Our favorite kleptomaniac prince is back. There’s a new Katamari Damacy game coming to Apple Arcade on April 3. Katamari Damacy Rolling Live is being developed by franchise steward Bandai Namco and, as the name suggests, brings those familiar rolling gameplay mechanics to iOS devices, Mac computers and Apple TV.
The Apple Arcade exclusive doesn’t look all that dissimilar to previous entries. You play as the prince, rolling up objects until they grow large enough to become stars. It’s Katamari. The big difference here is the plot. The old games typically had you creating stars for the noble purpose of rebuilding the galaxy. This time, the stars are created for the benefit of the king’s burgeoning career as a livestreamer.
That’s right. Successful runs boost the king’s “subscriber count” and this leads to positive comments from in-game fans. Once the viewership reaches a certain threshold, you unlock new stages. That’s a fairly odd twist, but it’s not as if anyone plays Katamari for the plot. You play for the satisfaction of rolling over stuff to get bigger.
Apple promises a “captivating soundtrack that blends different genres.” It’ll be tough to beat the OG soundtrack, which is one of the all-time greats, but we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s been around eight years since we’ve had any new Katamari game and around a decade since we’ve had a good one. Bandai Namco did release a remaster of the original title back in 2018 and the sequel in 2023.
This isn’t the only Apple Arcade news today. The platform announced an update to the well-received Skate City: New York that brings 30 new levels and 90 new objectives. It’ll be available on March 27. There’s also a new Space Invaders game coming on April 3.
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