Ever since I used to be a child stomping his ft to pop songs in Dance Dance Revolution and getting pep talks from PaRappa the Rapper about how I gotta consider, I’ve been a fan of rhythm video games. And whereas I like in style juggernauts within the style like Guitar Hero, I’ll at all times desire one thing with extra originality than simply merely holding down a button, resembling Remaining Fantasy Theatrhythm.
Cue Patapon, a unusual mix of rhythm and technique originality launched completely on Sony’s PSP and now out on different platforms due to Bandai Namco. You play as a god to the charming Smurf-esque creatures and use drums to direct them throughout missions. Your controller buttons correspond to a rhythmic phrase. Need them to maneuver ahead? That’s simple! Pata pata pata pon! Must assault? No drawback; simply hit ‘em with a pon pon pata pon combo. Preserve the beat going and also you’ll enter right into a Fever, which will increase your assault and defence.
It’s a novel idea for a recreation. You’re fully indifferent from the Patapon who worship you since you’re seen as a god. It’s by way more preferable to having an precise in-game avatar as a result of it simply enables you to slip into your position because the Patapons’ saviour. You possibly can’t assist however develop hooked up to the Patapons themselves. They’re simply lil’ eyeball guys! In quite a lot of methods, it jogs my memory of the connection you kind with Pikmin. You wish to defend your Patapon as a result of they’re yours.
The gameplay is essentially simplistic however that’s not essentially a detriment. The truth is, the sport works higher due to its simplicity, particularly in the case of the final gameplay loop.
You’ll be doing quite a lot of grinding missions time and again to gather Ka-Ching and different supplies that allow you to create stronger Patapon models, of which there’s an honest selection, from spear throwers to archers.
That grind may sound annoying however the missions in each video games are bite-sized little morsels, so that you aren’t locking your self into 10-minute missions or something worse. I think it’s because each video games had been initially on the PSP and it was higher for the missions to be fast and snappy slightly than lengthy and drawn out. Regardless, it really works in every recreation’s favour.
However don’t go into Patapon anticipating a Guitar Hero clone. Patapon utilises rhythm, however personally, I’m hesitant to name it a rhythm recreation. It’s extra of a method recreation that makes use of rhythm than a rhythm recreation with technique components.
That additionally means you shouldn’t go in anticipating a toe-tapping soundtrack. Patapon’s utilization of rhythm doesn’t essentially make for good music to hearken to. You could solely be taking part in percussion however Drum Hero this ain’t.
There are points, nevertheless. For starters, you possibly can’t pause the sport, which is frankly ridiculous in 2025. You possibly can work round this by urgent the House button slightly than a pause button, but it surely’s nonetheless ridiculous. And I can’t rely the variety of instances I used to be so near coming into Fever mode solely to screw up by being the tiniest bit off beat. Typically it looks as if you’ve gotten sufficient area to assault solely to understand it’s worthwhile to preserve marching ahead.
And worse, it’s very simple to throw off your sense of rhythm in the case of issues like boosting your defence. You possibly can chalk it as much as being a talent problem however whilst you can alter the button-press delay in choices, you possibly can’t check your modifications out with out going right into a mission after which exiting it, which is extremely irritating and time-consuming.
One factor that may’t be complained about is the aesthetic of the video games. There’s an virtually shifting comedian book-like high quality to those little eyeball monsters. They’re completely lovely to take a look at, and it’s enjoyable watching them comply with your instructions in battle by throwing spears or reducing up enemies. And the backdrops within the missions are completely stunning, with crisp shades of reds, yellows, blues, and extra. Patapon oozes fashion in spades and its aesthetic is its greatest energy, even over the gameplay’s.
Patapon is enjoyable to play in docked however I’d argue that it feels finest in handheld mode, harkening again to its earlier PSP days. There’s simply one thing about plugging in your headphones and chilling on the sofa whereas sending your Patapon military into battle. The efficiency is essentially the identical between docked and handheld, so that you gained’t be lacking out both manner.
Conclusion
Patapon 1+2 Replay is an actual blast from the previous and greater than proves why this collection was such successful for Sony. It’s easy to play, however if you happen to dig deeper you’ll discover that there’s an actual meaty recreation right here. The rhythm-based controls make it not like any technique recreation you’ve ever performed earlier than. There are some small frustrations, however typically it succeeds in what it tries to do.
