Rat-tat! Rat-tat! Rat-tat-tat! to victory
2007’s “Patapon” on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) revolutionized the rhythm game genre. Unlike its contemporaries such as “Guitar Hero” and “Osu!,” the game partnered high-octane combat and strategy with rhythm-based controls for a gameplay loop unlike anything before it.
Although the franchise would make it to a third game with “Patapon 3” in 2011—and the first and second games would be remastered for the PS4 in 2017 and 2020 respectively—that was the last time we’d hear of our favorite music-loving warrior tribe.
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However, like the hero revived to save their people from complete annihilation in “Patapon 3,” the legacy of “Patapon” continues through its spiritual successor, “Ratatan.”
Made by the people behind the “Patapon” series, “Ratatan” combines the charm of the rhythm game genre with the intensity of side-scrolling action, in a game that fully takes advantage of modern hardware. To put it simply, with its high-fidelity graphics and overhauled gameplay, “Ratatan” is set to reimagine what “Patapon” would have been were it made today.
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The game follows a race of strange animal-like creatures called Ratatan that live on the island of Rataport. They yearn to go to The Everafter and meet The Goddess but in order to do so, they must build and lead an army of adorable Cobuns.
“Feel the beat and use rhythm commands in time with the music to order your Cobun in the direction you want them to go. The Ratatan can be moved freely, so use your better judgment to decide where best to give orders, where to stand when on the offensive, and when to retreat. A sense of rhythm and strategy is crucial in order to survive long adventures while losing as few Cobun as possible,” reads the game’s Kickstarter page.
“Ratatan” was originally posted on Kickstarter—and through the help of 14,598 backers and a total of ¥219,314,335 (₱84,506,418.88), the game is set to be released this 2025 on PC and console.
