Roll On! Katamari Forever Review

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenSeptember 26, 2009
43 832 2 minutes read

Late in 2004, a then unknown game entitled Katamari Damacy (Japanese for “Clump Soul”) was garnering an unusual amount of attention from the gaming press. Namco, uncertain of the title’s viability on Western shores, decided to release the game at an extremely modest twenty dollar price. The combination of these two factors resulted in a thrice-daily call to my local game store until I received a confirmatory phase.

For the next few weeks my waking hours and even dreams were filled with visions of rolling everyday objects into an increasingly large sphere. Friends typically uninterested in electronic diversions, immediately understood Katamari’s uncomplicated mechanic- pick up things which are smaller than you, while avoiding objects bigger than you. Each became unprecedentedly hooked on the game, and remarked on the game’s wonderful sense of scale. They weren’t alone in the appreciation for the title- Katamari Damacy sold well enough to warrant two sequels, along with ports to the PSP and iPhone.


While Katamari Forever doesn’t radically advance the junk-rolling formula, the title does present two welcome innovations. Players can now make their on-screen debris collector jump with an upward swing of the Dualshock, or alternatively with a press of the R2 button. Additionally, gamers may spot a spinning, purple tube in the game’s busy environments. Picking up this power-up allows your Katamari to attract all nearby items. It’s a simple inclusion that adds an interesting risk/reward mechanic to the game. Since the cyclonic ability only draws in objects you can stick to, waiting to engage the power can create a euphoric whirlwind that substantially increase the size of the sphere.

When Damacy was originally released, many critics bemoaned the title’s singular game mechanic; every stage challenged the player to obtain a specified-size sphere of objects before the game’s timer expired. While Katamari Forever’s goals deviate from this established formula, each new variation lacks the intensity of the initial title’s race against the clock. Some levels require players to pick up a single type of object, while other stages forgo the diameter indicator, asking a player to roll a Katamari of a particular size. One unsuccessful deviation ends the stage when the player picks up a bear or cow, requiring the gamer to vigilantly navigate the environment. None of these modes are as invigorating and blissfully immersive as the game’s haphazard treks through Japanese suburbs, trying to amass as much consumer waste as possible- this is where the title has always exceled. Although Katamari Forever borrows locations and assets from previous incarnations (which is why the game is called Katamari Tribute in Japan), some improvements have been made to stages. Gone are the fishing hooks in the lake level, that would pull your Katamari out of the water, leaving it immobilized for several seconds.

Graphically, Katamari Forever looks clean; the game offers a 1080P presentation, and incorporates a handful of visual filters that give the game a hand-drawn, wood, or comic book aesthetic. While the title claims to present sixty frames-per second fluidity, frequent slowdown is apparent. One stage that had us rolling up mountains across the earth’s surface sporadically slowed to a crawl. Although the original game stages were more limited in scope, they benefited from having a much more stable refresh rate.

While Katamari Forever is still undeniably fun, the title’s jump to a next-gen system isn’t quite as dazzling as we had hoped. Veteran rollers will surely enjoy the title, but will certainly wish the developers could have rolled more new material into the package. Gamers unacquainted with the title’s distinctive gameplay are the ones most likely to be captivated by Katamari’s undeniable charms.

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenSeptember 26, 2009
43 832 2 minutes read
Photo of Robert Allen

Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

43 Comments

  3. After the second game, Katamari has rolled downhill. The iphone game was awful and couldn’t be controlled.

  7. I’m stuck on one of the stages that has the mice and a backyard with spiders. I can’t get close to the 1M requirement.

  9. Totally agree with the review. The game’s fun, but the King’s stages are just rehashes. Didn’t know they changed anything until I read about the lake level.

  12. Never played any of the Katamaris, since I never had a PS2, and Sony screwed us on backwards compatibility. So I’ll probably be getting this.

  15. Didn’t the original creator leave the series? That’s probably why it’s slipped.

    I used to play the original game all the time.

  16. Yep, it looks much better than the blocky-ass PS2 game. Sometimes I could tell what things were upclose.

  25. I’ve found it depends on your resolution. I was playing in 1080, and the framerate got pretty bad at times. At 720, there’s a HUGE difference in quality.

  26. I’d say the review is on the money. I’ve ben playing it non-stop and it’s Katamari, but some of the goals are just stupid. I had one level that lasted two seconds.

  35. So is it better than the 360 version? As a Katamari fan, I was disappointed in that one. And the DLC on the disk business was just awful.

  36. If I get enough trade in credit, I may get this today. Anyone know how much they are giving for ODST?

  37. I can say it varies from very good remixes (March bad doing the main theme) to really bad repeated loops. Mainly good, though.

  39. Seems like reviews are getting a bit tired of the formula. At least you guys mentioned that you don’t like some of the new goals. I can understand that.

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