secret game club presents...
we love katamari
words by lulu loveless
april 2025
If you’ll allow me to make a somewhat tripe comparison to begin with, I’d like it to be this, if Katamari Damacy is the 3 Feet High and Rising of video games, a wonderfully nostalgic yet brilliantly innovative and expressive work of art, recognized for being a turning point for it’s medium, then We Love Katamari is the De La Soul is Dead of video games,s a blunt and cynical commentary on the aftermath of that first work, endlessly frustrated at a world that demands more sequels and remakes than original ideas, that it can’t seem to fully break free from. Don’t be fooled by its vibrant, poppy visuals and gorgeous music, We Love Katamari is a true cynics game. Though, now that I say it that seems a little like an over-the-top description, the truth is that, despite its frustration, this is not the kind of game you get out of somebody who doesn’t care, or who hates things for no reason. No, true to its title, this is a game about love, how it feels to have a genuine love for art while stuck trying to escape the tar pit of the gaming industry. Despite it’s purposed cynicism, We Love Katamari never loses its step, the world, music and weirdness of it all are still there, like a clown never removing it’s makeup, even when he’s drunkenly ranting at you.
our score:
