Katamari Forever

Did You Know?

• The soundtrack includes 36 tracks across two discs, released in Japan on August 19, 2009.
• Sound director Yuu Miyake used a mix of electric and organic sounds for the music.
• The soundtrack features remixed tracks from previous Katamari games.

Story and gameplay

The game includes 34 stages, with all but three taken from earlier titles in the series. Half of the stages occur inside the mind of the King of All Cosmos after he is struck in the head and develops amnesia; these levels are black-and-white, and the player rolls up junk to restore color and the King's memory. The other half take place in the present, where a robotic version of the King called RoboKing, created by the Prince and his cousins, rampages and destroys all stars, for which he feels remorse. New gameplay additions include the Prince Hop, letting the Prince jump by flicking the controller up or pressing a shoulder button, and the King Shock, which pulls nearby objects onto the katamari like a magnet. The game lacks online multiplayer but includes local multiplayer and online leaderboards. It supports full high-definition video and offers graphic filters such as cel-shaded, colored pencil, or wood grain styles.

Reception

Katamari Forever received positive to average reviews. GameRankings gave it 77.80%, and Metacritic scored it 74 out of 100. Famitsu rated it 33 out of 40. It was the sixth best-selling game in Japan during its release week, selling 28,000 units. IGN awarded 7 out of 10, noting persistent issues from earlier entries. GameSpot also gave 7 out of 10, praising gameplay but finding little new. PixlBit gave 4 out of 5 stars, recommending it to both fans and newcomers.