Written by James Pikover
Tuesday, 04 March 2008

There is no good introduction to Patapon. But it’s a game that needs none. A simple yet cunningly complex rhythm game that requires players to have quick wit, and does it better than any before it, need not receive a half-strewn history or poetic saying. Patapon is simply as its name suggests; simple, catchy, and utterly amazing.

As the mighty Patapon, a sort of deity to a race of small creatures with giant eyes for bodies, it is the sworn duty for players to lead the Patapon back to their promised land which they had long ago lost by unknown means. Using the power of drums, it is the duty of the Almighty Patapon to return the Patapon to their land, find “It” and regain their former glory.

Simple as it may sound, the odds are always stacked against the Patapon. Not only are they small of stature and always short on numbers, but they are essentially worthless without the imbued power of the players drums. They have complete and utter faith in the players decisions and do exactly as they are commanded, which says much about this tribe that stares at you through the PSP screen.

The commands are simple and training to use them is a necessity followed through well. With four different drums to collect over the course of the game, commands can be attack, defend, move forward, retreat for cover, using magical powers, and more. So long as the beat is kept, the Patapon will do as they are told.

Following the beat is key, and while it may appear to be easy at first takes lots of practice to do continuously and well. Hitting the notes perfectly requires expert timing, though the rewards for doing so are great. Should the beat be kept for ten moves straight, the Patapon enter “Fever” mode, where they become more energetic and attack with more vigor.

For the different types of Patapon, this means different things. Yaripon and Yumipon are projectile attackers, using spears and arrows, respectively. Tatepon are the brunt force, attacking with swords, axes and carrying shields, while Dekapon, huge and wielding massive clubs to pummel the opposition. Kibapon ride gallantly on noble steeds and fight with lances, and finally Megapon fire tremendous sound attacks. And there are variations of each, depending on what type of materials are used to spawn the different Patapon.

In Fever mode, attack strength practically doubles. Dekapon and Tatepon attack more often and are more likely to amass critical hits. Yaripon jump up to throw their spears farther, Yumipon shoot three arrows simultaneously instead of one, and Megapon become much more effective. Kibapon are the most effected by Fever, galloping back and forth around the battlefield and sending enemies careening back to whence they came.

Enemies come in numerous shapes and sizes. Most inviting are the Zigotons, a race similar to the Patapons, but distinguishable by their red square eye-for-body. Like the Patapon, they fight in groups, typically the same size as the largest Patapon arrangement, but they fight in waves, use buildings for protection, better armor and weaponry, and set traps for the Patapon.

Beyond the different types of Zigotons are the different forms of creatures that are meant to be hunted. Buffalo, ostrich, and giant crab-like creatures are the typical foray on the Patapon diet, but they will eat anything they kill, save for the Zigotons. Even and especially the large bosses.

These behemoths will be ten to twenty times the size of the attacking force, carry thousands of health points when for most of the game each Patapon can only inflict tens worth of damage. Each has specialty attacks that can clear the battlefield with just a few connected hits.

All along the road traveled are new obstacles to overcome, items to find and treasures to uncover. The items earned are typically weapons or armor as upgrades, but can also open up new areas to explore, battle and hunt. Equipment is dealt with prior to any outing and is familiar to typical RPG’s, except that it can only be obtained from the Zigotons after battle.

This may seem like a downside, but it fits brilliantly into the model developer Pyramid sought out to create. The level of depth in Patapon is unrivaled because it all plays through the simplest of terms. How many regular Patapon are required based on the number of helmets, since some Patapon don’t need helmets. How to properly distribute weapons when only so many are available, but different teams can use different amounts.

Using such deep strategies and tactics, however, is not necessary. Players can just as easily spend hours farming for “ka-ching”, the money of the world, to further upgrade all their Patapon. It comes at a price, for doing so takes much time and because it isn’t simply monotonous button presses that typical World of Warcraft players have grown accustomed to. Keeping the beat for hours of farming is completely different from hours of progressing, fighting actual enemies and carrying out the story.

A rather large annoyance is the inability to pause the game, with the exception of putting the PSP in standby mode. Pressing start simply asks if the mission should stop, though realistically as a rhythm game there is no solution. The option to pause it without stopping the system cold would be an improvement.

Properly playing Patapon takes practice and patience, and those short on either will ultimately reach the end of the game with incredible difficulty in defeating the final stages. This may occur because they simply paid for standard troops instead of more powerful ones, and filled their ranks completely instead of mastering the controls to progress.

The final missing piece is the lack of direction towards necessary and unnecessary steps towards progression. Several times backtracking will be necessary and it will only say in one particular spot, which is very easy to miss. For anyone without hawk eyes, time will be spent simply playing over various maps to achieve something they know nothing about, only to stumble upon it in anguish of time ill spent.

Keeping the tradition of simplicity in all parts of the game, Patapon is a visually pleasing, cute, intelligent and surprisingly addictive title. Taking a step back from the gameplay, it’s easy to marvel at the ingenuity of Patapon from every angle; artwork, music, control, presentation…very little holds it back. Even with its faults, there is no doubt that Patapon is a contender for game of the year on the PSP.

Final Verdict:
Gameplay: 10
Graphics: 9.0
Audio: 10
Last Appeal: 9.0
Overall: 9.5