The Katamari games are the perfect excuse to sit and roll away a couple of hours, but there are only so many times we can replay them before we want more.

Katamari Damacy Reroll for the Switch is a good show of faith that the Katamari games are still alive and kicking. Why is it taking so long for a new title to release then?

Sure, Damacy is a beautiful title that deserves the wonderful exposure it’s getting in the Switch’s port, but it’s been since 2011’s Touch My Katamari for PS Vita that we’ve seen a new proper console Katamari title.

The Katamari games are unique in their approach to gameplay, in that their tank-like controls have yet to be replicated in any other video game series. The whole of the games makes for a colorful experience unlike none other.

Roll, roll, roll! Katamari Master!

Starting off as a small ball in every level is a pulse-pounding experience. Seeing all of the other objects around you that you know you’re going to be able to collect soon enough feels amazing, but not as good as it feels when you are actually able to do the collecting.

Going from objects such as small bugs and fruit to actual people is enough to make this game series amazing. Then, you get to go even larger.

Spanning the size of buildings, islands, continents, and even galaxies, the Katamari games always make the growth from ant to Goliath feel natural in a way that cannot be described.

There isn’t anything cheap or lazy about these transitions either. You truly feel as if you did the hard work to gather enough materials to get as large as a planet.

On a somewhat smaller scale, this progression of size feels similarly natural in levels where your goal is to, say, collect all of the food items in a grocery store. There is a level of development in the Katamari series that is enviable of any studio looking to ride the coattails of these fantastic games.

Gather the cousins

Playing Katamari is fun as heck alone, but as soon as you involve others in the gameplaying experience, everything changes. Playing Katamari in groups is something akin to what I can only describe as single-player Mario Party effect.

When your only opponent is yourself, you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders (as you often do in Katamari). The betrayal I’ve felt while watching someone fail a level is intense, as is the deceivingly simple gameplay.

The games seem like they should be relaxing, with their simple, cartoony visuals and clear level goals. However, they all present a real challenge, because that ticking clock isn’t going to stop, and neither will your racing heart.

I’ve had some of the best gaming experiences ever when playing Katamari games with friends. While these games live in the single-player world, they beg for the attention of a whole room to cheer you on (or goad you) as you desperately roll toward the level’s end goal.

‘Naaaah, nana nanana nana na Katamari Damacy’

Admit it, you just sang that quote in your head. The music in all of the Katamari games is beyond stellar. From quick techno bops to chill jazzy tunes, the music is what makes the magic of the Katamari games.

I’ve found myself replaying levels multiple times just to hear the default track play. The songs in these games are more than just fun, they’re addictive. There is something about the incessant beeps, boops, cymbal crashes, and taps that make the vocals so intriguing. Of course, I almost never understand any of the words being said, but that hardly phases me.

See, the Katamari games simply transcend. There is a level of artistry here that is not present in any other game series. What other game series can you think that has such an eclectic feel in every ounce of its being?

There are too many awesome titles to list many favorites, but if I had to pick the earworm at the top of my list as of late, I’d say that it’d be the below track.

The stylistic color of the Katamari games goes well beyond any form of its great presenation. To play Katamari is to be a Katamari.

If you have yet to play a Katamari yourself, do your brain the favor of playing any of them. Simlpy put, it’s one of the most satisfying video games of all time.

Katamari Damacy Reroll is available on December 7, 2018 for the Nintendo Switch.