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Katamari Forever

(2009, Video Games - Action/Adventure, Rated E, Play it on: PlayStation 3)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 7, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Quirky action game now has two cosmos to explore.

In this game kids can:   improve hand-eye coordination, play in a virtual world, solve puzzles

Why We Rated This on for Ages 8 and Up

The good stuff

  • Ease of play:

    Very young players might lack the motor skill to master the game's "tank" controls (using both thumbsticks simultaneously).

  • Messages:

    While the King is a pessimist and often belittles his son's efforts to save the cosmos, but the Prince dutifully and patiently perseveres and eventually succeeds. That same message of patience and perseverance will be needed from the player in order to roll up precisely what is asked for in each level.
 

What to watch out for

  • Role models:

    Neither the King nor RoboKing are particularly good adult role models for the Prince. Both come off as self-absorbed, neurotic, and not very encouraging. That's part of the game's offbeat sense of humor, though.

  • Violence:

    The katamari, a big sticky ball, is rolled over all sorts of animals and characters. While they may complain about being stuck in the ball, no one is ever hurt.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Occasionally saucy: The king says "b----" (with all letters but one blocked out) but it's part of a rhyming couplet intended to rhyme with "rich" so it's obvious what the word is supossed to be. The word "Dammit" appears once in the game.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Some of the drinks to find resemble alcoholic drinks like cocktails, a glass of beer, and a bottle of wine, but they are given names like "red grape juice," "ice-cold drink" and "pineapple drink."
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Katamari Forever was written by Erin Bell

Parents need to know that while Katamari Forever is an action/puzzle game that is appropriate for all ages, controlling the giant sticky Katamari ball (which involves using both thumbsticks simultaneously) requires a certain amount of motor control that might be beyond the ability of very young children. The King's pessimism and neurotic behavior, while part of what makes the game so offbeat and endearing, might confuse younger players too. With two-player and cooperative modes, this is a fun game for friends and family to play together.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about how games can be fun without conventional videogame challenges like defeating opponents or progressing from Point A to Point B in a level.
  • What were some of the craziest objects you rolled up in the Katamari?
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More on Katamari Forever

What’s the Story?

The fourth installment in the quirky Japanese Katamari series finds the King of the Cosmos suffering from amnesia after being bopped on the head by an asteroid. The Robot King constructed to take his place goes haywire and destroys all the stars in the cosmos. The Prince has his work cut out for him trying to put everything right by, once again, rolling up objects, people, animals, and scenery into a giant sticky ball. Unique to KATAMARI FOREVER is  that players will be exploring two parallel worlds. In the first, they'll help RoboKing restore the cosmos by creating balls of a certain size in a certain amount of time that will be turned into new stars and planets. In the second, they'll help the real King restore his lost memories by clearing away the "clutter" inside his head and completing challenges, like rolling up a specific item (such as a bear or a sumo wrestler), collecting items of a certain type (such as Zodiac symbols), or lighting up a dark Katamari by rolling up fireflies. Close

Is It Any Good?

The addition of two worlds to explore not only injects freshness back into a franchise that was in danger of becoming stale, but also beefs up the length considerably where past iterations have been criticized for being too short. The game's playful and offbeat presentation is once again completely charming, and there's plenty of replay value too: players can replay levels aiming for a higher score, or challenge each other in two-player versus or co-operative modes. Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 9/22/2009, price $49.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: E (for Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language)

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