Katamari Damacy was an immediate success back in 2004, and back in 2018, we got a lovingly polished remaster, with upscaled resolution, widescreen aspect ratio, and improved performance. Beneath these upgrades, though, remains the same fun, eccentric, and delightfully silly game made of polygons and bright, vibrant colors. Katamari Damacy Reroll is a kick of nostalgia for longtime fans and a whimsical introduction for new generations. For just a short time, you can get it at a 78% discount - and it's an ideal game to play on Steam Deck.
It's a game that's all about rolling around giant balls and absorbing elements of your environment into them, which may sound silly, but Katamari Damacy Reroll is my current favorite Steam Deck game. Why? I just can't stop grinning while I'm playing… I also can't stop humming the absolute banger of a soundtrack either. It's a cute game with interesting character design, charm, and a wholly unique sense of style and personality. Few games are so perfectly suited to lazy Sunday afternoons.
The plot is one of those whimsical storylines that you only ever really find in video games. Basically, the King of All Cosmos has too many beers, shatters the stars, and makes you, the Prince, fix his cosmic blunder. You do this by rolling your Katamari, an adhesive ball that sticks smaller objects to it, making it grow bigger. The idea is that you'll create large enough balls to replace the stars.
Levels are environments packed with things for you to consume with your Katamari. You start really small with thumbtacks and bugs, working your way up to plants, people, cows, and other things like that. Eventually, you'll be able to claim skyscrapers, islands, and even whales. It's incredible how quickly things escalate.
Each level usually follows the same format: get the ball to a certain size before time runs out. Although the premise is simple, you're a tiny prince wrangling a giant ball, so sometimes accidents happen. You might get wedged somewhere, for instance, and then what would happen? There'd be no stars in the sky for goodness' sake. This is high-stakes drama.
There are also a bunch of side missions. You're tasked with replacing Zodiac constellations, and you'll do this by accumulating balls made of specific materials. To create the Cancer constellation, you'll need to roll up as many crabs as possible within seven minutes. To bring Pisces back, roll up all the fish. These challenges offer a fresh spin on the already fun concept.
You've got until Friday, 29 August, to roll over to Fanatical and get Katamari Damacy for just $6.59/£3.78.
If you love Katamari Damacy, did you know that it recently had a new game on Apple Arcade? You can read up about it on our guide for the best Apple Arcade games. Alternatively, if you'd rather explore the best puzzle games, we've got plenty to recommend.