Ludography
76/100
Players10 ratings
63/100
Critics4 reviews
Touch My Katamari cover

2011 · Bandai Namco Entertainment · Adventure · Puzzle

Touch My Katamari

PlayStation exclusive

Roll up some fun with this portable entry in the beloved Katamari Damacy franchise. In Touch My Katamari, the ever-growing ball of bits and bobs is controlled by touching the screen or using both analog control sticks to roll it in any direction.

Released
17 December 2011
Platforms
PlayStation Vita
Genres
AdventurePuzzle
Developers
Bandai Namco Entertainment
Publishers
—
Series
Katamari
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Third person
Themes
ActionFantasyComedy
Country
Japan
Age ratings
ESRB E10+PEGI 3GRAC ALLACB GUSK 0CERO A

About

Touch My Katamari, known in Japan as Katamari Damacy No-Vita, is an action-puzzle video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Vita. An installment in the Katamari series, it was released as a launch game in Japan on December 17, 2011 and in Europe and North America on February 22, 2012. It received mixed reviews from critics, with strong criticism for its constant reuse of assets and levels from previous games and stale nature; it led to a hiatus for the Katamari series (excluding spin-offs for mobile devices and remasters) until 2025.

›Story

Long ago, the King of All Cosmos brought light to the sky and replaced the stars of the universe, giving the people of Earth a beautiful portrait and a source of great inspiration. This, as you might imagine, made the King of All Cosmos tremendously popular. And he savored that popularity until a normal family -- in a discussion about the King's awesomeness -- mentioned that the King and the local school principal were equally cool.

This horrified the King of All Cosmos. The King then confesses to his son The Prince, that he had been a bit lazy and that there was no wonder that Katamari Damacy fans were disappointed, he instructs The Prince to roll katamaris that the King can eat to make the "cosmic belly" fit once more

Keywords

  • collecting
  • fitness
  • achievements
  • time limit
  • silent protagonist
  • platform exclusive
  • playstation trophies
  • cow
  • playstation move support
  • motion control
  • collectibles
  • touch controls

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game carries on the gameplay of previous Katamari games in which players must roll a sticky ball, known as a Katamari, over hundreds of objects, allowing it to grow in size and reach a desired size within a time limit. This iteration adds new gameplay mechanics that makes use of the PlayStation Vita's features. Along with the analogue controls, players can move their fingers across the touch screen in order to move their Katamari in the desired direction. By moving fingers along the back touch panel, players can squash and stretch their Katamari, stretching it lengthwise in order to roll over more objects or squashing it upwards to fit into tighter areas.

Story

One day, a boy asks his Dad "Who is more awesome, the King of All Cosmos or his principal?" When the dad is trying to make up his mind, the mom says they are both equally awesome. The king overhears the conversation. Distraught by this, he becomes an utter train-wreck.

Somewhere else, a slacker named Goro, who puts off studying for video games, television and the Internet, sees a news broadcast telling of the King's apparent depression. Goro believes that this is his moment to start his life anew, so he starts to make a new lifestyle for himself.

Reception

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one eight, one seven, one nine, and one eight for a total of 32 out of 40.

Media Create reports did not have the game in the top 50 selling games in the week after its debut. On PlayStation LifeStyle, Heath Hindman's review claimed the game was better for series newcomers than veterans, because longtime fans were likely to find the recycled stages somewhat stale. In a hands-on preview, 1Up.com's Jeremy Parish had similar comments, saying that the series now "continues to miss the point".

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

Releases by platform
PlatformReleasedRegions
PlayStation Vita17 December 2011Japan · Europe 22 February 2012 · North America 22 February 2012

Title IDsone per regional release, with its latest update

Title ids and disc serials by release
PlatformTitle IDRegionLatest update
PlayStation VitaPCSB00047Europe01.01
PCSG00018Japan1.01
PCSE00016North America01.01

In the same series

Games like this

Collections2 collections

Platform libraries

Years

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.