We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie is a remastered version that builds upon the success of the series’ previous games. This second installment initially launched on the PS2, now boasts enhanced visuals, improved performance, and fresh content not included in the original release.
The Katamari series offers a unique gaming experience, elevating the concept of rolling balls into a massive planet to an entirely new level. Each game presents a series of challenges that involve starting with a small ball and gradually rolling it until it grows significantly larger as objects attach to it. While there are objectives to roll specific types of objects or reach a certain size at each level, the primary concept revolves around rolling until conditions are met.
One of the game’s most enjoyable aspects is its unique control scheme. Instead of pressing buttons, players roll the ball using the analog sticks. This is also the most challenging part of the game, as learning how to roll the ball properly is key to completing most levels. Each level is themed, ranging from a children’s playroom to entire cities where players can roll a giant ball that consumes everything in its path.
The controls in We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie require some acclimation as they involve the use of both analog sticks. Pushing both sticks forward moves the ball forward, and pushing them backward moves it back. However, more precise control over direction can be achieved by pushing one stick forward and the other back. Sharper turns require releasing the sticks with precise timing and positioning to reach some of the more challenging areas.
The story of We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie is straightforward. The humorous and endearing King of All Cosmos has tasked you, The Prince, with creating planets. The Prince interacts with others and takes requests on what types of planets to create. The narrative is quite meta and feels more lighthearted compared to its predecessor. We’re not on a mission to save the universe here. The story also provides numerous scenes where we learn more about the background of The King of All Cosmos and how he became his current talkative self.
In addition to the complete game, new content is included in the form of the Royal Reverie levels. These levels focus on The King of All Cosmos’ memories. If you thought the story was easy, these levels truly test your Katamari rolling skills. These stages require not just rolling the ball, but also meeting certain conditions. If you’re not a Katamari series fan, you might find them challenging due to their difficulty spike from the main story.
We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie is quite enjoyable, provided you can adapt to the unique gameplay elements. The story offers plenty of humorous writing and outrageous antics, but the game can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming due to the King of All Cosmos’ incessant chatter. I understand the creation of this outrageous character, but there’s a limit to how many times I can tolerate hearing the same joke from him.
As for the replay value, I would rate it quite good considering the launch price. This is not an expensive game by any means and it is not meant to be one. It is also possible to replay the levels in case you want to build a bigger Katamari although that won’t matter much. There are plenty of challenges in the game along with the newly added Reverie content which offers some nice difficulty boost if you are up for the task. The game also features a fun soundtrack although it feels lacking compared to the original game.
The PC port of We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie is excellent. It offers sufficient customization and isn’t demanding. It runs perfectly on the SteamDeck for me and seems to support the native resolution of the SteamDeck out of the box. The game also runs smoothly at 60 FPS without any major issues. The load times are snappier, making getting in and out of levels quicker than ever.
All in all, if you are a fan of Katamari Damacy, then you should have a good time with this new entry. It offers a copious amount of fun and has plenty to offer for those who want to sink some time into it. The newly added content is a two-edged sword, and while it is fun to learn more about the backstory of The King of All Cosmos, these levels are also incredibly hard and can be frustrating if you haven’t managed to master the controls.
We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie Game Information
- Price: $29.99
- Publisher: Bandai Namco
- Developer: MonkeyCraft
- Platform: PC (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
