I really wouldn't call myself a "gamer".
Sure I was well aware of video games, played a couple in my youth, and kept up with recent games by watching video essays and let's plays. But being well into my 20s/just shy of 30s, I found myself no longer gravitating towards games. I have a pretty nice PC and a Steam library full of games, but nothing really compelled me to start any of them and if I did start one, I only played for a week until I beat it then never touched it again.
Some examples of video games I've played during this phase of my life is Kirby and the Forgotten Lands(I did 100% complete that game to be fair), Super Mario Galaxy(yes the one for the Wii), Needy Streamer Overload, and Cat Cafe Manager. Even playing those games it was very much the sense of "I'll play this until I beat it and move on to something else" i.e. something not video game related. I figured this was me drifting away from previous interests, but this drift bothered me. I think it bothered me because I do view video games as another medium of showcasing incredible art and stories. I would hate to miss out on experiencing unique art and stories with something as fascinating and impactful as video games. I still reminisce on how much Final Fantasy VII made an impression on me along with Kingdom Hearts II.
Side note: for some reason I played Kingdom Heart II first before playing Kingdom Hearts. I liked Kingdom Hearts II so much more and never got around to beating the first game.
I had so much fun with FFVII and KHII that I was afraid that my geniune joy I used to find in video games was done for good.
That was all until I got a call from my younger brother who told me:
"Hey remember that Katamari game you used to play? They re-released it and you should play it."
Who would have thought that a re-release of a game originally released in 2005 would literally flip my world upside down?
But yes. This blog post is all about We Love Katamari or more specially We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie.
Where to start? This game is still beautiful 18 years later, with bright vibrant colors and creative level design. The music is fun and catchy and I pull up the OST to listen to while I'm just hanging around at home or doing household tasks. Of course, the gameplay is as wildly entertaining as I remmebered. What do you mean I have to roll up friends for this weird dog thing? What do you mean I have to roll up the sun? The King of All Cosmos Himself?
Let me step back a bit: We Love Katamari is actually a sequal to Katamari Damacy released in 2003. In this game, you play as "The Price" who is responsible for remaking all the stars in the galaxy after your father (aforementioned King of All Cosmos) destroys everything after getting drunk one night. So in the first game you roll up various objects, plants, people, anything really using a Katamari to make stars.
We Love Katamari keeps that same premise, but with a meta twist. You goal is to roll for fans of the original Katamari game to remake the planets and more of the universe. (A very very silly premise I know.)
I have 17.5 hours of gameplay on it within a week and around 90% of all possible objects rolled up (which is a lot for someone who hasn't really played video games in a while). You can roll up ducks, snacks off all varieties, trees, god, land masses, anything and everything.
And if you think rolling up random shit is fun, then rolling up cousins is more fun!
Aside from The Prince, you can also play as one of his cousins or second cousins if you roll them up during the levels they can be found at. They don't make gameplay any different and is just a fun customizable option for your player character. The cousins are all different in terms of appearance and personality. Out of all of them, Lalala is my favorite. Her description as a naked and sunburnt cousin I found so silly as a kid and I found her as soon as I could playing this game as an adult. If you're curious, she can be found in the snow level sunbathing because of course she is.
All's that to say, I can't help but gush about how simple, yet how fun it is.
And I think that's the crux here to my connection to video games. We Love Katamari made me feel like a kid again, excited to see what would happen next. I've pretty much finished the main story, but I'm not excited to see what other games have to offer both in terms of fun, but also for the art and expression it displays as well.
So I give my gratitude to We Love Katamari and its re-release: Thank you for helping me find my joy in video games once more.