We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie Review – Roll Me Up Another

By now, I think we all can unanimously agree that We Love Katamari was the best entry in this series. With the meta storyline, intriguing cutscenes, and large levels with various obstacles, everything just worked. Instead of leaving this entry stuck as a PS2 exclusive, Bandai Namco has brought it to modern platforms as We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie. With several upgrades and new game modes to play through, this is the definitive Katamari experience that fans have been waiting for. In fact, the only thing that could have made it better would be an entirely new entry.

We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie delivers a few noticeable upgrades to the original release. From the opening, the story picks up after the events of the first game, which captured the hearts of gamers worldwide. This was pretty meta at the time because I remember even people who I wouldn’t consider gamers talking about the strange game where you snowball objects around a colorful world. The zaniness of the series took over our lives, and we were left with what I like to call Katamari Feaver. We were fiends and needed more, which was essentially the premise of the narrative where the King of All Cosmos sends the Prince to Earth to take on missions from their loyal fans.

The mission structure takes place across several chapters that display some emotional backstory, leading to some of the new gameplay features. To select a mission, players speak to humans that ask for a Katamari of a specific size or some other request. You’re then whisked away to complete the mission and then judged and scored on what you collect. Some upgraded features allow you to move around this hub area quickly and select requests from a menu. This is handy in the later hours when you quickly want to jump to a level without looking for the requestor.

The missions become tougher throughout the chapters as the requests become more specific. While the opening of the game is all about size, it doesn’t completely matter in later parts as requests for items and particular types of Katamari arise. To further enhance levels, there are various collectibles and Cousins to be found, which open room for customizing your experience.

The gameplay probably doesn’t need too much explaining. Once you enter a level, you’re tasked with rolling up random objects, which make your Katamari grow larger, which allow you to pick up bigger objects. It’s straightforward but becomes pretty hectic in execution as your racing against a clock while avoiding items that can hurt your precious Katamari.

Moving around is likely the biggest hurdle, as you must use the two analog sticks to control the direction you roll the Katamari. I used the motion controls on Switch but even found those to be a bit tough to master.

It’s possible to get used to the movement, but it’s best not to get too frustrated early on if you find yourself hitting walls or not meeting goals. It’s a game that becomes easier to manage with practice. Soon, you’ll notice that you’ve been rolling a ball for 10 hours straight, and you’ll start questioning your life choices, but who cares about that when we have a beautiful Katamari large enough to roll up a planet?

This release has seen some significant updates. One returning feature is the option to change the visual style between Gorgeous and Usual, which, as the name suggests, allows you to play with the updated illustrations or the original game. Other quality-of-life improvements in-game show you where the next area is alongside improved camera control. There’s also a selfie mode that I didn’t really play with, but it’s there to take some pics with your enormous Katamari.

I will say that the loading screens, especially between areas, are a bit confusing with this modern release. In stages, the King will mention that a new area is opened and that he can talk during loading screens. It’s funny the first time but gets repetitive since you’ll visit that stage often. Regardless, there are some additional extras, such as local co-op mode and being able to play as the young King of All Cosmos for a few challenging levels. This game does become exceptionally difficult in the later stages, but it’s a steady hill to the top. If you’re looking for a simple good time, you can turn off the clock and roll up everything.

We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie is pure fun. While this release updates various systems and adds new modes, it also solidifies as the best Katamari game to date. The learning curve is still there, and the controls, no matter which mode you use, take some getting used to, but your addiction to filling the cosmos with wonderful Katamari will be fed.