Touch My Katamari

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. However, 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 lengthways in order to roll over more objects or squashing it upwards to fit into tighter areas.

Plot

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

Touch My Katamari was met with average to mixed reviews upon release, as GameRankings gave it a score of 70.12%, while Metacritic gave it 69 out of 100.

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".