The Katamari series holds a record for me, and it's an odd one. Over the years, I've been gifted a bunch of plushies, posters, clothing, and knick-knacks, but Katamari was the first video game series that I actively sought out merchandise for and purchased with my own money. Of course, Katamari is one of those games that's just niche enough that having someone point out my cousin-covered T-shirt will actively make my day a little brighter, knowing that this cute, charming little game has found its way into so many people's hearts.

If you're one of the unlucky few who hasn't had the antenna charmed off you by the Prince yet, the Katamari series is incredibly simple to understand. You take control of a tiny little critter who pushes an equally tiny ball around the world, collecting random objects until you're rolling up hippos, rainbows, and eventually entire planets.

We ♡ Katamari is the second game in the series and is widely considered its best entry because it takes that simple idea and pushes it to its absolute limit, filling it with dazzling environments and some of the most memorable missions in the franchise. In fact, We ♡ Katamari belongs to a category of games I like to call the "Peaklock". These are sequels that refine everything about the original so perfectly that they almost overshadow every entry that comes after them. Other examples include Pikmin 2, Super Monkey Ball 2, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.

_{As a note, I replayed the REROLL version of this game. This re-release upscales this game to 1080p, and adds a plethora of QoL changes.}

Picking up this game for the first time, your initial feeling might be confusion. The control scheme is quite distinct compared to its peers: you use both analog sticks to push the Katamari around, effectively turning each stick into one of the Prince's arms. Once you've made your first few planets, however, you'll quickly get the hang of rolling around, and before long you'll be nodding along to the King's nonsense as if he's making perfect sense, which is probably the most impressive feat the game pulls off.

It's mesmerising how satisfying the act of growing your Katamari never stops being. With every object you pick up, every squeak and squeal of dolphins and dinosaurs adds that tiny bit of dopamine as you go from tiny speck to an unstoppable force of nature. There's an undeniable sense of pleasure in smoothly navigating a level while constantly increasing in mass. Few games capture this core loop of joy as effectively. Every minute feels as vibrant as the last, and turning entire sections of the map into collectibles in your smorgasbord of stardust never loses its appeal.

That isn't to say there aren't any hiccups, though. The camera can still struggle to agree with you while on your rolling rampage, leading to moments where you're half-guessing what you are picking up, which can really be a pain in challenge levels where you can only pick up certain things. Tighter spaces can also cause grievance, as the controls can feel a little less precise than they should compared to open areas. It never fully breaks the flow of this game, but a string of these can leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Speaking of challenge levels, they're a crucial part of what keeps We ♡ Katamari from overstaying its welcome. There’s a whole heap of stages where you are thrown into runs that slightly… bend the usual process. There are the expected size and time-limited stages that turn the usual relaxed pace into a scramble, along with unique stages such as the racetrack, which forces you to roll at top speed, and the infamous cowbear level that I love to hate, as I swear those tiny teddy bears have prince magnets in them. Each one flips how you would usually approach the same core mechanics, and it’s a simple but effective way to break up the formula. Without it, the loop would start to feel repetitive far sooner than it should.

Linking up with my previous review of WarioWare (go read it if you haven't!), what this game does the best is its tone. This game is a toybox where nothing is quite normal, and that abnormality is the point. Every world feels as if it has been assembled by the King of All Cosmos as a joke. This game is a place where thumbtacks, tractors, cities and stars all sit on the same emotional level of importance. It's a world that never explains itself because it doesn't need to, and it weirdly speaks to the heart (or I guess to the ♡). I kid you not, watching that intro at certain moods will bring you to tears. This game is silly and sincere all at once, with a sense of logic that only makes sense when you, pardon the pun, roll with it.

The music adds to this, little ditties and whimsical tunes that add to the experience of rolling up the universe. It's upbeat and sticks in your head long after you put the game down, which is weird for a series that has songs of just cats and dogs meowing and barking.

In terms of replay value, this game feels best in bursts rather than constant rotation. You will feel drawn back in eventually, but it tends to land more as a "once a year" kind of game rather than something you'll revisit regularly. When you do return however, it will all fall back into place and you'll feel right at home.

We ♡ Katamari is one of those rare sequels that doesn’t just refine what came before it, but fully defines it. Deliberate and playful, from its presentation to its endlessly joyful core loop. It's not a game that needs to be played constantly to be appreciated, but lingers in your memory so vividly that you'll be humming the tune for weeks after the fact. While the later entries of the series do hit some home runs, few capture the perfect balance that this one brings.

As always, thank you for reading my words on why I ♡ Katamari! Got any differing opinions or other games you want me to look at? Send me a message over on Bluesky and let me know!

_{The King of All Cosmos could afford some looser-fitting clothes, though...}