Hoorah for the return of the Patapons, I was more than happy to see a copy of the sequel and didn't need to think twice to reach my little mitts out for it! For the gamers who've played the first Patapon, there's no need for me to say more - the sequel came out a while ago, so go continue the adorable story.
This here is mainly for those who haven't come across the Patapon series before. Let TinyShaz here give you a quick run down of what it's about.
*Additionally I reviewed the first Patapon game on Ready Up HERE.
Long ago the Patapon tribe were driven out of their homelands by the evil Zigatons. As the Patapons were slowly dying out and all hope was lost, this is the moment you step in. Arriving in the knick of time, an almighty god who will restore the tribe in it's former glory, overcoming the threat of the Zigatons, slaying the beasts of the land and returning to land known as, "Earthend" where a sacred item referred to as "It" is kept.
Okay now I'll give you a little insight to the world of Patapon. I remember this being a little infectious when I saw it so be aware you could fall for a catchy tune.
Patapon, a musical, strategic, side-scrolling game. Alongside a 4/4 beat you take control with four unique sacred drums. As you observe the scene you use the drums to plan your strategy, sending your commands to the Patapon to march, attack, defend, run away, summon a miracle and so on.
Throughout the journey where you'll be hunting and fighting epic battles, you'll collect a lot of materials along the way. These allow you to create different types of Patapon with various status effects and abilities, for an example you can create Patapon who have great resistance against fire. There's also items that you can pick up to upgrade your troops equipment and unlocking mini-games can benefit with more resources.
Well I don't want to give too much away about the Patapon series. I definitely recommend starting from the first before you go grabbing Patapon 2. You'll come to appreciate the extra features that comes in the second edition better.
Patapon 2 brings a new system in the troop creation. Starting from the left where you would spawn a normal Patapon soldier, you are free to follow paths to unlock different soldier classes and you can also level up the strength of those classes. There's more mini-games added to Patapon 2 which add more depth to the resource items and thus giving you more options to create your Patapon army.
Patapon 2 introduces the 'hero' Patapon, who you find along the journey. The hero has special abilities beyond the normal Patapon. Depending on what strategy you want to go for with the hero, as a Yaripon (a spear wielding unit) they have a powerful spear that can cause damage on a wide scale area, as a Tatepon (an axe and shield unit) the hero can pretty much protect the whole army from incoming attack, there's plenty of hero classes to explore with great abilities and further your strategy plans.
Essentially the main spice to a Patapon sequel, there's been a bit more music production, the level background music, normal chants to varied fever chants (according to the level) just raised the bars of charm even higher.
Honestly? Even though I've been going to bed 'to sleep' I've actually been slipping into bed and sneakily putting on headphones, playing the game up until 3am. Until I physically feel myself nodding off, then I'll flick the PSP to go to sleep too. I'm a big fan for music and rhythem games so if you've enjoyed playing things like 'Elite Beat Agents', 'Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan', Guitarooman, Um Jammer Lammy, Parappa the Rappa - then by all means you must play Patapon!
Patapon 2 is just as remarkable and reminded me why I loved the first one so much. The game sucks you in and it's just a goddamn cute epic adventure! A simple structured game yet it has so much going on - going through the ups and downs in the Patapon's quest for EarthEnd, it's a heartwarming and significant tale that can only be lived on the PSP. Plus it was about time the PSP had some special gaming gems of it's own that weren't part of the collection of 'hand me down' title copies of the next gen consoles. The sequel has really expanded the horizons of the Patapon series. The game has introduced a good amount of fresh ideas and feeling to it. I've not yet completed it (thinking I'm almost there though), I can gurantee that it's pure satisfaction for fans of the previous game. Not too little and not too much either. If that's the chunk it can bring each time, I won't argue with a 3rd title.
One thing I must mention is that the game is highly underrated. I enjoy showing Patapon to people and it's a great feeling when you've opened up a new light to a gamer's eye. Unfortunately the game is also a rarity in the UK so if you happen to catch a glimpse of it in store, your chance is pretty much there and then!
Finally I'll leave you with a taste of Patapon 2. I hope you get to experience the game at least once in your gaming lives!
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