Bandai Namco has officially announced Once Upon A KATAMARI, the first original mainline Katamari game in over a decade. The announcement came during the most recent Nintendo Partner Direct presentation, where a trailer revealed the game will launch simultaneously on Nintendo Switch, PC, and other major platforms.
The trailer showcased the series’ signature gameplay of rolling a sticky ball to collect increasingly larger objects, but with notable new additions. For the first time in the franchise’s history, players will have access to power-ups that modify gameplay in fresh ways. The game also introduces a time travel mechanic, allowing the Prince to roll through different eras while collecting objects.
Despite these changes, Once Upon A KATAMARI stays true to the franchise’s distinctive visual style. The game keeps the charming low-polygon “PS1-style” graphics that fans have come to love, while introducing new themed levels and challenges tied to the time travel mechanics.
Music has always been a big part of the Katamari vibe, and the new entry keeps that going with a great lineup. The soundtrack includes songs from artists like Amane Uyama, chelmico, Daoko, and Saya Asakura. Familiar names to fans—Yuu Miyake, Yoshihito Yano, and Asuka Sakai—are also back with at least one tune each, and classic music from previous games will show up as DLC.
Over the last ten years, Katamari fans have mostly just had remasters and mobile releases to play with, since Touch My Katamari on PlayStation Vita came out in 2011. Although Katamari Damacy: Rolling Live popped up recently on Apple Arcade, Once Upon A KATAMARI is the first new main console game in almost 15 years.
