Katamari Damacy is a series that has managed to endure despite a limited number of truly unique entries. The original game launched on PlayStation 2 in 2004 and was followed up by a handful of entries over the next few years. Then for more than a decade, the only Katamari games were HD remasters of the first two (and best) Katamari games with Katamari Damacy Reroll and We Love Katamari Reroll. Until 2025. Earlier in the year, Katamari Damacy Rolling Live launched on Apple Arcade. I cannot speak to Rolling Live’s quality, but across the board it seemed like a welcome return, with the only drawback being touchscreen controls (though you could connect a controller to play as well). Much like a lot of other Apple Arcade games such as Fantasian and Hello Kitty Island Adventure, everyone expected Rolling Live to make the jump to Nintendo Switch. That wasn’t the case, because what actually did come out is Once Upon a Katamari, another brand new Katamari game out on Switch that feels like the long lost sequel to We Love Katamari we always wanted.

As per Katamari series tradition, everything goes to hell when the boisterous and rambunctious King of All Cosmos messes around and accidentally ruins things. The galaxy is in upheaval and it’s up to you, as the Prince, to grab a Katamari (a bumpy little ball) and roll it around so it gets various items to stick to it as it increases in size. The controls are deliberately weird, retaining the series staple twin-stick controls that have you throwing the sticks around to roll your ball and dart around. Simpler one-stick controls are also present. I personally prefer the twin-stick controls, but I’m happy the one-stick controls exist because they are far less convoluted and weird. Case in point: my children (7 and 4-years-old) are delighted by the cacophony of this game, but the twin-stick controls were hard for them to wrap their minds around. The one-stick controls provided a friction-less experience to dive into the colorful sea of mayhem that is Katamari.

The story is silly, with enjoyably cute writing. The hook in the new game involves time travel, as you go through different eras in time, beginning with Edo Japan and journeying to a wide variety of destinations including the American wild west and the age of dinosaurs. It presents a good theming for the various levels.

Each level has an initial task that involves fulfilling someone’s request on behalf of the King. Some of them are relatively simple, involving rolling up a Katamari of a certain size in a certain amount of time. Others require rolling up specific items, like a western level in the desert where you need to roll up drinks. The levels all have multiple challenges in each, generally split into a main story mission and then more challenging timed runs. While most levels are great fun with lots of humor, twists, and charmingly detailed scenes, some of them run into the traps I never enjoyed as much in some Katamari games where the guidelines are not conveyed as clearly and veer towards punishing. Nothing gets quite as bad as the campfire levels in We Love Katamari, but sometimes the game feels at odds with the playful nature of the concept. I’m fine with efficiency in Katamari rolling leading to S ranks and rewards, but preventing level completion over frustrating restrictions seems antithetical to the vibes.

Aside from that, the overall vibes are incredible, truly feeling like a follow-up to the PS2 originals. The visuals retain the blocky style, but with refined flair thanks to the improved technology. I did run into load times every now and then mid-level, especially when you unlock a new area to go into. Ultimately they didn’t obstruct gameplay much, but it’s an eye-sore when the game cuts to a loading screen mid-level. Once Upon a Katamari feels janky but polished in its presentation overall, but it offers up some of the refinements the series has had along the way. You can waddle around a map for each era if you want, but it’s also easy enough to just go through levels in a list from your time-traveling spaceship. The personality and style is ever present, but it never puts up much of a barrier to get to the gameplay.

I love that Katamari has not one but two new games in 2025 after more than a decade of remakes and little hope. 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.