The Katamari Damacy video games star the Prince of All Cosmos, a small boy with a funny-shaped head who, at his father’s bidding, must roll up objects with a sticky ball called a Katamari.
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Story & Themes
The Katamari games all follow similar plot lines—the boisterous King of All Cosmos makes a mistake; his quiet, tiny son the Prince must clean up after him using sticky Katamari. Occasionally we hear stories from side characters along the way, such as Goro the Slacker.
Some levels challenge you to collect only certain kinds of items or have a goal of rolling up a particular person, animal, or thing. It’s a very satisfying game mechanic. Check out some Let’s Play videos on YouTube to see what I mean.
Save Points
The games are comprised of a series of levels, accessible from an interactive main menu. You can save the games from these menus. Many levels of the Katamari games are time trials, meaning the player is racing against the clock. You might find it hard to tear your kid away if they're in the middle of one of these levels, though it is possible to pause.
Heads Up!
Violence In the games, you have the ability to roll up boxy, stylized humans with your sticky Katamari. The humans sometimes scream as they are picked up, but as far as the player can tell, no harm comes to them. Overall, the games are comedies.
Sex & Nudity The King of All Cosmos, father of the main playable character, is depicted in a flamboyant, skin-tight jumpsuit that leaves little to the imagination.
Strong Language You might encounter a few fart jokes, but they're rare. In Touch My Katamari (the only game rated E10+), the character Goro the Slacker, a caricature of a video game addict, makes frequent references to "babes" and expresses interest in purchasing a "babe magazine" and of shaking hands with "babes." Later, a pretty girl kisses him on the cheek and exclaims, "Learning is sexy!"
Conversation Starters
- Do you think it's fair for the King of All Cosmos to ask so much of his son?
- Do you think that people are hurt when you roll them up? Why or why not?
- Do you know where the stars and the moon really come from?
- Why is the Prince so tiny compared to his parents?
- In these games, success often comes to those who are not perfectionists about their rolling; what can this game teach us about focusing on the bigger picture?
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