Review – Katamari Damacy REROLL

Courtesy of the folks at Bandai Namco, today I’m taking a look over the remastered ball of colorful strangeness here on Xbox One, with Katamari Damacy REROLL

The Basics

First released around 15 years ago, Katamari is one of the strangest and most enjoyable games around at the time. It’s an innovative title, with a concept which will be familiar to anybody who’s played agar or hole.io. You’ll work as a teeny tiny prince, aiming to rebuild the night sky by creating beautiful katamari balls

In order to do so you’ll push your katamari using thumbsticks, picking up small objects at first and slowly growing larger and larger until eventually you’ll be picking up whole towns and cities to build the biggest stars.

Parent’s Eye View

Katamari Damacy REROLL is rated by PEGI at 3 and above, and by the ESRB at E for Everyone. In truth there isn’t a lot to watch out for here, but there are little bits such as a level called “create cancer” where a little localisation may have lent a more sympathetic tone.

Accessibility

In terms of accessibility, Katamari Damacy REROLL is getting a rating of casual. This one is really easy to pick up and play, and just spend time with as and when you get a moment. There aren’t a huge amount of rules to learn, and controls use almost exclusively the two thumbsticks throughout

The Run Down

Visuals – Good: While they aren’t perfect the visuals here are decent enough, and in fairness complement the style of game very well indeed. Cutaway visuals can get a little testy when you are stuck in a tight spot but overall the visual effects are exactly what the title aims for

Audio – Good: The vocal effects could have been improved upon here, and can get a little grating at times, but overall things here are good. Be prepared for music and dialogue a little out of the left field, but overall it’s enjoyable

Narrative – Fair: There is a little story here but it feels very much in the background. With gameplay taking precedence, I don’t feel like skipping cutscenes or dialogue would mean I missed out on much

Replay – Great: The title provides many multiplayer opportunities, and even single player enthusiasts will have a lot to get involved with. There are a good number of levels to start with, and easy replay of these challenges you to keep growing bigger and better

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The Verdict

Overall the Pixel Bandits Constellation Level for Katamari Damacy REROLL is that you’ll likely find it Enjoyable . For a remaster this one is great, and it’s still good fun now, over 15 years since it first released. The visuals have been lovingly recreated, and it retains the fun and weirdness of the original. It’s a fairly silly title, and it’s not going to be one which everybody loves, but if you’re looking for something quirky which is easy to pick up and play, this one’s for you.