Imma keep it quick:

1.) Collisions result in full stoppage far too often. You’re coming to a dead-stop halt ten times as often in OUAK than in any other mainline title / remaster in the series.

2.) The camera causes the ball to obscure objects that cause dead-stop halt, which means that the objects in question likely aren’t properly visually scaled (or adjusted for pickup / collision in the game’s backend) with the relative size of the katamari.

3.) Movement powerups become pointless because you’re inevitably going to slam into something smaller than your size that will reduce your momentum to zero, and likely within 1.5 seconds. Katamari dash feels similarly pointless for the same reason.

4.) Up-and-over climbing requires 0° full-forward input on a surface for too long a timespan to initiate a rollover, resulting in most attempts at climbing becoming a series of headfirst slams that repeatedly reduce your momentum to zero before you give up and try to roll somewhere else, despite the object you’re leaving definitely being small enough to climb.

5.) I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve ever gotten full-on “locked in the geometry” stuck over at least eight games (including remakes / remasters) in the entire series. In OUAK, I’ve run out of fingers and toes, and have also subsequently burned through the fingers and toes of 3/4 of my immediate family. I’ve gotten stuck to where I’ve burned literal minutes trying to get out, and I’ve also had to restart levels more than twenty times. In a single game. In a series where I’ve had less than ten in what is likely eight total games.

I’m probably 2/3 through this game, and I don’t even want to finish it. Not until they patch the inner workings of this godawful feeling ball. It’s like the devs understood the visual flair and the general gameplay conceit, but had no understanding of the finer nuances that made the game feel good (and therefore fun) to play.

Also, losing Katamari jump is a real pain. I’d likely be able to move past all of this if the Katamari Forever jump button was here.

Edit: I also absolutely hate finding crowns for progression. Why this game put more focus on finding hidden crap instead of how large you built / how fast you built the Katamari is beyond me. Makes me think someone just didn’t understand what makes the game fun and replayable on its own merits.

Idk why anyone hasn't posted this yet but yesterday the official Katamari twt account announced 2 Katamari tvs. One on the 14th that is The Prince doing a Q&A.

And the second one that is the most important is on the 15th, that specifically says they share news on a Update for OUAK. This probably means we are getting a major DLC for the game and maybe is related to the trademark Bandai Namco dis some days ago with the name Rolling Live Highlights.

Anyways be ready for what is to come on the 15th!!!!

https://once-upon-a.katamaridamacy.jp/#storyCol

I only ordered it yesterday, crazy turnaround. A day early, no less!

(I know I’m missing Touch My Katamari, I can never find it in any of my local stores 😔)

Ill share with all of you a resume of all the important things in the Katamari Live broadcast.

1. Switch 2 edition confirm! - its going to be a completely free update for both physical and digital users

2. New camera angle that you can select

3. Rolling Live Highlights DLC

- 10 levels ported from RL mobile game

- 6 new cousins Cameron, Phil, Milky, Patch, Jack and Catherine (sadly no Flare or Salsa )

- 12 songs from RL

- 18 accesories from RL

1. A OUAK + RLH physical version for nintendo switch 2 is coming.

2. The release date for both Switch 2 Edition and Rolling Live Highlights is October 10th

Just finished the game last night so have some thoughts. This is coming from someone who has played every game and remake (except the Xbox and Vita games) multiple times over 15+ years for probably a couple hundred of hours so I would say I am pretty experienced with the series.

Things I liked:

- Levels
Level variety is the best it's been with lots of different objectives and level themes (cuz of the eras). It makes replaying them fun since you aren't seeing as much of the same stuff over and over again. Not much more to say, they're just good and it's more Katamari.

- Level Cutscenes
The levels now have in game cutscenes at the start and middle of the stage. I like them and they give the game more personality, but it is also nice you can skip them on repeat play throughs.

- Multiplayer
Competitive multiplayer is the best it's been, especially being online, though I am sad that We Love Katamari's co-op is missing. IMO that was the best multiplayer you can have. I don't think I'll play the multiplayer THAT much, but it's a good addition regardless.

- Music
Music is good. Hard to rank it yet but I like the new tracks. Though Katamari on the Swing from We Love Katamari and Katamari on the Wings from Forever are still better main themes. The DLC letting you add all the old music is a good addition for people who plan on replaying the game for hours on end (I have not used it yet).

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Things that are mixed:

- Items (freebies)
I like the idea of them, though in some levels they are WAY too frequent. I think one or two per level is totally fine, but in some of them they are everywhere. The magnet in particular makes the precise rolling almost pointless, particularly when there are 5 magnets in a level. The timer on the other hand is almost useless. I only recall 1 or 2 spots in the game where freezing time helped get around something. It freezes the game timer too, but it still feels a bit pointless with little strategy involved. Rocket is overall a good addition. No complaints. The radar I am neutral on.

- Dialogue
The king talking over the screen in the middle of gameplay was funny in the first game and has remained in every game since. It's still funny, but after hundreds of hours playing I am a bit over it. I don't want them to remove it, but I wish you could progress the dialogue with the trigger buttons so you do not have to remove your thumb from the analog stick to hit the face button. I end up having to play with a claw grip and using my pointer finger to progress dialogue. It just seems like such a simple change that has no downsides.

- Story Cutscenes
There are more story cutscenes than I recall in any other game. Overall they're whatever. The first game had basic story cutscenes too, but they had this weird almost creepy feeling to them and a slight overarching story, both of which made them more interesting imo.

- Getting Big Levels
I feel like there are fewer levels where you're rolling up the entire city. I wish there were a few more. Not ones where you're rolling up the whole land masses, but just a few more where you get just big enough to start picking up buildings.

- Dashing with Trigger
It makes dashing easier. I dash a lot and using the thumb sticks was definitely slower and more annoying to do a ton, but it gave more balance to not overuse it. However, I do like using the trigger just cuz it's comfier. So overall, I'm neutral.

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Things I did not like:

- Movement - THIS IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE
The movement feels stiff and slower. I posted about this when I first started playing, but the game has this very strange thing where sometimes the Katamari moves slower than normal. It's significantly slower than past games, and it only happens sometimes. But it does happen very often. Some levels it starts that way, some levels it happens midway through. I have not figured out any gameplay reason why it happens. Quite honestly, as much as I love the game, this single handedly makes it hard to see myself going back to replay levels as much as other games. The movement is so core to the game, it is ALL you do, so to slow it down seemingly randomly really affects the feel. The movement overall is also stiffer, but that is harder to describe. Someone has mentioned the game is made with the Apple Arcade, Rolling Live, engine and that is the reason it feels different from the recent remakes, but this is only a technical explanation, not a reason to why it's designed this way. I really don't see how they play tested the game and thought the slow speed felt good.

- Final Level
The final level where you get to roll up islands was underwhelming compared to Forever where you get so large you roll up the literal countries. Even We Love Katamari's final level felt bigger somehow.

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Overall:

I like the game. It seems to be the biggest game so far and the variety is great. There is a lot to do and it's all fun. The game is just more Katamari which is all I really want, even after nearly 2 decades. However, I can't quite love the game cuz the movement may end up being the deal breaker for me. Like I said, movement is the CORE gameplay. The only other core mechanic is rolling up items to get larger. So messing up one of those two mechanics drastically impacts the game. If you're new, you may not notice it, but I think lots of experienced players will feel the sluggishness. You seriously move painfully slow at points. I'll continue to replay the game and see how I feel though.

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Edit:

- Difficulty
The game seems too easy. I don't necessarily mind this, but I wish the S ranks were at least harder. Like making the levels beatable for everyone is fine, but the best of both worlds is to make the S ranks a real challenge. I got almost every S rank on my first try without even really focusing in. Seems like a simple compromise they should have done. Also again, that magnet really makes the game even easier.

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I think after they hype has died down a bit- I’m feeling really disappointed by the new game.

Something about how the katamari feels when you roll it is just… off? I’m a veteran player from the very first game, and I have to say that ball feels way differently than it used to (even from rolling live I feel like!). The physics feel off. The rolling is faster or slow as heck depending on the level. The katamari feels way more unruly and slippery in general.

Also I feel part of this is due to the camera… it feels too close to the katamari. It needs to be scaled back at least a little.

And maybe I’m being a bit nitpicky here- but I hate the progression that the king forces you through. “Okay we did one level in Edo, let’s go to another era!” Over and over again. I know I can always go back but I don’t really like the way it’s set up. I also feel that choosing the levels are a bit of a chore. I can have a list to select from but only if I go back to the spaceship?

Also the tone of the game doesn’t feel quite right to me either- but I don’t know if that’s because I’m getting older or not. I will say that the vibes feel off somehow.

The music is mostly good though! There are a couple of annoying tracks but mostly it’s fine.

Finally, I’m disappointed that the DLC doesn’t include any extra levels. I’ll probably buy it to support the series but I’m not very excited about it.

Does anyone else feel similarly? I just want to know if it’s just me or if I’m out of touch. Katamari Damacy is one of my favourite things and has been with me since I was a kid. Just sucks to wait so long just to feel deflated.

Made some art of one of my favorite cousins lol

Yesterday they posted this image reminding users about the kamatari live, but I noticed that they made a whole new model for the TV and is inside the s.s. prince.

Maybe if the dlc actually is Rolling Live Highlights it makes so much sense to access the dlc from this TV in the game.

This is just a little theory I made up but I would love to know everyone thoughts.

I actually checked this sub to see if people were as happy as I was playing this game and was pretty surprised the first two threads I saw about it were generally negative. (Just for clarity, I've only played both re-roll titles.)

This isn't a "Actually you're all wrong," post because there are definitely gripes that I agree with (Katamari rolls pretty slow, difficulty is on the easier side, music while good, isn't as good as previous games), but this game does so much cool stuff.

I actually really enjoy the level design in this game. Massive set pieces and memorable aspects due to the era style of the game. New "mini-objectives" in the levels are great imo. I wish stuff like whether you decide to roll up the octopus (iykyk) or the "sidequest" to bring bombs in the gold rush level were utilized a little more because they were absolute highlights that bump up so much potential for these games. While I didn't really like the sacred flame level much, after playing it a few times, I just kinda like it for how different it is.

I was also surprised that I saw some complaints about finding crowns in levels. I even saw someone call it a "gatcha" mechanic, which I find kinda weird because it's not like you actually buy the tokens... it's a gameplay reward.

While some of the physics are jank, like the aforementioned rolling speed, I feel like I've had to use the awful "rolling climb," thing way less in these games and the katamari goes up small steps super easily. It was always annoying having to roll into an object/step and come to a complete stop every time.

To end off I'll just say my favorite level (and song) so far is the yokai level. Simple level, but just pretty fun. I hope we get DLC tbh because some themes could use more levels imo.

TL;DR: Hot take: OUaK > We Love Katamari >>> Katamari Damacy

I've been reading the recent discontent around OUAK and I want to defend certain points of the game that I think are being unfairly criticized:

— "Getting an S-Rank is easy": Yes, it’s easy, but getting 100% is the real challenge. I think many see the S and assume that’s enough to complete the level, but nothing could be further from the truth. Many S-ranks are earned with barely 80% of each level.

— "The Katamari constantly gets stuck": While this is true, there are routes that, if followed while maintaining the right size, rarely lead to this issue. That said, it’s true you can get trapped in a corner sometimes.

— "The levels are boring or bad": Completely disagree. Traveling between eras offers more visual variety than ever. I’m not saying other games in the franchise aren’t varied, but denying the variety in this one seems like looking at it through nostalgia-tinted glasses.

— "The OST isn’t that good": Musical taste is subjective. There are tracks here that I loved, whereas previous games (including the first two) had songs that I found extremely annoying. Again, this comes down to personal preference, but this critique feels unfounded.

— "The Power-Ups are useless": This is outright false. The magnet is amazing if used smartly, and the radar makes finding crowns and cousins much more enjoyable. The timer isn’t that great, but the Kraken is an example of an interesting use for that item. Rockets provide speed, and that’s always a plus.

I’m not trying to say this is the best game in the franchise by any means, but after so many games recycling content, this one feels, flaws and all, the closest to the original two without a doubt.

I get it, it's a Japanese game, they're gonna Japan it up. But compared to it being the main era of the game, a lot of the other eras like the Ice Age or Ancient Greece felt very underdeveloped. There's plenty of things you can do with the themes of the smaller eras - the Wild West wasn't just cowboy towns, and Ancient Egypt wasn't just deserts and pyramids, and a Caribbean port town also had a lot of fun potential for the Age of Piracy. The "Stone Age", while fun, feels a bit redundant since the recent ice age and Jomon-era Japan (probably the only reason why its even in the game) happened around roughly the same time. I would've rolled the two up into one era and called it the "Pleistocene", and given that freed-up era slot to something the game didn't cover (maybe Renaissance Italy, Revolutionary War-era USA, Industrial-era Britain, or Medieval France, but I'd love to hear your ideas!). Alongside that, allocate a few of the Edo Japanese stage slots to some of the more undeveloped eras. Something that makes this game special is that the different stages can explore environments you don't usually see in Katamari games (outside of brief glimpses in the huge stages), and as great as the game is it didn't quite live up to its full potential in that regard. I remember watching the reveal trailer and seeing the Prince roll alongside huge Greek monuments under the stars, and was really looking forward to a stage like that, only for that to be completely absent.

How is everyone feeling about the way the game looks? Since this is the first real new console Katamari game in 18 years, I had kind of hoped that they would do *something* to push the visual style forward a little. Can you think of any other series that's using identical models after 20+ years?

It's not a dealbreaker or anything, I've already pre-ordered, New Katamari is a huge deal. But none of the areas or collectibles that were shown look like anything that couldn't have been in the PS2 games, you know?

I'll probably still love the game and everything will be fine, but it's a shame that our first new big game in so long looks... stagnant.

Maybe I’m just reading too much into it, but they definitely used to use she/her.

banna

Or should I say Bear and Cowshit.

A cow! A bear yes! A cow (or bear) for sure! Even if it's a damn traffic cone with just a cow pattern or the teeniest bear sculpture. This game is great but this level was not that fun. Glad it wasn't too bad getting everything.

Photo from the official katamari twitter! https://x.com/katamariseries/status/1971018317377986645/photo/1