Once Upon a Katamari (PS5)

Following Touch My Katamari on the PS Vita in 2011 (2012 in the US), the Katamari series went dormant for years aside from mobile games, until the release of Katamari Damacy Reroll (Reroll) in 2018, as part of a series of remakes from Bandai Namco, showed a willingness to revisit the series. The success of Reroll led to a follow-up, We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie in 2023, the success of which created the possibility of further installments. This would come to fruition with the announcement of a proper new game earlier this year, the first in 14 years, titled Once Upon a Katamari. As a fan of the Katamari series who had actually been waiting for such an announcement the whole time, the news and initial trailer was enough to excite me, albeit with cautious optimism. Thankfully, this optimism paid off, as it feels like the spirit of Katamari is alive and well in this installment.

Little Nightmares III (PS5)

Following the success of Little Nightmares II in 2021, it was inevitable that publisher Bandai Namco would want to continue capitalizing on the series, with Little Nightmares III in development under Supermassive Games after original developer Tarsier was purchased by Embracer. Despite the change in hands, I wanted to continue supporting the Little Nightmares IP due to its more unique approach to horror. After waiting patiently for the long-awaited third entry, I found myself enjoying it at first, only to end up getting gated enough by the game’s own mechanics to put it down before getting the chance to finish it.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R (PS5)

Note: This review contains spoilers for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Ten years after the release of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle (ASB), a PS3 fighting game based on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (JJBA) by Hirohiko Araki, developer CyberConnect2 would release a remastered version for modern consoles, fittingly subtitled All-Star Battle R (ASBR). This release would not only commemorate the 35th anniversary of JJBA, but also the 10th anniversary of its anime adaptation, which at the time was in the middle of adapting Part 6: Stone Ocean (this is important for later). Although the game received positive reception from critics and fans, its online scene sadly decayed in the time between the game’s release and this review. Despite this, we still wanted to document our thoughts on ASBR as fans of JJBA and the original ASB, especially now that all of the DLC characters have released. In that regard, ASBR is definitely a great way to experience ASB, although its differences in presentation may affect your preference.

Katamari Damacy Reroll (PS4)

 

With the increasing complexity of the gaming landscape at the time, director Keita Takahashi created Katamari Damacy with the intent of creating something simpler that was also fun, though he had difficulty getting it off the ground due to him being in Namco’s art department at the time. When the game first released for the PS2 in 2004, his efforts paid off, spawning a long-running franchise across multiple console generations, only for it to becomes largely dormant following Touch My Katamari on the PS Vita in 2012 before coming back into full swing in 2020 with Katamari Damacy Reroll, a remaster of the original game for then-modern hardware. When I first played the original game on the PS2, I was instantly hooked by its simple, yet addictive nature, leading to it becoming one of my all-time favorite series. Due to the large gap of time following the PS Vita game, I became instantly excited by Katamari Damacy Reroll (Reroll) when it released for the Switch, but ended up holding out until it received a PS4 release, as it was my preferred platform anyway since I more heavily associate the series with the PlayStation brand, though the timing of its release led me to not play it until recently when its sequel, We Love Katamari, received a remaster of its own. After having not played the game for so long, Katamari Damacy Reroll served as a great reminder of why I loved the series in the first place.

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series (PS5)

While by no means unsuccessful, the Klonoa series is one of Bandai Namco’s lesser-known properties. Although it did well enough to have two mainline games and a series of spin-off titles largely on handheld devices before petering out in 2002, a failed attempt at a revival through a Wii remake of the first entry caused the series to fall into obscurity, with its only form of legacy support for the longest time being a short-lived webcomic on the now-defunct ShiftyLook website. While the series did interest me after I stumbled upon it, I wasn’t really able to truly get into it due a number of factors, that is until the announcement of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series (JP: Kaze no Klonoa 1&2 Encore), a collection of the first two games, Door to Phantomile and Lunatea’s Veil, remade for modern platforms. For whatever reason, the game did not receive a physical release in North America, so I resorted to importing a PS5 copy from the UK just to own one. After finally getting to experience both games through this collection, I found myself thoroughly enjoying this hidden gem of a series.

Little Nightmares II (PS4)

After the release of Little Nightmares in 2017 and its Secrets of the Maw DLC, a follow-up game, Little Nightmares II, was announced in 2019. Having played the original game and its DLC, I was curious to see what direction the game would take, especially since it introduces a new playable character. After playing a demo for the game on PC, since that was the only platform I was aware I could play it on, I was intrigued even further and pre-ordered the game when I could. While short, I found Little Nightmares II to be an overall improvement over the original in terms of gameplay with some interesting ideas of its own, though the otherwise compelling story gets a little hazy towards the end.

Little Nightmares: Secrets of the Maw (DLC)

Shortly after the release of Little Nightmares, a three-part DLC was released called Secrets of the Maw, which follows a different protagonist known as the Kid as he explores new areas of the Maw. My plan was to play the entire thing after all three episodes had been released, however I ended up putting it off for some time until I noticed that the Season Pass was discounted to $5 instead of $10. Even then, I couldn’t access the DLC right away until I learned that, despite purchasing the pass, I still had to claim and download each chapter individually. After finally getting to play through the DLC, I found it to be a worthy addition to the world of Little Nightmares.

Little Nightmares

While the horror genre is not really my forte, for whatever reason I am still willing to expose myself to things that fall within that genre. Little Nightmares is one such case, as I got attracted to this particular horror title for its art direction and what appeared to be intriguing gameplay. As the release drew closer, I pre-ordered the Six Edition, a special edition of the game that includes a figurine of protagonist Six, stickers, a poster, and the soundtrack, though I did this primarily to guarantee I get a physical copy of the game out of preference. While the game itself did not take very long to complete, I can say that it was a satisfactory horror experience.

A mysterious little girl named Six wakes up in a strange vessel known as the Maw. Armed with only a lighter, Six has to find a way to escape the Maw while also battling hunger. Though this summary is only brief, the story itself is a little deeper than what can be seen on the surface. Since there is no dialogue in the game, these extra story elements come visually in just the right way, giving just enough information to imply to the player what goes on behind the scenes. I should also take this moment to mention that, because there’s no dialogue, the only way you know certain names and terminology (such as Six’s name) is via supplemental material, including the back of the game box.

The lack of dialogue works in the game’s favor, as it is very effective in setting up a horror atmosphere that is largely psychological. This is furthered by the use of some unnerving imagery (especially towards the end) and minimal gore. The soundtrack also sets the tone really well, making good use of ambient music to enhance the feeling that something is not quite right in the Maw. I actually did manage to get a little jumpy within the beginning of the game, though this was less of an explicit jumpscare and more me not expecting something to drop down and go after me; this feeling lessened over time, however I was still very much captured by the overall tone of the game.

There's more to this than meets the eye.

The actual gameplay is largely puzzle-based with some platforming elements, in what could be described as a 2.5D space. The puzzles aren’t exceedingly difficult, since the game gives you just enough of a hint for you to figure things out for yourself, though there are some parts where the solution is not immediately obvious. As mentioned above, Six is equipped with a lighter, which can be used to light up dark areas or light things such as candles and lanterns. Some of these can be easily missed, as there are some small hidden areas in each level that can be obscured by camera angles and other objects. Other miss-able objectives include smashing small statues and hugging Nomes, which are small creatures about the size of Six that can be seen scurrying throughout the Maw.

While the gameplay is generally solid, there are some things that can bog down the experience a little bit. The game does include a checkpoint system, however the checkpoints seem to be lacking a little bit, as sometimes one mistake can cause you to redo a lot of platforming. One particular example is when I had to take a break after reaching a checkpoint, only for me to come back and have to continue from the previous checkpoint for whatever reason. The load times can also be a little lengthy; while not really unbearable, they can go for a few seconds longer than one would like, including when navigating the main menu of all things. The game itself is also a bit on the short side, taking between 2-5 hours to beat in one go, though to be fair it did not launch at full price and I thought it was still worth playing for what it was.

Little Nightmares is a short, yet effective horror title. It doesn’t dip into excessive gore or shock value to get its points across, relying solely on its harmonious combination of atmosphere, visuals and sound design. For what it’s worth, the game is a good example of visual storytelling, the visuals themselves providing just enough info for the player to connect the dots and leave some details to the imagination. For those looking for a good horror game and don’t mind its length, this game is a must-play.