Patapon 1+2 Replay review – march to the beat of your own drum

Regardless of my self-proclaimed affinity for rhythm video games, till very lately, I had by no means performed Patapon earlier than. That is doubtlessly as a result of the 2007 title was native to the PSP, which was my dad’s, however due to Bandai Namco’s Patapon 1+2 Replay launch, I’ve lastly managed to expertise this piece of bizarre rhythm recreation historical past.

The Patapon collection, which popped onto my radar after the unique crew introduced Ratatan, an upcoming Swap recreation that acts as a religious successor to Patapon, follows a tribe of funky, one-eyed creatures who look a bit just like the solid of World of Goo. As their Mighty Chief, you command their forces to advance, assault, hunt, and extra by the ability of rhythmic drumming. That is instantly very completely different from many of the rhythm video games that I’ve performed previously, which merely get you to play alongside to varied songs for the enjoyable of performing and hitting that candy, candy full combo.

Patapon 1+2 Replay, because the identify suggests, combines the primary two video games within the collection into one neat remaster bundle, full with a swathe of quality-of-life adjustments that did not make the minimize in 2017’s ports for the PS4. Though the artwork type is kind of simplistic, it seems improbable on my Nintendo Swap 2, particularly due to its daring colours, and I have never encountered any efficiency points throughout my lengthy handheld and docked play periods.

Normally, I am not a fan of struggle video games, or any video games the place I am taking management of an occupying or aggressive drive. It isn’t tremendous clear in Patapon and its sequel whether or not the Patapons are oppressed or just energy hungry, so I attempted not to consider it an excessive amount of. There are additionally some language and design decisions, such because the phrase ‘juju’, that I do not suppose have aged notably nicely, however they do not detract from the sport as an entire.

I’ve seen different reviewers of the unique titles and the remaster say that Patapon is ideal for brief play periods, and I undoubtedly agree. The gameplay is participating, and through the course of a stage, you actually get right into a groove, however should you play too many levels back-to-back, you begin to understand how grindy the expertise is. I believe Patapon 2 improves on this sense just a little bit, particularly as you’ll be able to hyperlink your save knowledge from the primary recreation to make getting by the preliminary tutorial levels loads quicker. I additionally discovered Patapon 2’s signposting to be loads clearer, resulting in loads much less time losing whereas I found out what the sport needed me to do to progress.

In an analogous option to Pikmin, Patapon 1+2 Replay actually makes you care about your military of tiny eyeballs. Seeing them fall in battle (though I knew I might revive them) or run round screaming as a result of they caught on hearth genuinely makes me wish to carry out higher within the ranges. The standard-of-life upgrades really feel very seamless, too, to the purpose the place I discovered after taking part in that they weren’t current within the authentic video games. If I have been taking part in Patapon in 2007, there is not any means I might memorize the assorted button combos for the completely different instructions, so the mini menu is a godsend for me.

Patapon 1+2 Replay is extremely nicely suited to the Nintendo Swap, which is smart as a PSP title, and I can see myself taking part in a few ranges right here and there in mattress or on practice journeys sooner or later. My solely concern with taking part in in handheld mode is that I might really feel my hand cramping after an hour or so, and I am scripting this overview with residual joint ache in my proper hand from pon-pon-pata-pon-ing for too lengthy final evening. That is most likely another excuse why folks advocate taking part in briefly bursts! I ought to take heed to that recommendation, however though I used to be initially hesitant about this recreation, it has an extremely satisfying and addictive gameplay loop.

Total, Patapon 1+2 Replay is a bizarre however great rhythm recreation that I might extremely advocate for veteran followers and newcomers alike. Contemplating that the bundle of two video games, plus all of its further quality-of-life adjustments, solely prices $30, it is an excellent deal that’ll present hours of enjoyable.

For extra superior handheld experiences, be certain to take a look at our lists of the most effective cell video games and finest Swap video games, in addition to the brand new cell video games to keep watch over.