The History of Katamari Damacy - Full Series Retrospective | Rewind Arcade

The strange and unique history of the Katamari Damacy series and its creator, Keita Takahashi. See how its concepts and characters were created and how Bandai Namco continued to turn out title after title as the years went on.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:02 Part 1 - Keita Takahashi
6:23 Part 2 - Katamari Damacy
17:36 Part 3 - An Unplanned Sequel
23:00 Part 4 - Portable Damacy
27:06 Part 5 - Katamari Goes HD
32:11 Part 6 - Doubling Down on Portable
36:36 Part 7 - Katamari Forever
40:05 Part 8 - Katamari Goes MMO
43:10 Part 9 - Tripling Down on Portable
49:01 Part 10 - After the Hiatus
54:11 Part 11 - Legacy
56:06 Credits
Special Thanks:
Azita Marie (Kitty Mecha)
Matt Baros
Kat Huffman & ReGen (visit their website regengaming.com for buying retro games if you're on the east coast)
L.E. Hall (check out her book on Katamari Damacy bossfightbooks.com/products/k... )
Music:
Katamari Damacy - Katamari on the Rocks ~ Main Theme~
Katamari Damacy - Gin & Tonic & Red Red Roses
Katamari Damacy - Lonely Rolling Star
Katamari Damacy - The Wonderful Star's Walk is Wonderful
We Love Katamari - Katamari on the Swing
We Love Katamari - Everlasting Love
Me & My Katamari - Katamari on the Funk
Beautiful Katamari - Katamari Dancing
Korogashi Puzzle Katamari Damacy - Katamari of Love ft. Hatsune Miku
Katamari Forever - Katamari on the Wings
Katamari Forever - Katamari on the Swing (SEXY-SYNTHESIZER ALL ABOUT namco MIX)
Katamari Forever - Minigame Selection Music
Touch My Katamari - Katamari on the Stage
Katamari Gameplay:
sloobro - / sloobro
PCSX2 - / ps2emulator
Full Playthroughs - / fullplaythroughs
Longplay Archive - / longplayarchive
MasaeAnela - / masaeanela
Retroblastkatamari - / @retroblastkatamari8739
NeXtGroup - / nextgroup
fruit salad - / @fruitsalad5802
Devon Phillips - / @devonphillips674
BlueMaxima’s Gaming Channel - / bluemaximac099
Handheld Players - / handheldplayers
iPlay Retro - / iplayretro
Demon27248 - / demon27248
Checkpoint TV - / wwwedomenet
10min Gameplay - / 10mingameplay1
Yeong JunCho
Additional Gameplay:
PrinceY -
The Game Archive -
OSIRIS -
Free Emulator -
PureIllusion -
KoroushiGhazi -
Neoteric -
rrvirus -
Artie the Cinderace -
RalsiPlays -
KillzSlayz -
Games Sky น่ารัก Channel -
Metal Arcade -
100% Guides -
VG247.com -
smbhax2000 -
Alyssa Vakarian -
Billy Nitro -
Ayee -
TapTapPlay -
Gaming Jay -
YT Games 168 -
AppleAppVideo -
Video Footage:
GDC - / gdconf
Antoine Fortin - / @antoinefortin1386
Sprite Rips:
Katach314
Cynicjovial
katamaruu
LukeWarnut
Ultimecia
Caylie C.
Screenshots - Junglekun
Sources:
"Katamari Damacy" by L.E. Hall (Published by Boss Fight Books)
www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/inte...
www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/inte...
www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...
www.gamedeveloper.com/design/...
www.gdcvault.com/play/1020309...
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology...
kotaku.com/why-katamari-damac...
www.pocketgamer.biz/interview...
www.gamespot.com/articles/so-...
www.ign.com/articles/2007/04/...
windream.co.jp/deve/KDK.html
lostmediawiki.com/Katamari_Da...
www.gamtoon.com/new/gs/intervi...
windream.co.jp/deve/KDK2.html
katamaridamacy.jp/extra/index...
#katamari
#damacy
#reroll
#documentary
#history
#prince
#king
#we
#love
#forever
#music

[@VoltitanDev]

Katamari's lack of innovation after Takahashi left is a good real-life example of "The company may be the IP's owner but they weren't its daddy."

[@RewindArcade]

That’s a pretty good way of it putting it actually. 😂

[@alexbubble6952]

My thought is just what do you even do to innovate on Katamari? The game's base appeal, at least in my mind, is its addictive simplicity, so you can't really shake up the gameplay in any meaningful way without losing the appeal. Granted, you could probably do one game that just throws ideas at a dartboard and sees what sticks by going off of the premise that the King is noticing his dwindling fanbase and so jumps the shark increasingly far with each new level, but that would only work for one game, and would still be really devisive. Honestly, the only thing I can really think to do here is just to have more unique level themes, and maybe give the player the ability to shrink back down to access areas that they'd otherwise be too big to access, but that feels more like a gimmick to me than anything.

[@RewindArcade]

@@alexbubble6952 To be honest, I think that's the main reason why Takahashi wanted so much to move on from the series after its PS2 sequel. There just wasn't much more to innovate on without changing the core of what made it so interesting and fun, and, like you said, doing so in a way that didn't feel like it was simply a gimmick. Some people have responded in the comments though saying that they're okay with the repetitive gameplay which totally makes sense to me since you don't always have to reinvent the wheel to make something appealing. Personally though, I'd like them to either just leave the series be or give it to an indie studio that could potentially inject some fresh ideas into the gameplay. Still wouldn't mind a We Love Katamari Reroll though. 😅

[@goldenfurniture123]

@@alexbubble6952 my exact thoughts

[@gregsanders61]

@@RewindArcade I hope you get to check out We

[@LuvzToLol21]

Our prayers for a We ❤️ Katamari remaster have finally been answered

[@RewindArcade]

Can’t wait!!

[@k2a2l2]

playing rn and it looks so beautiful

[@PT-pn5ge]

I cant wait for Katamari Forever now!!!

[@joe2501echo]

Takahashi sounds like a really nice guy and I wish him the best. It's also heartbreaking that the franchise fell into stagnation so quickly. It's such a weird and wacky world that's bursting with creativity.

[@RewindArcade]

Yeah, I really like Takahashi’s views on game design and not wanting to repeat the same things over and over. It was interesting learning about the creation of the series and Takashi’s design philosophies. Thanks for watching!

[@CoreyDehMan]

Katamari Damacy has one of my favorite absurdist comedy stories! I think the concept of the king of all cosmos getting drunk and leaving his son to clean up the mess is so hilarious.

[@RewindArcade]

It's definitely one of the most off the wall and memorable concepts out there, haha! Takahashi really had a knack for coming up with some weird and unique ideas.

[@nathanblackburn1193]

I think the biggest problem with the Katamari Damacy series is simply how do you innovate? The gameplay is so simple that there isn't much to change in the first place

[@RewindArcade]

I think the core gameplay loop is tough to make any major changes with like you said, but adding new features like Touch My Katamari's "stretching" mechanic was a step in the right direction, even if the game itself was much too short.

[@DororosWife]

I didn't see this mentioned in the video, but during the dry spell between Katamari Forever and Katamari Damacy reroll, there was a comic/manga made by BandaiNamco and Shiftylook that focused on the Prince of Cosmos, as well as his cousins. Bringing in a a lot of personality and characterization to the many cousins we came to appreciate. ALSO that during the early 2010's when Homestuck was a HUGE deal, Andrew Hussie was able to collab with BandaiNamco and MADE a dating simulator, that had an exclusive Katamari cousin as a dating option :)

[@RewindArcade]

Yeah, I briefly went into some of the manga/comics and web browser games in my original script for the video, but later decided to cut them to make the video flow better. I am very regretful for not talking about Namco High though because it's so damn ridiculous and amazing haha.

[@DororosWife]

@@RewindArcade Yeah Namco high was an enigma of its time. I remember being like 'wait what?? you can date Dave Strider OR a katamari cousin????' for sure was one of those games u played in highschool during computer lab time haha

[@Morel92]

We are overdue for another game in this series. I honestly don’t care if it’s not innovative. I’d love new levels and more whacky fun music. This series has helped me get through the pandemic.

[@RewindArcade]

I imagine that a We Love Katamari remaster is probably next up, but I guess anything’s possible at this point. That’s really awesome that it helped you through the pandemic. Thanks for watching!

[@lalakuma9]

I also discovered Katamari Damacy after getting a Nintendo Switch during the pandemic. I hope they'll make We Love Katamari available on Switch too eventually.

[@goldenfurniture123]

i know like if they changed the formula a little everybody would get mad what were they supposed to do anyways

[@Knjives]

@@RewindArcade haha you were right wow

[@RewindArcade]

Looking forward to June haha! 😎

[@PragmatikReviews]

You know, this answered a life long question for me. I always thought that it must of taken forever to build all these models in Katamari, but you showing that the interns were basically practicing with model building kind of explains that. so I truly had a question answered for me! Great video man!

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks a lot man!! Yeah, it's really crazy about the objects all being designed by students working most likely for free. The book I mention at the end of the video actually goes a bit further into all of that stuff as well which is really cool and interesting.

[@seanyboyo4023]

I grew up with this series as a kid, thanks for covering it, I thought no one else knew about it!

[@RewindArcade]

I definitely have a lot of fond memories of these games myself. Thanks for watching!

[@hannahisadisaster337]

same!! i bring it up to my friends and they are like “what’s that? no i’ve never heard of that”

[@DylanZ1201]

It's a cool thing that the recent remasters are bringing this series into the light again.

[@RewindArcade]

Definitely! It's great to see the series getting some mainstream attention again and the games finally being accessible on modern platforms.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

It’s odd that Namco hasn’t ever made an effort to develop something new and unusual like the original Katamari Damacy. Of course you can’t recapture the same lightning in a bottle… but you could create something new with the same quirky out-of-the-box thinking. And the fun odd and jazzy soundtrack. But then again, Japanese business hasn’t generally been known for taking huge creative risks.

[@RewindArcade]

Yeah, I agree. If anything I feel like they’d need to find an inspired indie team and lend them the IP for a new mainline project.

[@davidwhatsthatabout7404]

If there was ever a Katamari film, I think Nicholas Cagewould be perfect to play as the King of Cosmos

[@slmjkdbtl]

i was thinking jeff goldblum

[@yetinate8014]

As long as Elijah Wood would play the prince

[@doctorquid]

Written by Donald Glover Directed by Ari Aster

[@Jo-dp5go]

But with the OST

[@JavierReyes-vi7vj]

I just finished playing Forever, and I wanted to learn more about the sereies and luickly you made this video! Thank you for your hard work

[@RewindArcade]

That's awesome, Forever is really great! Thanks so much for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

I'm here again also commenting this time to boost the algorithm or whatever. Loved this weird game series and the soundtrack will probably play forever in my weirdest dreams.

[@RewindArcade]

Really appreciate it!!

[@GlitchHuntingGamer]

I would never rewatch a great piece of media or needlessly post to appease the algorithm gods. 👀

[@RewindArcade]

@@GlitchHuntingGamer NEVER! (Thank you 😂)

[@tracyndiyob162]

happy 20th anniversary katamari damacy!!! :3 still remember 1st seeing it on toonami's review & got into giving the charm of that era so much.

[@smashingsalmon]

This video does a phenomenal job explaining the vision and slow decline of the Katamari games. It sucks that a lot of the games after Takahashi's departure don't live up to his original creations, but Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari are hard to re-capture. Definitely some of the most creative and fun works in the video game medium. I also had no idea Hatsune Miku sang an official cover of Katamari of Love. That's absolutely hilarious. Really great video. Subbed.

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much, happy you enjoyed it! Yeah, it seems like the series really lost its way after Takahashi left. I wonder if even he knew that the concept and gameplay would have a tough time evolving. Either way, even the series’ decline has some interesting story pieces. Thanks again for watching!

[@cosmicsans3275]

I’m so happy I got to play Katamari Damacy at MOMA in NY last year. Was literally there for another field trip and got to see it after. The fact that it made it to a museum is amazing!

[@GlitchHuntingGamer]

Just when I got the soundtrack out of my head YT sends me a link to this reupload. This series warms my heart. Your deep history dive brings me closer to the parts I have missed and has inspired me to replay those in my collection.

[@RewindArcade]

The music has been on a steady rotation in my house the past month, haha. It’s just so damn good! Thanks again for all the kind words and hope you enjoy your playthroughs. I still need to finish up REROLL on Switch myself. 😅

[@timm8o475]

Tap My Katamari was the first game I played, purely due to Kyle Landry doing a song for it. Katamari On the Jazz will forever be in my memory.

[@RewindArcade]

That song is so good!!

[@Dave01Rhodes]

I always hated that critics complained that the series wasn’t innovating. It struck Gold with the first game and perfected it in the second. All I ever wanted from the rest of the games in the series was to port the game to new devices and, most importantly, give me more levels to roll around in. MMK and BK delivered. KF less so because of the reliance on old levels. The iOS games weren’t as good because there were relatively few objects to roll up, and TMK had the same issue because they were trying to get you to use the squash mechanic. TMK also seemed to change up the Katamari physics a bit to make it feel more squishy and that put me off. I guess what I’m saying is that if Namco are to make more Katamari games (outside of remakes), I hope they spend a lot more time designing new levels and a lot less time thinking about what game critics will say.

[@RewindArcade]

I’m very curious to see if Bandai Namco have any plans for a new game after seeing the success that Reroll had and announcing the WLK remaster. The demand is certainly there. Honestly, I’d love to see an indie studio tackle a Katamari project. The developer of Donut County would be a great choice in my eyes. 👍

[@Dave01Rhodes]

@@RewindArcade there was that indie game The Wonderful End of the World that came out in 2008 that very much cribbed Katamari. The world is about to be destroyed, so the space goddess sends a puppet to Earth (you) to collect as much as possible (by adding it to your body as you walk around) as keepsakes of the doomed planet. It wasn’t as well-made as a Katamari game but it was fun enough.

[@RewindArcade]

Definitely a good candidate as well. I’m sure with a larger budget and being backed by Bandai Namco they could do a much better job. 👍

[@Dave01Rhodes]

@@RewindArcade Katamari Reroll may have given Namco the best opportunity to do that… If you take apart the game, you’ll find what looks like a single DLL file that has the game logic from the original PS2 game compiled into it that Reroll makes calls into. In theory, a group willing to put the time into learning how to use that library could write their own Katamari game against it and have it match the character and physics of the original game. Namco would probably be upset if anyone tried though. Maybe if the rest of the code was entirely original and they required players to scavenge the DLL file from the Steam version of Reroll.

[@penelopestuart1469]

I have a very distinct memory of being around 4 years old and my dad coming into my room to announce to me that a second Katamari game was coming out. At around age 5 I asked my uncle to burn a CD of the soundtrack, which I played religiously in my room. I also had my parents print color pictures of Japanese posters for the games a few years later, which I kept up in my room until my teen years. I’m in college now and I still listen to the soundtrack on a regular basis.

[@RewindArcade]

That’s so awesome! It’s such a timeless soundtrack that I, myself, still listen to regularly even today. Sounds like you have a lot of great memories with the series. Thank you for sharing them.

[@LiamsManual]

Very well made! I love your editing style, and as a huge fan of Katamari, im glad someone decided to make a comprehensive history of this game.

[@RewindArcade]

Really appreciate the kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I was honestly surprised there wasn’t a video about its history that had already been made. Thanks for watching!

[@VoltitanDev]

It's a good thing the indie game developer community follows Katamari's example of innovation.

[@k2a2l2]

genuinely one of my favorite game series ever created. theres really nothing like it and makes me so happy everytime i play it or even just hear the soundtrack

[@nonabyte]

How the hell do you not have more subscribers? This video is some next level amazing stuff. I'm impressed!

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much, appreciate the kind words! Creating content on KZbin has been... frustrating, but comments like these help me keep going. Thank you for watching!

[@johnlukecampbell3140]

This video is so good. I’ve always wanted know the thought process behind this mad man’s mind. In my opinion Katamari is the peak in creativity in a game to this day.

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you!! It was really interesting to learn all about it myself. There’s a whole book that goes much further in-depth with everything published by Boss Fight Books if you ever want to read more on it. 👍

[@stoic_rose]

as soon as i saw katamari online in the intro i immediately realized "oh. they mean a *FULL* series retrospective"

[@RewindArcade]

Haha, yeah, I tried to dig up as much about all the games as I could. 😅

[@melyourheart]

Thank you for this video documentary TvT So touched about how it all started. Katamari is more than just a game to me, it always help my mental health. After all, it's that spirit that brightens us up.

[@RewindArcade]

It really is a wonderful series overflowing with charm and personality. Love to hear that it’s helped you with your mental health, that’s really awesome! Thank you so much for watching!

[@windorf_]

Absolutely phenomenal video. I've recently found this series and felt in love with it at the moment, but I haven't really found anyone who explained the whole series as well as you did. Very great job man!

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much, appreciate the kind words!! It was a really fun and interesting documentary to put together with a very unique history. Happy you enjoyed it and thank you for watching!

[@basilliketheleaf]

Great video, Katamari is my fav game series ever made and Im glad i got to learn some of its history. You deserve so many more views!!!!!

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it! As a big Katamari fan, this was a very interesting video to research and put together.

[@frickinfrick8488]

Fantastic video! I just played Reroll and wanted to learn more about the series and this gave me a great background. This really deserves more views I applaud the work you put into this

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much, really happy you enjoyed it! Reroll was a great remaster and I’m hoping we get a similar port of the sequel since I feel like it really perfected everything from the first game. Thanks again for watching!

[@frickinfrick8488]

@@RewindArcade me too! I’d really love to play We Love Katamari on switch someday it looks very fun

[@lojo1627]

Criminally underrated channel. I admire your dedication and the effort you put into these.

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much, that really means a lot! Really glad you’re enjoying my videos!

[@pernellvaughan8535]

This may well be my favorite video that you've done!

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks Pernell! Happy to hear you enjoyed it!

[@2006Mercury]

I treasure my PS2 copies of Katamari and we love Katamari as well as my 360 copies of Katamari re-roll and Xbox One copies of Katamari re-roll. I have the original soundtrack from Japan I listen to in my car doing long drives

[@quartzboye]

This game was a breath of fresh air when I first played it on the ps2!

[@kitestar]

Thankfully, we love katamari is getting the “encore plus a little more treatment”

[@RewindArcade]

Very excited for it!

[@GANHEDDO]

Great video, very comprehensive. Lot of new info for one of my favorite games. Thanks a lot, good work :)

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it! I've been a big fan of the series myself for a while so it was a fun video to research for and put together.

[@TheLaZnLiZ]

This is just straight up grade A content! I wish and HOPE that your future endeavors will bring you happiness and straight up cash and fame!!!! Love it!!!

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much, really happy you enjoyed it and I appreciate the kind words!

[@TheLaZnLiZ]

@@RewindArcade Thank's for YOUR words, i REALLY mean every word of it!!! Have a nice monday evening dude! 😊

[@kikujirob1ll]

Fantastic video. Glad it was as long as it was! Excited for the We Love Katamari rerelease

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks man, very much appreciated! The video ended up being a lot longer than I expected it to since there are so many Katamari games. Hyped for WLK Reroll as well!

[@jansenart0]

Awesome documentary of the Katamari saga, this is really good stuff that I never knew about!

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it! I learned quite a bit myself putting this whole video together.

[@Kenny_khaos]

I loved this video, Chris. You are very good at what you do.keep it up man!

[@RewindArcade]

Really appreciate it Kenny!!

[@stevenr.rodriguez9997]

Good job, and well sourced.

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you, really appreciate it!

[@froast574]

Didn't realize I needed an hour long video about this. Fantastic. Thanks!

[@RewindArcade]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much for watching!

[@justyourbud]

I don’t typically comment on videos even when I do really enjoy them, but this video was too good not to. I just picked up the series again with the release of We ❤ Katamari Reroll. I grew up with the original PS2 game (which unfortunately can no longer play past the first star due to a major scratch on the disk) and immediately bought the original Reroll on my Switch as soon as it released. We ❤ Katamari Reroll is my first exposure to anything else in the mainline series and I wanted to consume some content about the franchise on KZbin while my interest was reignited. I stumbled upon this video and immediately gave it a watch. I love long-form retrospectives and analysis videos and this one was amazingly produced. It was very informative and I learned a lot about this franchise that I had no idea about! I’m really glad to have found it. I’ve subscribed and plan on binging some of your other videos because they all look interesting-keep up the good work 💜

[@RewindArcade]

That's really awesome that you're getting back into the series again! I'm happy the new remasters are bringing a lot of fans back to the games again. I also really appreciate the kind words! These videos take hundreds of hours to produce so it really means a lot to me when I get comments like this. Thanks so much for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@daltonmiller8216]

This is a really fantastic video!

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you so much!!

[@MorganIsAway]

Amazing video!!! I love Katamari and this for sure did it justice

[@RewindArcade]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you so much for the kind words!!

[@amandaletcher1320]

So it's around 2023 here who's hyped for we love katamari reroll Edit: it came out just today when im editing this

[@haskeymorrison]

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@TheMoodyfire]

aaa katamari forever was my first game!! its my favorite, but it seems it’ll be a long time til it gets a remaster 😆 this was a great video, thank you!

[@RewindArcade]

Katamari Forever’s so good! I didn’t have an XBox 360 so I remember the wait for Katamari Forever felt insanely long, but it was worth the wait. Thanks so much for watching!

[@margo3c541]

this is such a good video i love your lil keita sprite guy im subscribin

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you, and I really appreciate the sub! It was a fun video to make.

[@Gaianna1]

This is a great video, I learned so much about where one of my favorite games comes from, and I never knew about the korean game at all!

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you so much! And yeah, the Korean MMO was something I had no idea about either until I made this video. It’s pretty crazy!

[@duchham]

Awesome video man

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks!!

[@freshmaiden5488]

Fantastic documentary! Katamari Damacy and especially We Love Katamari helped me through some really rough times when I was a young teenager, and the games still mean so much to me.

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you! That’s awesome that We Love Katamari helped get you past some tough times. I feel like video games were often seen as big wastes of time by a lot of people, especially many years ago, but they got me through a lot rough times too and proved to be so much more than that.

[@justenbarks9090]

Really enjoyed your work on this and the trip back to my discovery of KD in 2005. Hope it hit the algo for you.

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much, appreciate you watching!

[@eldartaghiyev8422]

Good news. The second game will get a remake this summer (2023).

[@RewindArcade]

Yup, looking forward to it!

[@WonderousSmiles]

You know, I saw this video a couple of days ago, and I've really been thinking on it. (Which is a sign of its high quality, to be honest) I don't think Katamari is a series that necessarily Needs innovation. Just a few different flavors is all. Like, a lot of the areas were in a Japanese town. But wouldn't it be cool if we got to be in a European styled area? Imagine rolling up fields of tulips in Holland - get big enough and you can get the windmalls. The King has teased about traveling the world in the original Katamari Damacy- so something themed around a world tour would be so cool. Or, imagine playing a rainy day stage. With frogs, and slugs, and mud and bright hydrangeas all tied together with a song fitting the vibes. And! You can splash in the puddles. Or or, an autumn themed one. Rolling up the fallen leaves while fighting against the winds yourself. Or a katamari on slippery ice..there's some potential in that idea. Maybe. What I'm saying is. They don't need to reinvent the wheel. Just give players a more variety of stages. To this day, the firefly stage from We ♡ Katamari is one of the most iconic in the series. But what did they do, really? They gave us the same map as the campfire stage, only it was night with fireflies. Just something like that, just a little mix up, is enough. What I want is for them to really take their time before releasing a new Katamari game. To make one out of love and passion. The series is far too iconic to treat as shovelware

[@RewindArcade]

Yeah, changing up the locales and environments could definitely help freshen things up a bit. I really liked having the ability to jump and the "stretch" mechanic found in later games. I'd personally love to see more innovative stuff like that in a future Katamari title. Maybe it would be in their best interests to even let an indie developer take a crack at a new game, like Ben Esposito of Donut County fame. Either way, I guess we'll ultimate just have to wait and see what happens. Thanks so much for watching and glad you enjoyed the video!

[@kabooki22]

Ive been playing katamari since i was little, so seeing a video essay on it is great!

[@mommilph]

Extremely well done!

[@RewindArcade]

Appreciate it! Thanks for watching!

[@journalingwithjessica]

I played Me and My Katamari on the PSP and I was obsessed with it. One of the few games that I managed to play to the end. I've been searching for it ever since. I'm hoping to get a nintendo switch soon and immediately started searching for it again and stumbled on this video. I can't wait to play it again. Very informative video!

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much for watching and I wish you the best of luck with your search!

[@Vincentvondoom]

I would love a We ❤ Katamari remake

[@RewindArcade]

Fingers crossed! It seems like Reroll did pretty well so that's a good sign.

[@KiboSuperStar]

Yess

[@_duckydee]

well about that hahahahaha ones getting made for all major platforms for release around june this year :3

[@Vincentvondoom]

@@_duckydee The hype is real my friend.

[@Davethe3rd]

It's coming to the Nintendo Switch!!

[@shitfacejohnson4085]

fantastic video, love it

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you so much!!

[@Oo1strawberry1oO]

I feel such a strong nostalgia for the game even though i only played it like 3 years ago. But the music and the characters are just perfect!

[@RewindArcade]

Agreed, it really is just an amazing experience from top to bottom!

[@kukukachu]

If you edited this yourself, I'm simply amazed. That is some grade A+ editing my dude. DUDE! This video is SOOOO GOOOOD! Not only is the editing absolutely amazing, but the wealth of information of this subject is above and beyond anything I expected. Wow that's really funny, because the only 2 Katamari games I love and respect are the first 2. I remember buying Katamari Forever thinking it was a new game only to be disappointed that it was a rehash game. I lost any and all respect after that and no longer cared about the future of Katamari Damacy. The first 2 games will FOREVER be the best. Looking back at it, if the PS3 game was called tribute like it was in Japan, I probably wouldn't have cared as much as I did, but it just felt like the company was trying to trick me into buying something I already had. I personally think that the original 2 ps2 games look significantly better than the remakes recently put out. The fireflies in the new W

[@RewindArcade]

Really appreciate the kind words, thank you so much! I definitely handle all of the editing in my videos which is why it takes me an eternity to get new ones out, haha. Yeah, I feel like in the West Bandai Namco was trying to position Katamari Forever as a replacement on PS3 for Beautiful Katamari's Xbox 360 exclusivity. Tribute was a much more honest name for the game, haha. That said, I still really enjoyed Forever, but it certainly wasn't a replacement for a brand new entry in the series like it was positioned as. What's funny is I haven't even had a chance to play We Love Katamari Reroll yet so I can't really speak to it's graphical quality, but I hope to sit down with it soon. Thanks again for watching!

[@kukukachu]

@@RewindArcade MAN! I can't believe that's all you. You definitely have a lot of skill, that's for sure. If you wanted to do edition as an occupation, you could easily make a profit from doing so. This video right would be a great example in your portfolio. I'd much rather the developers and the company be as open and transparent as possible when interacting with the customer. This instance just felt very dishonest. I haven't played the new one either, but I've seen video of it. They definitely screwed up the firefly part of the game. Its more bright and the fireflies don't glow as much. It's not as good, but the rest of the game does look good. The 60fps is really a game changer. If it goes on sale, I might buy it, but yea, it's not something I really care about since the original one has more charm to it.

[@RewindArcade]

@@kukukachu Thanks a ton! I did briefly dabble in paid editing work, but it was a bit too much work for too little pay sadly. I prefer just doing my own stuff these days. And yeah, I do agree that developer/publisher transparency should absolutely be something that is pushed more these days. I feel like half the time nowadays, the marketing department controls a game's development more so than the creative team. 😮‍💨

[@kukukachu]

@@RewindArcade aww man, that's a bummer. Sorry to hear that. Your talent really is great though. Well, it's a quote I say all the time, and I stick by it: "You deserve what you tolerate". Unfortunately gamers think this is how corporations are supposed to function, but really, we need to hold them to higher standards and stop letting them get away with all this garbage.

[@AVEXentSUCKS]

Forever is my favorite due to the content with We Love, Reroll, Beautiful behind it.

[@RewindArcade]

Forever is a lot of fun! I still remember picking it up the day it released.

[@berndamlauern]

thank you! katamari damacy is still one of my fav games and game soundtracks of all time!

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much for watching! It’s a really great series for sure!

[@Noir1998]

Amazing video

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you so much!

[@game-sheriff]

I just found your channel recently. Really enjoyed this video also the StarFox video (Two of my all-time favorite franchises) I'm watching the ghost and goblins video now another fav and then bionic commando next. Fantastic works.

[@RewindArcade]

That’s awesome, thank you so much! I see you have good taste in games. Hope you enjoy the others also and thanks for watching!

[@enzoguido2432]

amazing video for an amazing game series!

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you, very much appreciated!

[@ladycrush069]

amazing katamari damacy isnt on mobile anymore last time i checked :,( it was my intro to the series! i love it so much!

[@RewindArcade]

Yeah, I’m really surprised they never put it back on mobile.

[@maiastniki]

you're literally going over my childhood (does it count as childhood if i still play all these games hust as frequently or more?) w every video lmao ❤️‍🔥

[@RewindArcade]

That's awesome, that means you had good taste as a kid, haha! Most of my videos were all the stuff I played when I was younger too. Fingers crossed for a We Love Katamari Reroll soon!

[@maiastniki]

@@RewindArcade omg i wpuld love that lmaooo i have rerolp on steam

[@TheGregoryodd]

My first intro to the series was Rolling with Katamari on my old LG Env2; game worked particularly well with that model; anyways, it led me to snagging the original games over the years. Great video on a great game series!

[@RewindArcade]

That’s awesome! You don’t hear about too many people who started with the mobile games so that’s pretty cool it’s how you were introduced to the series. Thanks so much, appreciate you watching!

[@nostartia]

Rewatching this for sure :D

[@RewindArcade]

Much appreciated!

[@INTERROBANG-by7ys]

It’s so funny, the Katamari franchise popped into my head today when asked which classic video game that I’d love to see rebooted for VR, so I’ve been watching Katamari videos. Thanks to this video, I’ve learned that TODAY is Katamari Damacy’s 20 year anniversary.

[@RewindArcade]

VR Katamari would actually be AMAZING! Thanks so much for watching!

[@AzitaMarie]

Can't wait for the next one! LFG!!!!

[@k_e_r_b_e]

I have so many new facts to annoy my friends with now. great video!!

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks a ton, glad you enjoyed it!

[@InternetTAB]

amazing job. this video deserves way more views so here is my comment to help

[@RewindArcade]

Thank, really appreciate it! I’m just glad you enjoyed the video. 🙂

[@HughRaine]

Really great video. I am DESPERATE for We ❤️ Katamari REROLL.

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you so much! I am also desperate for a We ❤️ Katamari REROLL too, haha!

[@HughRaine]

@@RewindArcade June 2nd, baby!

[@RewindArcade]

@@HughRaine HYPE! 🥳

[@catdaddy384]

If I remember correctly, it was recently announced that We Love Katamari is getting a remake called We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie this June!

[@RewindArcade]

Yup, looking forward to it!

[@matto25_]

this was a great video, such a shame it has so few views

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@KiboSuperStar]

Great job, i love history of videogames, this one especially.

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you, really appreciate it!!

[@JMrealgamer]

I can’t wait to play the new Katamari game coming to the Switch soon! Cool history on this unique game!

[@RewindArcade]

Excited for it too! Thanks for watching!

[@CarlMakesVideos]

Very nice!

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you!!

[@valkyrie-randgris]

It's interesting to me how closely this story mirrors what happened with the Roller Coaster Tycoon franchise. =o

[@RewindArcade]

I can totally see that!

[@michaelturner2806]

I remember the first two games and the remaster, and so going in to this video I was wondering if they'd ever make a third one. Boy was I surprised!

[@RewindArcade]

They definitely kept on going, haha!

[@speedorinobpb8280]

What an amazing video! Love it from start to finish. Your edit skill are really good and fun to watch. And what an interesting story!!😯 I knew the KZbin algorithm will someday send me a good video haha Best greetings from Germany😊

[@RewindArcade]

Thank you so much, really happy you liked it and I very much appreciate the kind words! I'm 1/4 German so I hope to visit your country someday to see where my family came from. Cheers!

[@speedorinobpb8280]

@@RewindArcade Germany or Europe overall ist a must see! It’s so different then the other parts in the world. And imo the best place to life in😇 Soo yeah hopefully you will visit it someday

[@eastercat]

I'm so happy We ❤ Katamari just released their remake this week.

[@RewindArcade]

Definitely enjoying my copy! 👍

[@EasyGreekVideos]

I first played Katamari Damacy on a hacked PS2, as it was never released in PAL territories, as you mention in the video. I remember also downloading and burning We Love Katamari and it being black & white on my PAL TV! Crazy times. I'm learning Japanese and revisiting Reroll on my Switch and falling in love with the game once again. I hope we see We Love Katamari Reroll soon.

[@RewindArcade]

Oh man, I remember the days downloading and burning games. That brings back memories for me as well. Very cool that you’re learning Japanese! Apparently We Love Katamari Reroll leaked as being rated last month so I’m sure it’s probably on the way soon. Thanks for watching!

[@nestor11811]

Well we love katamari reroll is coming yeahh!

[@EasyGreekVideos]

@@nestor11811 Yeaaah!

[@kriskenard]

The soundtracks changed my life forever and for the better

[@RewindArcade]

They’re sooo good!

[@bellalococo8874]

HOW DOES THIS NOT HAVE MORE VIEWS

[@RewindArcade]

It breaks my heart it didn’t get that many views, but I’m really happy you enjoyed it. 🙂

[@joshnolen2675]

Time for an update, they just announced We Love Katamari reroll and the new game will have bonus levels

[@goldenfurniture123]

the soundtrack is so good

[@lalakuma9]

Katamari is the only video game I've hurt my hand over from playing it so hard, and it's worth it 😂

[@RewindArcade]

There are certainly worse ways you could injure yourself. 😂

[@crasheffort]

I love that they finally updated We Love Katamari, but I really hope they make a real sequel for consoles.

[@RewindArcade]

Hopefully the two remasters being successful lead to a brand new game.

[@Ujelly12.]

Ahhh Katamari!!! I still play it to this day!!! I just got off Katamari Forever just a Second ago!!! Thank U Namco for the Wonderful Memories I made since I first started with Katamari Damacy when I was 4 years old!!! I haven't played Me And My Katamari and Touch My Katamari!!! I really wanna try Me And My Katamari one day!!! It sound so cool!!! My All Time Fav Cousin is Kinoko and my All Time Fav Soundtrack is Everlasting Love!!! Fun Fact: My All Time Fav NPC From the Series is Papa (Also known as the King's Father!!!) My All Time Fav Game in the Series is We Heart Katamari for the PS2!!! Namco really did a Wonderful Job with this Series and I really hope they keep making more Katamari Games, because I LOVE Katamari!!! It's my LIFE!!! I really hope they Remaster We Heart Katamari from the PS2, because that would be a Dream Come True for Me!!! Again, Thank U Namco for the Wonderful Memories since I stared playing Katamari Damacy when I was 4 😇🥰😇🥰!!! Like and Reply if you Agree!!!

[@RewindArcade]

You’re definitely the most enthusiastic Katamari fan I’ve ever heard, haha. Everlasting Love is probably my favorite track too from the series. 👍

[@deilancelam]

Thank you so much for this video!❤❤ Do you know where I can see sculptures that Takahashi made?

[@RewindArcade]

Thanks so much for watching! I really wanted to include photos of the sculptures, but I couldn't find anything that I was absolutely sure came from that point in time. There should be a photo or two here of his work though: www.telfair.org/exhibitions/keita-takahashi/

[@KrakenG927]

I think they should make a new collection of HD ports of 3 other katamari games. My picks are we love katamari, me and my katamari, and beautiful katamari.

[@RewindArcade]

I’m fully expecting a We Love Katamari Reroll in the near future. 👍

[@danielwalker26]

I used to play the heck out of We Love Katamari. Anyone of my friends that I showed the game to thought it was stupid or way too crazy. I LOVED IT.

[@RewindArcade]

It’s so good! Your friends seem like they lack good taste. 😅

[@rexagon]

I never knew they ran this series into the ground this bad

[@RewindArcade]

Yeah, after the first 2 games, the subsequent ones weren’t exactly “bad” per say, they just really didn’t innovate much and felt very uninspired. I think even Bandai Namco realized that when they went ahead and remastered the original recently.

[@youtubeisevil]

For some reason I dismissed this video because I thought your channel was called ChrisB Clips and it was one of those twitch clips channels and this was 1 hour of Katamari gameplay. So stupid of me, excellent video!

[@RewindArcade]

This made me laugh way too hard, hahaha! Now I want to make a parody account just filled with dumb Twitch clips 😂. Thanks so much for watching and glad you enjoyed the video!

[@forgot7en]

I seriously don't understand why these games were criticized for "lack of innovation." THE GAMES ARE ABOUT ROLLING UP STUFF INTO A BALL THAT GETS BIGGER AND BIGGER. You don't NEED innovation. You can't reinvent the wh--the ball. Its simplicity is its genius.

[@shadeblackwolf1508]

Honestly, if they get all the main titles playable on pc, that's a huge win. Forever is clearly designed as a series finale, but, i'm willing to bet over the years the people at Namco have built up plenty of ideas for potential innovative level gimmicks, so they could probably build a new game if these ports keep selling like they are. If not, they could, when they have all these levels in the same engine, create a Katamari definitive rollup, starring as much content from the entire series as possible.

[@RewindArcade]

It would be great if they could remaster and pull the rest of the games over to PC, but I personally think they'll stop with We Love Katamari Reroll. I believe if they do anything next, it will be a brand new entry in the series. Obviously this is just a guess and it's completely possible that Beautiful Katamari Reroll is next on the docket for Bandai Namco.

[@shadeblackwolf1508]

@@RewindArcade we're only missing beautiful and forever. I hope for a new game as much as the next fan, but... This company isn't about risk.

[@RewindArcade]

@@shadeblackwolf1508 Technically we're missing three mainline games: Beautiful, Me & My Katamari, and Touch My Katamari, though I feel like the latter would be nearly impossible to port given its touch mechanics. Forever is pretty much just a compilation of levels from previous games in the series so I highly doubt that will ever see a remaster sadly. I guess time will tell though. 😅