Katamari Damacy REROLL review for Nintendo Switch, PC

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. What? No? 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 originated…the 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.