Review for Katamari Damacy REROLL. Game for Nintendo Switch and PC, the video game was released on 07/12/2018
Two years ago, around the same time, we told you about Katamari Damacy: Reroll on the occasion of its release for Nintendo Switch. The remaster of this first chapter of a series that now seems to be part of a more distant Golden Age than ever brought us a lot of nostalgia but above all a lot of fun. At the end of a year in which looking to the past is legitimate and precious, Bandai Namco has decided to bring Katamari Damacy: Reroll also on the Sony and Microsoft flagships; the perfect excuse to relive this short but spectacular product of the purest Japanese madness.
This review could be summed up simply by saying that our thoughts dated 2018 have not varied in the slightest. Katmari Damacy: Reroll is a precious title, which we are pleased to see also arrive on Playstation 4 and Xbox One (and therefore next-gen as a consequence of backwards compatibility). This value comes not only from how the Namco title represents the creativity and madness typical of the Golden Age Playstation 2, but also from the fact that its shape remains unique and extremely fun today.
We invite you to read the review of the Nintendo Switch version, in which we went into more detail about Katamari's style, but we will still make a brief summary by updating our thoughts to the new experience we had on Playstation 4.
The game is based on an extremely simple premise, moving through a level to collect items. What separates Katamari from the rest of the gaming industry of the time is the twist it puts on what, basically, would be the normal collectathon genre. In Katamari we will move with a sticky sphere, passing over the objects it will enlarge and the goal of almost every level will be to reach a certain size within a time limit.
With this concept, the title of Namco creates a proprietary game design, which rather than focusing on a search for objects, bases one's being on levels that juggle between the puzzle game and the Collectathon. The level of satisfaction that can be reached through intelligent planning of one's path is testament to how the formula invented for this title works divinely.
This simple but vital value is accompanied by a package that, in the round, offers a memorable experience. We've talked in the past about how insane and aesthetically pleasing Katamari Damacy: Reroll is, but we want to point out how the game has aged like the good video visually.
The choice of colors and the squared polygonal models in contrast with the sphere of the little prince of princes have not only created a unique glance for the times, but they also allowed Katamari to be usable nowadays without the need for a dramatic overhaul like for titles like Shadow of the Colossus and Demon Souls.
Unfortunately there is one section of the game that feels the years on its shoulders: the controls. Getting around Katamari's maps can be quite tricky at first glance. Rolling around using both analogs and with an extremely limited turn margin can be annoying. However, this limit has been considered at the level of game design (another typical philosophy of the aforementioned Golden Age) so it does not detract from the experience, as long as you bear the fact that it can be uncomfortable in the very first sections of the game. To further confirm Katamari Damacy: Reroll is the music, always suitable and also in this case unique in the context of the videogame industry.
As anticipated at the beginning of the review, we invite you to also read the original review by Katamari Damacy: Reroll, as in it you will find in-depth considerations on the style of the title and why it makes it so precious.
After completing Katamari Damacy: Reroll again, we are pleased to say that the title is still as fun as ever. This version does not differ from the one already released two years ago on the Nintendo Switch, but is limited to bringing this classic to Sony and Microsoft consoles. Unfortunately this is not a chapter that offers anything new in terms of content, but given how well this first chapter of Katamari has aged, we can only recommend it to anyone who is curious. Or even just to fans of the series, who may need an excuse to go back to creating stars. The somewhat awkward controls by today's standard are a small price to pay to enjoy a game that continues to be unique and fun
► Katamari Damacy REROLL is a Puzzle type game developed and published by Bandai Namco for Nintendo Switch and PC, the video game was released on 07/12/2018
