Software:Once Upon a Katamari

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Short description: 2025 video game

Once Upon a Katamari
Developer(s)RENGAME
Publisher(s)Bandai Namco Entertainment
SeriesKatamari
Platform(s)
ReleaseOctober 24, 2025
Nintendo Switch 2
October 8, 2026
Genre(s)Puzzle, action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. is an action-puzzle game developed by RENGAME and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game is the first original console installment in the Katamari series since Touch My Katamari (2011); it was released on October 24, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version set to follow on October 8, 2026.

Plot

The King of All Cosmos and his family clean the castle together. While doing so, they stumble upon a strange scroll. Bored after finishing, the King tosses the scroll into the air, destroying the Earth, Moon, and stars. With everything ruined, the King orders his son, the Prince, to clean up the mess. Using the scroll, the Prince time travels to specific dates to restore everything with the Katamari.

Gameplay

Like in previous Katamari games, the player controls the miniscule Prince who must roll around a sticky ball known as a "katamari" to complete various objectives assigned by his father, the King of All Cosmos. Objects smaller than the katamari will stick to it when rolled into, allowing it to grow in size and "roll up" larger objects. Objectives vary from level to level; the player might be tasked to create a katamari of a specific size or to roll as much of a specific object as they can.[1]

Once Upon a Katamari expands on the standard Katamari gameplay with new features. Power-ups are special items that temporarily grant special abilities, such as a radar that shows the location of collectible objects and certain level objectives or a magnet that automatically pulls nearby objects toward the katamari.[2] Crowns, a new type of collectible object, appear in each level and can be rolled up to unlock extra levels.[1][3]

Development and release

In February 2025, Bandai Namco filed a trademark for Once Upon a Katamari.[4] This led to industry speculation over a new entry. The game was officially announced during a Nintendo Direct on July 31, 2025,[5] and was released on October 24, 2025.[6] A Nintendo Switch 2 version is scheduled for release on October 8, 2026, alongside an update for the Nintendo Switch version adding mouse controls and an improved framerate when played on Switch 2 via backwards compatibility.[7] On the same day, a DLC pack titled Rolling Live Highlights will be released on all platforms, adding new quests, songs, cousins, and accessories based on Katamari Damacy Rolling Live.[8]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic79/100[9]
Review score
PublicationScore
IGN9/10[3]

The game received "generally favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[9]

Charlie Wacholz of IGN praised the game, saying it's "the best the Katamari series has been since the PlayStation 2 era".[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ Based on 83 reviews

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Moorer, Joseph (13 November 2025). "Once Upon a Katamari". https://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/16297/Once-Upon-a-Katamari/. 
  2. ↑ Seedhouse, Alex (3 August 2025). "Roll Through History In Once Upon A Katamari On Nintendo Switch". https://www.nintendo-insider.com/roll-through-history-in-once-upon-a-katamari-on-nintendo-switch/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wacholz, Charlie (2025-10-22). "Once Upon a Katamari Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/once-upon-a-katamari-review. Retrieved 2025-10-22. 
  4. ↑ Khan, Zarmena (3 March 2025). "Beloved PS2 Series Might Be Getting First New Game in 14 Years". https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2025/03/03/ps2-game-series-once-upon-a-katamari-leak/. 
  5. ↑ Hagues, Alana (31 July 2025). "A Brand New Katamari Game Is Coming To Switch". https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/07/a-brand-new-katamari-game-is-coming-to-switch. 
  6. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (31 July 2025). "A cult-favorite series returns after 14 years to Nintendo Switch". https://www.polygon.com/gaming/618024/once-upon-a-katamari-damacy-release-date-trailer/. 
  7. ↑ Romano, Sal (15 July 2026). "Once Upon a KATAMARI coming to Switch 2 on October 8 alongside DLC ‘Rolling LIVE Highlights’". https://www.gematsu.com/2026/07/once-upon-a-katamari-coming-to-switch-2-on-october-8-alongside-dlc-rolling-live-highlights. 
  8. ↑ Khan, Imran. "Once Upon a Katamari Gets a Switch 2 Upgrade, Rolling Live DLC Coming to All Versions | Restart.run" (in en). https://www.restart.run/articles/once-upon-a-katamari-gets-a-switch-2-upgrade-rolling-live-dlc-coming-to-all-versions. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Once Upon a KATAMARI". https://www.metacritic.com/game/once-upon-a-katamari/. Retrieved 2026-02-15. 
  10. ↑ "Once Upon a Katamari" (in en). https://opencritic.com/game/19027/once-upon-a-katamari. Retrieved August 29, 2026. 



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