Platform: Nintendo Switch Also On: PC Publisher: Bandai Namco Developer: Bandai Namco Medium: Digital/Cartridge Players: 1-2 Online: No ESRB: E We’ve all had those days where you wake up not remembering what happened previous night, coming to realization something terrible has happened in your blacked out phase. The first step you would take to make amends is to let your child fix the problem. I guess I should never take life lessons from the King of All Cosmos. In 2004, gamers in the US was introduced to one of gaming’s worst (and yet.best) Fathers. Having destroyed all the stars and the moon, he leaves the task of repopulating the sky to his diminutive son, the Prince.
This crazy plot, along with quirky gameplay and a very low price point made Katamari Damacy a cult favorite. Since then additional titles in the series had been released, each with less favorable critical response, it would almost be a foregone conclusion that the title would never get a proper console release again. So it was quite surprising that in September of this year, Katamari Damacy REROLL was announced for the Nintendo Switch and PC (but not for the platform where the title originatedthe PlayStation). The gameplay is pretty simple, using your Katamari you collect items on Earth and make the Katamari big enough within a set time limit so that it become a worthwhile celestial object. The controls can be a little wonky at times, but they are not terrible enough to be detrimental to the experience.
The game has you going through stages one of 3 unique environments with over 1000 objects to collect. I hate using hyperbole, but this soundtrack is one of the most memorable ever put in a video game.
In fact most of my reviews I tend to neglect mentioning the music, but this game is an exception. This series is one of the few where will go out of my way to put in my headphones into the Switch as I feel playing this game without music is tantamount to blasphemy. Katamari Damacy REROLL keeps most of what we saw in the original intact. Although there are some minor changes. The audio for the interstitials which feature misadventures of the Hoshino family is only Japanese only.
The Switch version has motion controls which is an addition that didn’t add much to the package. The only change that didn’t happen which should’ve would have been the addition of autosaving. It’s one of those things that we take for granted, but it is strange that it was not implemented. I will admit I did lose progress because I did not save before shutting down the game. REROLL doesn’t deviate too much from the original that came out almost 15 years ago and frankly that’s a great thing. It’s a short experience, but it’s replay value is pretty high. Completing the collection, finding all the presents, unlocking all the cousins for multiplayer, getting comets for beating each stage’s par time, and building the biggest katamari possible on each stage should keep players occupied for a while.
Frankly after a hard day, rolling up a giant katamari that consist of everyday objects as well as screaming humans can be cathartic, and being able to do so on the go makes the Switch a great therapeutic device. REROLL hopefully will introduce a new generation to this quirky series and maybe more remakes will occur, after all We Heart Katamari is the pinnacle of the series. Note: Bandai Namco provided us with a Katamari Damacy REROLL Nintendo Switch code for review purposes.
Katamari Damacy Reroll brings the wildly original PS2 game into the modern era, with a true remaster perfect for the Nintendo Switch. It’s been 14 years since the King of All Cosmos destroyed all of the stars and moon in his drunken stupor. More importantly, it’s been that long since The Prince of All Cosmos came down with a Katamari to roll everything on Earth up (and I mean everything) to rebuild the moon and stars for one unforgettable game. With Katamari Damacy Reroll, players can relive the experience from the original PS2 game that trailblazed its own genre.
In a world of far too many games that play it safe by following close to something that came before it, Katamari Damacy came out of left field and gave us something memorable. To this day, I rarely see anything come even close to being as head-scratching and unique. It’s hard to really give this a genre, in fact.
An Incremental-arcade game perhaps? I’m not sure, but whatever genre it is Katamari Damacy sure made a damn entertaining one. Now fast forward to Katamari Damacy Reroll for the Nintendo Switch, which is an HD remaster of the first Katamari entry. The game has you play as The Prince of All Cosmos, son of the king who destroys the moon and stars after a night drinking.
He assigns you the task of rebuilding the cosmos with a Katamari: a ball that sticks to everything that it rolls over. You collect stars that range from 5 meters, picking up small household objects, to picking up literal cities and islands. And other than some small, humorous cutscenes featuring a family living in parallel to the Prince’s story — that’s pretty much it on the story until the end of the game. “To this day, I rarely see anything come even close to being as head-scratching and unique.” Some levels require you to hit a certain size after a specific time limit or perhaps pick up specific items, such as crabs for the Cancer constellation. This gameplay is truly in a league of its own and I have yet to see anything come close to Katamari.
There’s something satisfying when you collect small objects that eventually pile up and progress enough to pick up cars and people — almost becoming like a Kaiju. The remaster, of course, updates the visuals for the current generation, brings new motion control options, and some slight audio changes.
Other than that, Katamari Damacy Reroll is true to the original game with content. With levels that can take you only roughly up to 15 minutes to beat, Reroll works so well as a handheld game. I found myself getting through levels more often in between appointments or during my downtime.
Probably at most, it took me about 5 hours to complete the entire game. The brevity Katamari Damacy Reroll may work to its advantage, however. Each level feels pretty distinct from one another, even if some take place technically on the same map. You’ll go from picking up stuff in a specific house for a level to a later level having you pick up that entire house and village.
With this satisfying sense of scale, I find myself even now revisiting some of my favorite levels when I feel like going on a roll. “Each level feels pretty distinct from one another, even if some take place technically on the same map.
You’ll go from picking up stuff in a specific house for a level to a later level having you pick up that entire house and village.” I will say one thing that doesn’t entirely work for this remake is the motion control option. I found myself struggling to rotate around using the two Joy-Con, even with the simplest of movements. Luckily Reroll retains the original two-stick controls of the original as the preset so I was able to jump right in like old times. Perhaps, however, this motion control layout might suit better for first-time players who aren’t too accustomed to the original controls.
Also, some slight tweaks from the original were made related to the audio. I noticed one of the first levels of the game has a different song instead of the techno track and was replaced for a different loop track. Now, I personally was not a fan of this track, but, I could see this being an issue for fans who wanted an authentic experience.
Another adjustment with the audio is the dialogue during the short cutscenes with the family. In the original Katamari Damacy there was a laughable track used for the family. However, in Reroll, that’s all replaced with what I’m assuming is the original Japanese voice track.
It’s not necessarily an issue, but it is a shame we don’t get an option to flip it back to the original dub. Overall though, none of the charm Katamari is known for is lost in this HD remaster. Many times, nostalgia seems to carry a remake far too many times in this day and age. But Katamari Damacy Reroll proves its uniqueness still holds up to this day. From its quirkiness in its aesthetic to its unique level design and progression, Reroll kept me entertained from start to finish while holding a polish that you should expect from a remaster. “From its quirkiness in its aesthetic to its unique level design and progression, Reroll kept me entertained from start to finish while holding a polish that you should expect from a remaster.” Though the game comes at a price of $30, which seems like a hard sell for a game with technically five hours of gameplay; I would still recommend buying this game. Katamari Damacy was one of those games from the PS2 I was always hoping for an official remake of on this generation of consoles.
And with a Switch port nonetheless, Katamari Damacy Reroll is probably the best case scenario for making such a special and niche series so accessible. This game is a great buy for any fan who wants to dive back in the series or even someone who always wanted to know what the hell it’s all about.