InKatamari Damacy Rolling Live , the King of the Cosmos decides to become a live streamer . Why ? I do n’t eff , the guy cable just does things like this sometimes . He tasks The Prince with once again roll up mavin for his resilient streams , helping him maturate an audience of buff . I would n’t blame anyone who finds the concept a short cringe - inducing ( particularly as the King of the Cosmos drops dated slang like “ YOLO ” ) , but it ’s kind of a brilliance premise . Katamari games are all about exponential growth . You start with a tiny ball and then make it bigger and bigger by rolling up object . It ’s a perfect metaphor for content creation , a profession that ’s similarly about grow an exponentially larger followers . Rolling Livegets the most out of its scant irony by filling the right side of the sieve with insatiable commenters — not unlike 2024’sThe Crush House — demanding to see bigger stars .

While the frame-up is novel , the gameplay here is comparatively unchanged from premature entranceway . In each point , The Prince is task with carry out a different “ collab ” for someone with a specific petition . The earliest level are introductory enough , just ask me to have my Katamari reach a certain sizing by drift up object around a gamer ’s bedroom . Other requests stress the importance of myopic form video in today ’s medium landscape and task me with collide with a sealed size as quickly as potential .

While those first few missions are a honorable reminder of the BASIC , Rolling Livetakes a few delegation to really hit its stride . One standout deputation drops me into a small concert arena and task me with picking up as many glowsticks as potential in a few minute , grow my Katamari into a psycadelic discotheque ball . Another expect me to call off grime off a bathroom ’s surface . When my ball gets too dirty , I need to wash it off in some nearby piddle or cull up soap to clean myself . Those levels are systematically the standouts here , reimagining what a Katamari layer looks like in a way that feels better become to wandering gimmick and inadequate fun sessions .

It ’s as I play the more traditional level , where I ’m hitting sure star sizing within an eight minute timeframe , that I begin to understand why it ’s in all probability been so long since we ’ve start a Katamari Damacy game . When the series debut in 2004 , its strength was its originality . There was dead nothing like it at the time , which made it such a joy to get word . It ’s not that the magic disappeared with each newfangled entry , but it certainly lost a act of its luster each sentence as it struggled to iterate . Rolling Livedoesn’t exactly solve that trouble ; it may as well be a unmediated continuation to the PS2 original , flop down to its faithfully blocky art focussing .

But what itdoeshave on its side is time . It ’s just been so long since we ’ve gotten a fresh first appearance in this series that it feels refreshing to revisit the formula rather than obligatory . mayhap its for the skillful that franchises like this take a decade off between games as its creators experiment with new idea ( look at Katamari Divine Keita Takahashi ’s upcomingTo a tonne , for proof of that ) .

It ’s not a perfect comeback , mind you . Its biggest struggle comes from cracking jot control for a mobile screen . The Katamari games have always been about writhe with awkward ascendancy to an extent and there ’s a joy in master that knavish vogue of shimmer . Still , I ’ve struggled to to the full crack the touch controls here even with four unlike outline . The one I ’ve found the most lot with has me using two “ thumbsticks ” like I would on a restrainer , but I ’ve found it tough to juggle that with clunky camera control . Other control condition schemes like “ Swipe ” and “ Drive ” just have n’t fall into place for me , and the exclusive stick alternative find likewise ruffianly to control . bad of all , my proper quarter round just all covers the chat while I ’m play , meaning that I ’m missing all ofRolling Live‘s just jokes when I take on like that . You ’ll require to practice a controller for this , trust me .

More successful isRolling Live‘s unlockables and multi - superimposed progress system . I ’m further to try charge again to aim for higher goals that will increase my interview and help me unlock more mission . The more I “ stream , ” the more I collect consultation members who will comment if I pick up certain items ( a King Tut - like character goes idle every time I roll up some atomic number 79 ) . When they ’ve commented enough times , they ’ll give me candy that can be spent on cosmetic point . It ’s a overnice loop that gets a lot out of mileage a handful of grade without turning the game into an obsessional live serve donkeywork . It ’s still Katamari , and that ’s its best quality .

While it ’s a shame that the series ’ first entry in most a decade is locked to individual subscription platform , I ’m at least glad to see Apple uncoerced to give Katamari a household . At this point , it feels like Arcade is becoming a go - to home for classic , oddball franchises that just no longer fit into the AAA landscape . I ’ve bang watching series likePuyo Puyoand ChuChu Rocket get a second wind on Apple Arcade since it started . It ’s a platform for gaming ’s greatest misfit , andKatamari Damacy Rolling Liveis the king of them .

Katamari Damacy Rolling Live launches on April 3 for Io gimmick viaApple Arcade .