Patapon 1 & 2: Replay (Switch) Review

Rhythm games have always been a genre I have adored yet never mastered. From Dance Dance Revolution, to Elite Beat Agents, to Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, I have always dabbled in the creativeness that always springs from the minds of the people behind the genre. Patapon 1 + 2 had always piqued my interest on the PlayStation Portable, however I never had an interest in owning that particular handheld. To my delight, Sony Computer Entertainment have brought Patapon to the Nintendo Switch.

For those unfamiliar, Patapon is a game about commanding a tribe of anthropomorphic eyeballs through a series of rhythm drumbeats. The drum beats utilised are specifically unique to give a specific command to the tribe. These include attacking, defending, charging, and marching. It is a simple enough concept that can prove a bit rocky during actual gameplay.

The player, acting as what the Patapons collectively known as The Almighty, use the four face buttons to play a different drumbeat. Using a combination of these beats is what causes your Patapons to follow the aforementioned commands. Keep in perfect time to the rhythm for long enough, and you can increase the stats of all the Patapons by getting them into a fever. Missing even a single beat leaves the Patapons confused, and your Fever meter reduces back to zero.

Much of the focus on maintaining a beat while simultaneously remembering the various patterns needed to get the Patapon to do what you want can get overwhelming in the later stages of the two games. Get it right, however, and you will feel like a rhythm god. Most of my issues came by getting a couple of the drumbeats mixed up in the middle of a tense tribal battle, only to lose all my momentum and wanting to give the level another try.

Putting both Patapon 1 and 2 in the same formula feels like an excellent choice. The first game felt almost like it was getting me used to the different rhythms, while the second game wanted me to get more in depth with customising the Patapons.

After each level, you get awarded “Ka-Ching,” a brilliant name for the currency in Patapon. You can receive items collected by the Patapon, and when using the Ka-Ching and collected equipment, are able to customise the Patapons in ways that may assist you in giving a better performance when tackling specific levels.

Patapon 1 + 2 Replay looks incredibly sharp on the Switch. The higher resolution of the Switch shows the silhouette-like art style in a way that looks like the original artworks of the games, allowing the game to reach its original potential visually. Being able to play the games in sixty frames per second allows more accuracy in keeping with the beat of the drum as well.

While most rhythm games rely on music in the background to give you audio cues that match the visuals of the game, Patapon takes rhythm to a different realm. There is no real background music to rely upon. Instead, you get the chants of your tribe, as well as a visual effect around the border of the screen. Matching the visual effect matches your drum beat to the tribal chants, and the positive audio feedback keeps you wanting to maintain that beat and ultimately keep the Patapons happy.

Hearing your own rhythm being matched to the game’s environment is a really cool concept, especially later on in the game when enemy attacks and roars blend into the soundtrack that you yourself are creating on the fly.

With this being a remastered release of an older game, it is necessary to point out what other improvements have been made to the game to bring it into a modern space. Patapon 1 now includes a difficulty mode, which fans of the games have been wanting included for a long time. You can also access an on-screen display to remind you of the commands at your disposal, which definitely helped me in stressful moments.

For those using Bluetooth headphones, there is a latency slider that is there to assist with any timing issues. This could have been implemented better, as you need to re-enter the game itself to see if your settings are accurate. For some reason there is no ability to assess the latency after you adjust the slider.

What the game does not come with is any other significant extras that often accompany a remastered collection. There is no artwork to view, or any other historical artefacts from Patapon’s development that might have been worth checking out had it been included. The game literally just throws the first two games in the series at you, for better or worse.

It is also worth mentioning that there will be a lot of replaying levels when it comes to Patapon. Unfortunately, this is due to a couple of reasons. I found that finishing a level, then switching to a different game for a bit, meant that my progression was not saved. The auto-save does not necessarily kick in until the level is completed and any subsequent cutscenes are also played through. That one is a minor quip and once you know this, easily managed.

The other reason for replaying levels is grinding. You need to continually collect materials and use them in a crafting system that builds the stats of your Patapons. This becomes necessary to defeat certain bosses in the game. If you have already played a level a few times, the need to go back yet again quickly turns into a pain.

Honestly, if you played Patapon back in the day and thoroughly enjoyed it, I highly recommend revisiting this version. The crisp visuals and the portability of the Nintendo Switch provides a perfect opportunity to revisit the games. If you are a newcomer to the series, like I was. I would still recommend it purely based on the challenge and uniqueness it brings to the rhythm genre. What you would need to keep in mind is if you can keep up with the demand that providing a constant rhythm for lengthy periods of time asks of you.

Patapon 1 + 2 is a great overall collection. Bringing back a couple of unique titles from the PlayStation Portable provides a rhythm experience that is difficult to find anywhere else. There are some significant improvements to the visuals, however as a remastered collection, it lacks much else beyond that. The games are demanding, and there will be a lot of repetition and planning that may not be for everyone. However, there is not anything quite like the feel of successfully finishing a level and keeping the little Patapons happy.

Rating: 3.5/5