Katamari Damacy REROLL is a remastered HD version of the Playstation 2 classic Katamari Damacy. In this game, you are the son of King of All Cosmos, a tiny cosmic Prince who pushes around a junk “ball”, the katamari. It catches various items you happen to roll it on. These items can be any ordinary things or animals, from ants to mammoths and batteries to skyscrapers. Once the katamari has grown large enough, you can roll just about anything in the game stage onto it. After beating the level, the katamari will be shot into the sky to form a star or a constellation.
Before you can start rolling the King will give you the objective.
Most stages are timed, and the katamari must be rolled into a certain size within the time limit, and for me, there was never enough time! Luckily, you can unlock an eternal-mode in certain levels if the King is pleased with the katamari. In this mode you can collect every item without a time limit – so do your best!
Some levels are themed around the constellations, like Pisces, Gemini, or Virgo. In these levels, you need to collect the themed item, such as fish, twins, or maidens. Rolling around town and grabbing screaming schoolgirls is certainly creepy and bizarre, yet oddly compelling and fun. These are some of my favorite levels!
Picking up girls around town.
However, what I do not like about the game are the terrible controls. They are janky and often hinder movement and disrupt the gaming flow. The camera, which affects the direction of rolling, is sometimes stuck or very slow. The game would be more enjoyable if the controls were smoother. While the game does offer two other options besides the default, they are not any better. When playing on the Nintendo Switch I suggest using a Pro Controller for the best grip and experience. Be prepared for sore thumbs!
At the end of the level your katamari will be evaluated.
Another annoying part is the collision in the game. When you collide with something larger than your katamari, you will lose some of the items you have collected. Larger animals and humans will try to pounce you, sending you flying in the opposite direction. If you get stuck in a corner or a hole, you start to spew your precious junk and reduce the katamari in size. I got stuck a few times just before running out of time, which made me smaller than the required size and subsequently fail the level. A katamari not meeting the standards makes the King of All Cosmos very disappointed. It is scary!
The King was not satisfied with the size of my katamari.
Despite its faults, and my sore thumbs, Katamari Damacy REROLL is a wonderful and unique game in its absurdity. It touches my inner hunter-gatherer as collecting junk gives me a lot of gratification. However, it is not a very long game and the stages are somewhat repetitive which makes me long for its more versatile sequel from 2005.
Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
Developer: Monkeycraft
Platform: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, PC, XBOX One.
Release Date: 07.12.2018,
Genres: Puzzle, action
Rating: Pegi: 3
Pictures are screenshots taken by the author.
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