Three, two, one, go!

I used to be a Nintendo fangirl proper by the GameCube. However in 2005, I wanted a PlayStation 2. How might I resist? That 12 months noticed Shadow of the Colossus, Guitar Hero, God of Warfare, and We Love Katamari. All of them have been platform exclusives, and I couldn’t move up any. I didn’t really like God of Warfare, however the remainder of them? These have been the halcyon days.

We Love Katamari was my introduction to the collection. I had wished to play Katamari Damacy, however once more, I used to be a GameCube jockey. It was additionally at a time once I was simply studying that Japan is a spot that exists. My body of reference at the moment was an anime known as Attractive Commando, so it will take me a couple of decade to appreciate that Japan isn’t simply this remoted land from area.
What am I getting at? I don’t know. It’s in all probability that We Love Katamari is superior. It took Katamari Damacy’s comparatively easy idea to its terminal location, which it will proceed to spin on for every subsequent sport. I imply, I like Katamari Eternally, however the collection undoubtedly hit its peak at We Love Katamari as a result of it couldn’t actually go wherever new from there. So, with that, the very best model of a legendary collection is right here in We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie.

We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie (PC, PS4, PS5 [Reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Collection X|S, Change)
Developer: MONKEYCRAFT Co. Ltd.
Writer: Bandai Namco Leisure
Launched: June 2, 2023
MSRP: $29.99

You possibly can simply inform me that Bandai Namco was doing an HD re-release of We Love Katamari, and I’d take it. What’s the value? Doesn’t matter. Gimme.
To be clear, We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie is generally simply that. Little or no about it’s remade, and it succeeds principally in giving We Love Katamari some trendy comforts. There’s some new content material within the type of ranges the place you play because the King of All Cosmos again when he was only a prince. Nonetheless, these are largely simply remixes of levels from the principle sport with some beauty variations.

Extra disappointingly, nevertheless, is the actual fact the King of All Cosmos ranges don’t depend for a lot. You don’t even get some sassy remark saying how nicely you probably did, which makes them really feel unsatisfying. The King simply sits there. They’re not unhealthy, however the full lack of suggestions makes them really feel tacked on.

Hop on. We’re going to area!

In the meantime, the principle content material continues to be there, and it’s nonetheless nice. We Love Katamari’s best power was its tangible development. As you advance by the degrees, it teases you by letting you construct greater and greater katamari. That is drawn out by levels the place you concentrate on absorbing fireflies, however ultimately, you make your technique to amassing Katamari of epic proportions. It’s all fed at such a tempo that it feels earned.
That is all set towards a backdrop of oppressive strangeness. Are you new to Katamari and questioning what Katamari is all about? It’s about Katamari. The narrative is actually about that. Katamari Damacy was actually common, so everyone seems to be asking the King of All Cosmos to provide them extra.

So, as normal, he sends his son to provide the folks what they need.
That is really a slight step down from the earlier sport’s story, by which the King of All Cosmos will get drunk and destroys the universe. To make up for this, we’re often given vignettes of the King of All Cosmos rising up. His rebellious section, his first romance, and even his relationship together with his abusive father. It’s, uh, extra charming than it sounds.

Weaponized rubbish

The sport itself entails rolling a ball over rubbish. As you amass trash, your ball of filth grows, permitting you to suck up extra refuse. There are completely different targets to this, similar to making an attempt to amass fireflies.

The best possible is one stage the place you roll a sumo wrestler over meals till he’s heavy sufficient to defeat his opponent. People and animals don’t depend as meals, however simply try to inform me that it received’t grow to be your precedence to get your sumo-man large enough to soak up folks. Actually, the actual enchantment of Katamari is to amass a wad of disaster to devastate the world with.
We Love Katamari Reroll+ is unquestionably the easiest way to do that. However not by quite a bit.

It’s in larger definition, and it runs actual nicely. It’s much less blurry. Weirdly, although, smaller objects nonetheless pop in, which is simply extra noticeable in excessive definition. I don’t know the way to illustrate this anymore clearly. That is completely the identical sport. The additional content material is simply form of there.
However you recognize what? That’s a win. We Love Katamari continues to be a timeless and terrific sport. A spit shine is absolutely all that it wanted to get me excited to play it once more. If you happen to’ve by no means performed it earlier than, you undoubtedly ought to. If in case you have, it’s every thing you really liked concerning the PS2 launch however much less blurry. It’s one of many few video games that permits you to weaponize a sumo wrestler to soak up bystanders on the road, and that’s crucial.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}