Tokyo Game Show 2025

Katamari is Back and Better Than Ever

The King and Prince of the Cosmos are back to roll up the world in Once Upon A Katamari. Despite it being 20 years since I last laid my hands on a Katamari Damacy game, Tokyo Game Show 2025 allowed me to jump back into the world of rolling innocent citizens, buildings, rocks, and trees into a giant ball only to be converted into a star. And getting back into the game was like riding a bike.

In the short demo at Tokyo Game Show 2025, Once Upon A Katamari takes us to ancient Japan to roll up a katamari for the King of the Cosmos while he enjoys dinner. You are tasked as the Prince to roll up anything in your way to make a Katamari that's 30m in diameter. It's a simple and short preview of the game, but in that simplicity, all players can grasp the basics of the game. And for someone who hasn't touched a Katamari Damacy game in quite a while, it was a welcome return to the game's intuitive controls and fun little charm.

That said, there were a few aspects of the game that were a marked improvement. The dash command has been mapped to the L2 button, so rocking the thumbsticks back and forth is no longer required. This helped me, as a returning player, get through a few narrow or jammed areas—but once the muscle memory kicked in, I was back to rocking. Another addition to the game is that some items you pick up act as power-ups. The rocket, for example, gives you a sustained speed boost.

At its core, Once Upon A Katamari is what you'd expect from a Katamari Damacy game. With solid gameplay and fun aesthetic, jumping back into the world of Katamari Damacy wasn't just a blast from the past, it got me wanting to play more of Once Upon A Katamari. And I'll get that chance when it releases on October 23.