Once Upon A Katamari Tag You're It: Cousin Hunt Mode Guide & Tips

What Is the Once Upon A Katamari Tag You're It Mode?

Once Upon A Katamari is built on the series' classic loop: start tiny, roll fast, and grow until you can swallow a city block. The Once Upon A Katamari Tag You're It stages flip that pressure into something quieter and more mischievous. Instead of racing a size target against a clock, you are dropped into a stage and asked to find every Cousin hidden inside it. If you have finished the story and still feel like the galaxy is missing a few familiar faces, the Once Upon A Katamari Tag You're It mode is exactly where your completionist instincts belong.

Community walkthroughs describe the objective in plain terms: roll up all of the Cousins tucked away throughout the level. There is no strict time limit to clear the course, so you can sweep a stage as many times as you like without losing progress.

That single design choice changes how the game feels. Normal Katamari stages reward speed and greed — grab the biggest object you can reach and never stop moving. Cousin hunts reward patience, observation, and a good memory for where you have already looked.

The mode also gives the game's level design a second life. Areas you blasted through at top speed become puzzle boxes, and objects you once ignored suddenly matter because they block a Cousin's hiding spot.

How to Unlock the Once Upon A Katamari Tag You're It Levels

Unlocking these stages is tied directly to collectible hunting in the main adventure. According to community collectible guides, gathering the Cousins found across the standard stages is what opens up the Tag, You're It! levels. Each unlocked level then carries its own trophy, awarded for collecting the Crowns hidden inside it.

There is a second layer to the unlock chain as well. Player experience reports that certain Cousins are flagged with a star icon, and those starred Cousins specifically gate the second hunt stage. In other words, you cannot simply collect the easy Cousins near the starting area and expect everything to open up — the game wants you to do a genuine sweep.

If you are planning a full completion run, treat Cousin collecting as a main-quest activity rather than a side errand. Chasing them down as you naturally progress through each world is far less tedious than backtracking through ten stages at the end.

Tag, You're It! 1: Cousin Hunting Strategies

The first hunt stage is the gentlest introduction to the format, but it still punishes players who roll in a straight line. Because there is no timer, the smartest approach is a systematic grid sweep: pick a landmark, circle it completely, then move outward in expanding loops.

A few habits separate a fast clear from a frustrating one:

• Slow down in tight spaces. Narrow alleys and doorways hide Cousins that a full-speed roll will skip straight past.
• Look up as often as you look ahead. Rooftops, ledges, and elevated platforms are classic hiding spots in this mode.
• Sweep the edges first. Stage borders and corners are where designers like to tuck collectibles.
• Rotate the camera constantly. A Cousin can sit directly beside your katamari and stay invisible until the camera swings around.
• Track what you have already cleared. Mentally (or physically) dividing the stage into quadrants saves repeated loops.

The biggest trap in the first stage is impatience. Players who treat it like a normal Katamari level finish with eight of ten Cousins and then spend twenty minutes guessing which corner they missed.

Tag, You're It! 2: Ice Slides, Curling, and Snow

The second hunt stage raises the difficulty with terrain that actively fights your katamari. Community walkthrough notes describe an opening that sends you up an icy slide into what looks like a curling match, with the route continuing upward to another tier and then across a snowy expanse.

That icy surface matters more than it first appears. Low-friction ground makes precise stopping difficult, so you will often slide past a hiding spot before you can react. The practical fix is to approach suspicious areas at an angle rather than head-on, which lets you drift toward the target instead of overshooting it.

Multi-level stages also introduce a vertical blind spot. If a stage has an upper tier, there is almost always at least one Cousin up there. Before you consider a snow level finished, confirm you have actually visited every elevation it offers.

Crowns, Trophies, and Completion Tracking

Cousins are not the only reason to replay these stages. Each Tag, You're It! level has a trophy tied to collecting its Crowns, and those Crowns are typically placed in spots that are harder to reach than the Cousin hiding places. That creates a natural two-pass structure for every stage.

If you want to be efficient, resist the urge to grab Crowns on your first run. Splitting the objectives keeps your attention on one type of collectible at a time, and Crowns often sit in places that require a specific katamari size — something you may not have on your opening lap.

It also helps to know that the official Once Upon A Katamari page from Bandai Namco frames the game around new stages and an original soundtrack, which is a good reminder that these bonus hunts are layered on top of an already generous package rather than being the whole experience.

Advanced Tips for a Cleaner Cousin Sweep

Once you understand the basics of the Once Upon A Katamari Tag You're It format, the remaining gains come from execution. These habits come from general Katamari play and community discussion rather than any single official source, so treat them as practical starting points.

• Manage your size deliberately. A katamari that is too large cannot squeeze into tight alleys where Cousins like to hide. If you are overgrown, focus on clearing the open areas first.
• Use the jump and dash tools sparingly. They cover ground quickly but make it easy to skip a hiding spot by a few inches.
• Learn the stage layout before hunting. One relaxed lap with no expectations is often faster overall than three frantic laps.
• Check interactive scenery. Objects that move, open, or animate are prime hiding locations.
• Finish a stage fully before leaving. Returning later means re-learning the layout.
• Take breaks on ice stages. Frustration leads to sloppy rolls, and sloppy rolls mean missed Cousins.

Finally, remember that there is no penalty for taking your time. The absence of a timer is the mode's greatest gift — use it. Players who treat these stages as a relaxed scavenger hunt consistently finish them faster than players who try to brute-force them like a speedrun.

FAQ

Do the Once Upon A Katamari Tag You're It levels have a time limit? No. Community walkthroughs confirm there is no strict time limit to clear the course, so you can explore at your own pace until every Cousin is rolled up.

What do I need to collect to unlock these stages? Collectible guides report that gathering the Cousins found in the main stages is what unlocks the Tag, You're It! levels, while player experience suggests starred Cousins specifically gate the second stage.

Are Cousins the only collectible in these stages? No. Each level also contains Crowns, and there is a trophy tied to collecting all of them per stage.

Why do I keep missing one Cousin? The most common culprits are elevated platforms, tight alleys, and interactive scenery. Do a slow final pass at ground level, then check every rooftop and upper tier before you call a stage finished.