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The PSP seems to find an unexpected niche in the form of casual-esque games. Sure, the little handheld can pump out some rather impressive graphics and music but developers cannot seem to properly monopolize on the hardware.
That’s where these seemingly simple and quirky games come in. Sony took a big cue from the 2006 surprise hit Loco Roco and has released a bargain priced, cartoony game with cutesy music (even used the same music director from Loco Roco, Kemmei Adachi) and a novel control scheme.
Gameplay – 9/10
Patapon features cute little creatures - the Patapons - that look like a cartoon eyeball with legs. If you ever sketched in the margins of your notebook with a black pen during especially dull classes or business meetings, you’ve likely sketched something close to these these little guys by accident.
They live in a tribal society and have to defend their village. To command up the troops, you tap the symbol buttons on the PSP in patterns to beat the battle drum so the little buddies can sing the appropriate song. Most are four-button combos and, when pressed to the correct beat, tell the troops to march, attack, defend or perform a few special JuJu moves.
The game is essentially a 2D side scroller with some role-playing elements and rhythm-based button combo commands. As you progress from left to right, you approach obstacles or enemies to attack and periodically pick up some buddies who will fight with you through the level.
Every level is based on highly rhythmic 4/4 time music with a light border that pulsates around the screen so you can see the beat even when the music is turned way down.
Design – 9/10
The graphics, designed by French artist, Rolito, are a nice combination of solidly lined and colored characters and nicely shaded backgrounds.
Since music is a key and constant element to the game, Sony did a pretty good job with Adachi, who made sure the soundtrack was appropriately cute without being nauseous. There did seem to be a few moments when the rhythm of the game and the music didn’t match, but that was often when the Patapons were at the end of an attack and their tiny battle cries were simply leaking into the next beat.
The control instructions are initially a little awkward but you really only need a minutes to get the hang of it. There are two command to remember in the first few levels - Advance (Square, Square Square, Circle) and Attack (Circle, Circle, Square, Square) - and a few new combos are added as you progress through the game.
When you muck up the timing or the button presses, the Patapons will scramble around a bit confused until you hit them with a righteous beat combo. When you do hit a combo just right, the Patapons perform the action while singing a little song to match the button presses.
When you do land a well-timed combo and the Patapons go into action, you’ll witness a frantic scene of adorable carnage with little eyeballs leaping in the air, swinging tiny axes, launching little arrows and tossing tiny spears. It’s cute, it’s fun and you’ll end up playing this far longer than expected.
The main point of frustration will be for those who want immediate battle action gratification. Since you have to wait for the Patapons to respond to your drum beats, there’s a small pause between each move, giving just enough time to figure out your next move.
Even so, there is a surprising amount of strategy even with just a few simple movies. Think of it as a faster-paced, battle version of Oregon Trail with a constant beat and less stops for food - you need to make a move, watch the result and then quickly decide/perform your next move.
Features – 8/10
Between levels, you’ll be able to upgrade your battle eyeballs with better weapons and a pieces of gear, giving the game a little extra role-playing appeal. As you beat equally cartoony opponents, you acquire bling (points) and objects that you use to sprout more Patapons from the Tree of Life Matter. There are ultimately five classes of Patapons to acquire with varying types of attacks and hit points to monitor.
Back in the Patapon village, you can also copy the beats of a giant tree’s dance moves to acquire more game items, partake in a victory celebration, cook some stew (yeah, stew) and get hints from villagers concerning the upcoming level. As you acquire some groovy JuJu, you can also activate one as a special move for that level, letting you pour rain on a scorching desert, for example.
The game lets you save between levels but you cannot pause during a level, which can be frustrating. You can, however, escape a level without consequence, so if your Patapons are getting slaughtered, simply back out and try again. The main button combos are also available at any time by pressing Select, though I would have liked a Pause feature here so I could periodically refresh myself with my available combos instead of juggling an odd button in the middle of a battle.
Overall – 8.5/10
It has just the right amount to role-playing elements and object collection to keep the game from becoming an overwhelmingly dull button tapping marathon. Instead, Patapon will have you tapping your toes and singing nonsensical songs with lyrics like “Pata Pata Pata Pon” in your sleep.
The the combination of role-playing, relatively easy rhythm combos, catchy tunes, cute characters and relatively easy controls - along with a rather nice, affordable retail price - make this a fun and worthwhile game for pretty much anyone.
Editor’s Note: The overall score is not necessarily an average. Sections might have been weighted to reflect the importance of some features over others.
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