It’s been quite a while since we’ve covered games, so here’s to Katamari’s First Gaming Quickies of 2026! I’ve been playing on my Nintendo Switch 2 for a bit, and there’s a few games I’d love to recommend (plus an indie Steam adventure title that you should put on your radar). Without further ado, here’s a handful of games I’ve been playing for the past few months.
Once Upon a Katamari (Nintendo Switch, Also Available on PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam)
If you haven’t already guessed, Katamari Damacy is one of my all-time favorite series (I mean, with a column called “Katamari’s First Gaming Quickies of 2026” can you blame me?) So a brand new console Katamari game that’s not a remake was all on my radar last year. With wonderful visuals and updated mechanics that improve upon the near perfect gameplay loop, this is a wonderful place to start your Katamari addiction.
The goal of Katamari Damacy is this: Get your sticky object and roll around the world, grabbing anything that threatens to stop you. While you begin as a miniscule ball, you’ll end up rolling and absorbing things around you in minutes. Most of the game can be controlled with just two analog sticks, but thankfully you can also activate your dash move through a button press now.
Additionally, there are a few items scattered around stages that you can pick up to help you with your rolling rampage. From a magnet that attracts nearby smaller items to a rocket that will help you dash about, these items make the gameplay fresh with their limited usage yet ability to help you in a pinch. The gameplay is simple, yet innovative as it requires you to think outside the box in terms of what to roll.
Thankfully, the story is as goofy as ever; The King of All Cosmos screws up yet again, forcing The Prince of All Cosmos and his dozens of cousins to save the day. In order to save the day, this time the gang travels to different eras of time. From wrangling philosophers in Ancient Greece to rolling up a sumo wrestler in order to eat a bunch of food to defeat his opponent, there’s no shortage of wacky adventures to experience here. The quality of life changes makes this a much more accessible time for newcomers, and everything exudes a cute aesthetic. Make no mistake, this game can get tough with its score requirements, but it’s still a blast to play for the whole family.
Whether you’re trying to roll up the competition in the multiplayer Katamari Ball mode or trying to see if you can beat your high scores in the different missions after you play stages, there’s a lot of replay value for this game as well! More than 60 cousins to collect and a ton of neat unlockables means you’ll be able to explore every nook and cranny in order to find everything and roll it up.
QQQbeats!!! (Nintendo Switch)
Back in my game reviewer days, I loved a little titled called Touhou Spell Bubble. Back in 2020, the title mixed Tohou Project songs with Puzzle Bobble/Bust a Move gameplay, and it was a match made in heaven. The follow-up branches out to more music this time around, with a slicker interface and more frantic gameplay.
In QQQbeats!!! You’ll navigate a field of different colored bubbles as you pop them in groups of three or more. However, what makes this game special is the fact that you’re going up against the rhythm; throughout the track, you’ll be trying to create longer chains in hopes of filling up garbage bubbles to your opponent’s side of the field. There are special bubbles that will appear which you can use to clear your field and fling bubbles into your competition.
Once you max out a fever gauge, you will enter a state where you can freely match bubbles and hopefully let your opponent get overwhelmed. There will also be different abilities that are granted which will provide advantages, such as transforming some bubbles into a certain color or making your attacks even bigger. At the end of the track, whoever clears the most bubbles from their field is the winner.
What I appreciate more about QQQbeats!!! is the wider array of songs. Rather than taking the entire soundtrack from Touhou Project songs, this game includes more VTuber and J-pop tracks (alongside some Touhou songs too). From Hatsune Miku to Ado, the songs will appeal to any fan of J-Pop or Vocaloid. The UI is slicker as well, featuring a theme that boasts a futuristic virtual scene, and it’s a blast to play! Check it out if you want a fun hybrid of rhythm-puzzle goodness.
Keys of Fury (PC)
I’m a big fan of edutainment in gaming and typing games always come through for me. While I grew up on Typing of the Dead and typing Flash games, I’m always up for another experience to test my fingers to the absolute extreme!
Keys of Fury introduces players to Tai Ping as she unleashes attacks through the power of the written word. (Well, through martial arts that are summoned by the written word, but that’s semantics.) Throughout different stages, you’ll be attacking waves of enemies where you’ll type words in order to beat them up. Typing correctly will also fill up a fury meter, which will unleash a barrage of attacks (and act as a lifeline in case you miss a keystroke).
While it starts off simple, later stages introduce longer phrases where you’ll have to be accurate and quick if you don’t want to get hurt. Take too long or suffer enough mistakes and you’ll need to start the stage over again. It’s a simple take on the typing genre that is short but sweet.
While at the time of writing the main story isn’t complete (with new content promised later this month), there’s a ton of different arcade stages that are pretty interesting. From a race against dinosaurs to a stage filled with terrible dad jokes, the themed one-off arcade stages are a blast to play. This also gives a “pick up and play” personality to the game, where you can just fire up a couple rounds while you’re in between games. The pixel art makes sure that the game isn’t bombarded with distracting visuals, and it helps that the game’s pixel aesthetic makes everything run smoothly. If you want to make your own typing game, Keys of Fury also allows players to mod their own games into this one too!
All in all, this is a great quick title that is affordable and a great opportunity to practice your typing prowess.
The Real Face of a VTuber (PC)
Speaking about VTubers, we love our Ace Attorney-likes here on Miso, and The Real Face of a VTuber scratches that itch quite nicely. If you’re a fan of visual novel mysteries and have a hankering for the entertainment industry, this game fits the bill quite nicely.
The Real Face of a VTuber puts you in the role of prosecutor Justin Truth as he uncovers the death of Mr. Chicken, the founder of Lillen Entertainment. While investigating, he comes across an interesting slate of six suspects claiming the same thing: They are the actual face of Lilen Entertainment’s shining star, VTuber Kuripa. (This also gives them the perfect alibi, since whoever is Kuripa wouldn’t have been able to murder Mr.C.) It’s up to Justin Truth and his lovely assistant Emily Close as they try to unmask this deadly digital dilemma.
The game is divided into five chapters where you can interrogate the six suspects. Each of the ladies has a different version of events which you can cross reference as you interrogate. At the end of each chapter, you can accuse as well as present evidence to refute any claims, with the action taking place in a tense back-and-forth conversation. While in the middle of interrogations, you can also ask your assistants to help with finding more information surrounding the mysterious Kuripa and streaming circumstances. With multiple endings to discover, there’s replay value to make sure you go back and crack the case once and for all.
While the game isn’t voice acted, the art and sprites exude a cute and charming style that helps with the investigation portions. It also helps that the banter between the protagonist and his assistant is pretty cheeky and evokes prime Phoenix/Maya vibes. (You can also flirt with the suspects if you so desire.) The logic for the game isn’t that far-fetched, which makes for a nice casual experience; it’s not a purely static visual novel, so you’ll have to pay attention to the contradictions in each witness’ testimony.
For fans of the Ace Attorney series, there’s a lot to love with the absurd scenario and colorful cast of characters. If you want to try a murder mystery and have a few hours to spare, check this one out on Steam!
And that’s it for Katamari’s First Gaming Quickies of 2026! We still have a ton to play, and it’s only February! If you want to let us know of any games you’d want us to check out, sound off in the comments below. Stay tuned for more gaming news and reviews here on Miso!
