Time Limit Constraint

Lore & Background

The first story in the game is a self-referential story of how the King of All Cosmos is reacting to the unexpected success of Katamari Damacy. After completing his goal to recreate the stars in the sky, the King of All Cosmos was surprised to discover that he had many fans down on Earth. King of All Cosmos seeks to help fulfill the wishes of his fans, with the help of his son and his son's cousins, who again travel Earth, rolling things into a Katamari.

The second story tells the life of the King of All Cosmos before becoming King. His father always pushed his son to go further and punished the future King whenever he failed a task. In his early life, he was a boxer. After losing first place in a boxing tournament, the Emperor throws his son's second-place trophy into the river out of disappointment.

At some undisclosed time, after an argument concerning a strawberry shortcake, the future King runs away from home and gets into fights with street punks who in one altercation slice off the front of his pompadour haircut. The dejected future king bumps into a woman and they fall in love at first sight. The future King's father lectures. In frustration and anger, the son lashes out, knocking his father to the ground.

The king walks away without any further dispute, confusing the future king. Later that evening, the future king spies his father deep in thought, staring at the second-place boxing trophy. Recalling the incident from his childhood, and imagining his father fishing the trophy back out of the river, he realizes the love underlying his father's stern exterior all these years. He bursts into the room, crying, and kneels before his father to beg forgiveness.

The father places a hand on his son's head and supports the future King's relationship with his future wife. After this reconciliation, all is well between the Emperor, the son, and his fiancée, but soon afterward, the Emperor falls ill. The Emperor crowns his son as the new King of All Cosmos and collapses shortly after. At a later undisclosed time, the King is now a grown man, pacing back and forth in a waiting room.

Suddenly, he hears the sound of a baby crying in the delivery room, as he rushes to investigate, and a nurse appears from a doorway to call him.

Reader's Guide

In We Love Katamari, the player controls the Prince, rolling a katamari to collect objects. The standard game mode is 'Make A Star', where the katamari must grow to a specific size as determined by the King. New game modes include making the katamari as big as possible with a limited number of objects, rolling up snow to create the head of a snowman, collecting children and delivering them to a school, and using a sumo wrestler to roll over food items to gain body mass.

Completing missions unlocks an alternative version of the level that features a new objective. In most missions, players can find a cousin of the Prince which, when rolled up, can be selected as a playable character. There are also items known as 'royal presents' that unlock clothing that the Prince and his cousins can wear. A cooperative two-player mode is available, where each player controls half of the katamari and must work together to roll up objects, as well as a 'Battle' mode where players compete against each other to roll up more objects than their opponent.

Did You Know?

• The multiplayer modes were originally created for Katamari Damacy but were cut due to time constraints.
• The cover art features the development team cheering outside Namco's head office in Yaguchi, Ōta.

Developmental Origins and Creative Tension

The creation of We Love Katamari emerged from a significant conflict between artistic vision and corporate demand. Keita Takahashi, the original creator of Katamari Damacy, initially resisted making a sequel, fearing that the industry's obsession with follow-ups stifled employee creativity. However, Namco executives made it clear they would proceed with development regardless of his participation, prompting Takahashi to agree to direct the project to ensure its quality.

This compromise resulted in a substantially larger production scale compared to the original sleeper hit, featuring an expanded budget and a dedicated team of thirty employees under Takahashi's leadership. The game was explicitly designed as a form of fan service, directly responding to the overwhelming support received for the first title. Takahashi mandated that while the project needed to honor the unique spirit of its predecessor, it also had to feel fresh and distinct.

This delicate balance defined the development process, transforming a reluctant sequel into a labor of love intended to celebrate the community that embraced the series.

Gameplay Mechanics and Mode Variety

Building upon the core premise of rolling an adhesive ball called a katamari, We Love Katamari introduced significant mechanical depth and variety. Players continue to control the diminutive Prince, collecting objects ranging from tiny coins to massive buildings to fulfill objectives set by his father, the King of All Cosmos. Unlike its predecessor, this installment features diverse level designs and mission types beyond simply reaching a specific size.

New challenges include maximizing growth with limited items, constructing snowmen, delivering children to school, and even controlling a sumo wrestler to gain mass. The game also introduced cooperative multiplayer where two players control opposite halves of the katamari, requiring coordination to succeed. Additionally, competitive Battle modes allow rivals to race for object collection. Completing missions often unlocks alternative versions of levels with new goals, while finding hidden cousins allows players to switch characters and unlock unique clothing items known as royal presents.

Narrative Depth and Character Backstory

The narrative structure of We Love Katamari is uniquely bifurcated, offering both a meta-commentary on the franchise's success and an origin story for its central figures. The primary plot follows the King of All Cosmos reacting to his unexpected popularity on Earth after recreating the stars, leading him to fulfill fan wishes with the help of his son and cousins. A secondary, more emotional storyline delves into the King's past before his ascension.

It depicts a strained relationship with his own father, the Emperor, who harshly punished failure, such as discarding a second-place boxing trophy into a river. The story chronicles the future King's rebellion, a romantic encounter, and a pivotal moment of reconciliation where he realizes his father's sternness masked deep love. This emotional journey culminates in the Emperor crowning his son before falling ill, eventually leading to the birth of the Prince, the player character, uniting the family legacy.

Critical Reception and Modern Legacy

Upon its release, We Love Katamari was generally well-received by critics who praised its retention of the original's distinctive style, including its quirky visuals, unique soundtrack, and idiosyncratic gameplay. Reviewers appreciated the new additions like multiplayer modes and varied objectives, though some felt it lacked the groundbreaking creative leap that defined the first game. Despite these mixed views on innovation, it remains a standout title as the only other Katamari game to feature direct involvement from creator Keita Takahashi.

Its legacy endured for nearly two decades until June 2023, when Bandai Namco Entertainment released We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie. This remaster brought the classic experience to modern platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation consoles, Xbox series, and Windows, ensuring that new generations of players could experience this fan-driven sequel alongside its original predecessor.