Game Information

Game Title: Once Upon a Katamari

Platforms:

  • Nintendo Switch (Oct 24, 2025)
  • PlayStation 5 (Oct 24, 2025)
  • Xbox Series X/S (Oct 24, 2025)
  • PC (Oct 24, 2025)

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 81 average - 81% recommended - 27 reviews

Critic Reviews

But Why Tho? - Abdul Saad - 8.5 / 10

Once Upon a Katamari is a fantastic new entry in the series and provides an incredibly entertaining experience in all the right ways, despite its tedious parts

CGMagazine - Zubi Khan - 8 / 10

Once Upon A Katamari takes the tried and tested formula of the series past and presents it as more of a straightforward game

COGconnected - Stephan Adamus - 75 / 100

Once Upon a Katamari has an excellent concept, and excellent gameplay. The problem is that there are lots of Katamari games with the same excellent concept and gameplay. The new online modes and customization options are great ideas, but are very shallow in execution. There just isn’t enough evolution in any of the series’ core ideas.

Cat with Monocle - Seth Hay - 4.5 / 5

Once Upon a Katamari is a rollicking good time with its newest entry in fourteen years. Players will delight in its random goofiness as they roll up dinosaurs, civilians, and buildings to rebuild the Earth. After such a long wait, it’s great to see this series rolling back into players’ hearts!

Everyeye.it - Francesco Mocerino - Italian - 6.5 / 10

Bandai Namco has thus played to the nostalgia factor without taking the risk of modernizing its intellectual property, giving longtime fans another chance to roll their Katamari, but without offering any convincing glimpses into the future of the series.

Final Weapon - Chris Sanchez - 4 / 5

Once Upon a KATAMARI is a strong return to the series that every fan should experience. Everything that made the originals great is still here, along with a few new additions. Not all of them land perfectly, but none take away from the fun. While it’s on the shorter side, the game’s replayability and incredible soundtrack keep me coming back for more.

Game Lodge - Jean Kei - Portuguese - 8 / 10

Once Upon a Katamari is definitely a welcome addition to the franchise. Mechanically, it is an amalgamation of the best of the series, but contextualized in an interesting way.

GameSpew - Kim Snaith - 8 / 10

The first brand new Katamari game in years, Once Upon a Katamari doesn’t disappoint. While it suffers from the same issues the series always has, like wonky controls and camera, there’s no denying that it’s as fun as ever to play. There’s nothing else like it, and we’ll never grow tired of the utter weirdness of rolling up items with a special ball.

GameSpot - Jess Cogswell - 8 / 10

Once Upon a Katamari is a delightful return for the series, offering the same core gameplay fans know and love while also adding even more fun and cleverness.

GamesRadar+ - Oscar Taylor-Kent - 4 / 5

Each stage is full of delightfully posed little jokes, characters, and charming anachronisms before you roll them up.

IGN - Charlie Wacholz - 9 / 10

Once Upon A Katamari’s appropriately ostentatious, energetic return is the best the series has been since the PlayStation 2 era.

Kakuchopurei - Jonathan Toyad - 80 / 100

Once Upon A Katamari goes back to the good old days of PS2 weird-ass puzzle gaming where ideas were kept simple. With a fresh take on levels -now dished out in different eras- and a slew of new mechanics like power-ups and different ball types, this Katamari-type game is still a joy to play through from start to finish. Plus, there are multiplayer competitive modes that help lengthen the title’s replay value if you’re done with the many, many single player challenges.

MonsterVine - Spencer Legacy - 4.5 / 5

Once Upon a Katamari is a brilliant new entry in the long-rolling Katamari series that I think anyone could find enjoyment in. The time travel theme and creative stages are an absolute blast to partake in, while the story is just as weird and silly as ever. If you’ve been wanting to see the Katamari series come back to its foundations with just a little extra on the side, then you need to play Once Upon a Katamari as soon as possible.

NintendoWorldReport - Neal Ronaghan - 8.5 / 10

It’s even better that the one on Nintendo Switch feels like the third game in a trilogy with the two original PS2 games (that are also available in HD remaster form on Switch). Once Upon a Katamari is a full-fledged fresh entry in a series that hasn’t had this kind of shot in the arm since HDTVs were a thing. Here’s hoping we get a more consistent drip of Katamari following this charming entry that largely understands why the first one was such a cult hit.

PlayStation Universe - Joe Richards - 9.5 / 10

Once Upon A Katamari feels like a confident step back into the series after having a crack at some remasters, and feels like a game that perfectly follows up on what those remasters set out to do. Everything that we all love about Katamari is still here and absolutely kicking. Small reservations with the progression system do precious little to take away from what is - ultimately - one of the most pure and appealing game concepts ever put to players. An absolutely fantastic return to form for a legacy franchise.

Shacknews - Lucas White - 7 / 10

Katamari is inherently a chaotic game, despite its adorable, silly visuals and legendarily chill music tracks such as Lonely Rolling Star (the GOAT, in my humble opinion). There’s a lot going on, only so much time to engage with it all, and that’s a big part of the series’ classic appeal. It’s a score-challenging arcade game at heart, with the original game’s scope mostly about trying to make the biggest Katamari within the time limit.

Twisted Voxel - Salal Awan - 8 / 10

Once Upon a Katamari successfully delivers the series’ signature, quirky charm through its inventive time-travel theme, deep customization, and chaotic new multiplayer mode. While it retains the core, addictive fun, the familiar, clunky camera controls and the King’s interruptions persist, making the nostalgic experience feel polished but not entirely modernized.

Video Chums - A.J. Maciejewski - 8.6 / 10

Once Upon A KATAMARI takes one of the most unique and enjoyable formulas in gaming history and makes it even more fun thanks to its many elements that add up to one cleverly quirky era-spanning adventure. 👑

WellPlayed - Kieron Verbrugge - 8.5 / 10

It sticks hard to the formula established two decades ago, but Once Upon a Katamari’s tumble through history has enough new ideas and relentless charm to make it a worthy entry for fans old and new.