The HD remaster is $30, but the soundtrack is priceless

Katamari Damacy is one of those games I don't mind buying over and over again. In other words, it's a classic. If you're of a similar mind – or you're simply in the mood to play something very different – then consider nabbing Katamari Damacy Reroll now that it's out on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for $30.

If you already bought Reroll on Steam or Nintendo Switch, watch this trailer anyw?ay – it?'s a fun surprise.

The quirky action-rolling collectathon is a one-of-a-kind gem, it absolutely holds up in 2020 in gameplay and tone, and while I'm not convinced Reroll is bringing publisher Bandai Namco any closer to greenlighting a sequel ??(or heck, even more remasters), its ongoing success certainly couldn't hurt.

At the very least, a touched-up version of the original Katamari Damacy is playable on all of the current platforms, and that's a beautiful thing; I wish the same could be said of more games that defined the early 2000s. I'm also pleased to see that creator Keita Takahashi is cooking up something at his studio.

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A feast fit for a king

[Update: A couple weeks later, Bandai Namco has confirmed a November 20 release date for Katamari Damacy Reroll on PS4 and Xbox One in the West. That's just a day after Japan. Over here, apart from digita??l, we're also getting a physical PS4 and Xbox One release – you'll need to set aside $30.]

Katamari Damacy Reroll might not have set the world on fire, but I loved revisiting the original unhinged rolling action game on Nintendo Switch and PC. Can we get any more Katamari remasters? I sure hope so. In the meantime – but not all that soon – a pair of console ports are on the table for Reroll.

Bandai Namco is bringing the game to Play??Station 4 and Xbox One on November? 19, 2020 in Japan.

The listing was spotted on Katamari Damacy Reroll's Japanese site, and it's hard to imagine we won't see a similar announcement in the West soon. Will I dip again for PS4 trophies? Most?? li?kely!

On that note, I'll take anything a??nd everything from the main series – bring on the ports.

[Via Gematsu]

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The Prince is cuddly

Some intrepid eyes on the internet have discovered that a new retail bundle for Katamari Damacy Reroll on Switch is heading to retail shelves tomorrow (September 20). Containing a digital copy for the game on Switch along with Fangamer's "Prince and Katamari Ball Plush," the $49.99 packa?ge is decent little way to get both the game and cuddly buddy for slightly cheaper. In fact, you'll save roughly $16 going this route.

I mostly just want the plush, though. Thankfully, he's still available from Fangamer directly. He'll set you back $36 and the game, itself, goes for $29.99 on both Switch and PC. As I said, this is a cheaper way to g??et both if you happen to want the game on Switch. So far this is exclusive to GameStop, but I'd imagine other retail chains will be receiving them.

Katamari Damacy Reroll New Game+ bundle spotted [Nintendo Everything]

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My, Earth really is full of things!

It’s been 14 years since Katamari Damacy graced us with its bizarro charm and broken family dynamics, but the King of All Cosmos is back in full HD and it’s up to you to do the (liter??al) groundwork so the universe can be whole again.

For those who haven’t experienced the original Katamari Damacy, the general purpose is to roll around a small ball that magically pic?ks up things like ants and candy, eventually growing to consume humans, houses, and well...everything on Earth. O?nce complete, the Katamari is shot up in the sky to replace a celestial body that your father, the King of All Cosmos, destroyed through what was essentially a raging, drunken escapade through space.

If only half of the words in that paragraph made sense to you, don’t?? fret;? you now have the chance to read this review and decide if you’d like to experience it for yourself in HD.

Katamari Damacy REROLL (PC [reviewed], Nintendo Switch)
Developer: MONKEYCRAFT Co. Ltd.
Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
Released: December 7, 2018 
MSRP: $29.99

For me, revisiting Katamari Damacy was akin to revisiting an old family friend after 14 years -- I wasn’t sure if the feelings of gratitude and love would still remain or if it would be awkward as hell. Fortunately, it's the former as the game’s mechanics, blocky environments, weirdly delightful music, and cheeky dialogue have aged surprisingly well. Coupled with the remastered graphics and HD cutscenes, REROLL feels like a game that could have very well come out in? 2018 as a new, funk??y enterprise.

The updated graphics and assets are truly the shining star of this remaster. Every object from a thumbtack to a giant squid is crystal clear and bright in all its blocky glory. Outside of the graphics, I found REROLL also features vastly improved load and save times, which are lightning fast when compared to the original. The movement and physics of rolling the Katamari feel extremely similar to the PS2 version, which can be a benefit or a burden depending on your preference as the game can still feel a litt??le 2004 clunky at times.

There are a few other minor changes, like the cutscenes being in their original Japanese with subtitles and an added tutorial screen remin?ding you to save your game manually (remember when that was a thing?). There’s also a new control style, called the “simple” style, which is anything but simple as it places the rolling mechanism on one joystick while the other moves the camera. On PC, you’re able to play with the keyboard as well, but it was so counterintuitive I wasn’t able to get past the tutorial.

Other than that, Katamari Damacy is left simply as it was. Which means of course that you can only edit settings, including display resolutions in the Steam version, on your Home Planet after you complete the entire tutorial, just like in 2004 when most games had physical landing spaces for the options menu. Although I see it as charming, I imagine most people will find this frustrating. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to review it on the Switch, but I imagine the added benefit there is to have Katamari Damacy on the go.

The joy and insanity of Katamari Damacy are just as alive as ever, if not more so, in REROLL. I felt just as energized playing it as I did nearly a decade and a half ago, whether it was from rolling up a perfectly sized bear or creating a brand new moon made from Japanese islands. Katamari Damacy is ageless in that way, the simple goal of growth sliced a million different wa?ys to form an infinitely replayable game.

For those who haven’t yet given Katamari Damacy a shot, if you long for the unexpected and uncomplicated, Katamari Damacy REROLL offers respite from the norm of today’s games. If you’ve always had a soft spot for the series, this is your chance to relive the joys of proving yourself through a brighter, more clea??rly defined lens.

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

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Get it now as opposed to December 7

Katamari Damacy Reroll is set to...roll on the Switch eShop on December 7 alongside of a? western demo, but you can download said demo right now for free with a Japanese region account. It's even in English!

All you need to do is sign in with your Japan-region account, search for "Katamari," then grab the demo. Bam, you're good to go two weeks early. Why aren't more demos like this, and why isn't it available in every region? Your guess is as go?od as mine.

It's insanely easy to make a cross-region account: here's our handy guide. Or if you aren't keen on clicking, you can craft an account right here: just click "Japan" for your region. While you're at it I suggest making a UK account as well as th?at region also hosts demos and different eShop opportunities.

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Both the demo and the full version are out on December 7

Nintendo Minute has spilled the beans: Katamari Damacy Reroll (the Switch version of the original Katamari) will arrive on December 7.

While it's not the biggest news ever given that Katamari Damacy is 14 years old, the fact that it will be getting a demo kind of is. I've spoken to countless people who really dig Katamari's aesthetics and weird vibe but haven't actually pulled the trigger. Whether? you've been on the fence for over a decade or haven't heard of the series before, you'll get a chance to che?ck it out for free on the Switch eShop when the game launches.

For the uninitiated, you basically spend the entire game rolling up odd objects into a ball. Sometimes it's on such a small scale that you're trying to roll up objects in a room while you're the size of an ant: sometimes you're trying to conquer skyscrapers: variety is king in Katamari.

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Winter can't come soon enough

[Update: Katamari Damacy Reroll is heading to Nintendo Switch digitally on November 30, with a physical release planned ??for later this winter. The Steam version is set f?or December 7.]

I love it when a juicy ??trademark listing pans out w?ith a soon-to-follow official reveal.

Nintendo Switch owners will have a chance to impress the King of All Cosmos with Katamari Damacy Reroll, an HD remaster with gyro controls, HD Rumble, and head-to-head m??ultiplayer support.

The game is slated for Winter 2018 and I sincerely hope you all try it if it's your first Katamari title.

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