once Upon A KATAMARI remains as iconic, colorful, and fun as the rest of the franchise, once again using its signature formula to create an entertaining and unique puzzle game. While the title does not do anything different or reinventive for the franchise, it does not necessarily need to, providing another delightful helping of the series for fans and new players alike. PC players will be pleased to have another KATAMARI title on the platform, though they are better off avoiding the awkward keyboard controls and using a dedicated controller.