Posted on: March 18, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Patapon (PSP) / 2008 Sony / http://www.us.playstation.com/patapon /

Individuals that were fans of Pikman and of Black and White (or even Lemmings) will find something fun in Patapon. Your creatures, the Patapon, are directed by the tribal beat that you (as their deity and a player) provide on “talking drums”. Different combos that are beaten out on these drums tells the Patapon to do different things, whether it be attacking their enemies (the Zigaton), defending themselves, or the like. Instead of allowing individuals to do every drum beat and motion out of the gate, Patapon ensures that replay value is heightened through the use of unlockable skills and rhythms, even going so far as allowing individuals to purchase new weapons for their Patapon.

The graphical power of the game is not strong in a traditional sense; the silhouetted style in which the Patapon are rendered is different from anything else that has previously been on the market in the past. Sony, the publisher of Patapon, has blended together game play from a number of different genres of game, whether it be the traditional “god style” of a Black and White, the rhythm-heavy approach of a Beatmania or a Dance Dance Revolution, or the military style of a Perfect General. Individuals in all of those genres will find something that they can appreciate with the game, and may even be coerced into playing games in the other constitutive genres.

The game provides more of a story than “kill the enemy that has been killing you”, as later missions will go forth and lay out a story that has the Patapon trekking to Earthend on a mission to find “It”, whose purpose and import are not even known to the Patapon (or the player, until they get to a certain point of the game). While a less apt developer and publisher would have Patapon be a game that infuses elements from other game styles only, Pyramid, Japan Studios, and Sony have done much to make the game a compelling, engrossing experience. Despite the fact that the story is linear, individuals will likely continue to play the game just for the interactive albums, the creation of different drum beats, and to see how well that they can conduct their Patapon. It would be easy to see a sequel come down in the line in the next two years; here’s to hoping that the game sells well enough to make it smart for Sony to release the game.

Rating: 8.5/10

 

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