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Patapon (パタポン, Patapon) is a genre-straddling video game published for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game console combining gameplay features of music and rhythm games, real-time tactics and God games. Presented in a cartoonish, silhouetted two-dimensional environment designed by Rolito, the player plays as an immaterial deity who commands an army of caricature tribal miniature creatures by beating traditional talking drums. The game was developed by Pyramid and produced by Japan Studios, the same studio that developed and produced Loco Roco.
Like Puzzle Quest before it, Patapon is a game that grabs key features from existing genres, squishes them together like different-colored balls of Play-Doh, and then turns them into something far more special than you might expect. For example, if you combined a ball of red and ball of blue you might expect to get a big lump of purple, while a rainbow-colored re-creation of the Venus de Milo would seem unlikely. But Patapon is just that special. Puzzle Quest’s nontoxic, nonstaining ingredients included a Bejeweled-style puzzle component used for combat, as well as a character advancement system and storyline that belonged in a role-playing game. Patapon’s recipe, on the other hand, blends rhythm-based controls with a horizontally scrolling real-time strategy game. Then–as if that combo wasn’t already enticing enough–it sprinkles plenty of RPG-style gear collection and some fabulous visuals from French artist Rolito on top. In short, Patapon is unlike any game that has come before it, and with a retail price that’s half of what many PSP games sell for, our recommendation of this ingenious recipe that has been masterfully realized is a no-brainer.

Gameplay

(army) consists of only a few basic The player controls a tribe consisting of infantry, ranged troops and cavalry. Initially, the player’s warbandspearmen named Yaripon but as the game progresses more units, greater warriors and more powerful weapons can be obtained. The army is commanded by beating rhythm combos on four different talking drums each mapped to one of the PSP’s four control buttons (‘Pata’, ‘Pon’, ‘Chaka’ and ‘Don’ to Square, Circle, Triangle and X respectively). Different combos tells the player’s group of Patapons to do various things such as advance, attack, and defend. Keeping the rhythm going and not missing a beat builds a frenzy in the army which increases attack speed, power and general progress.
The game and story is unfolded through a number of missions of increasing difficulty. As the player progresses, new opponents are introduced and more drum rhythms are unlocked. Between missions, new troops can be spawned by spending currency called ka-ching and combining various resource items to create stronger Patapon troops. Throughout the game a player can also edit troop formations and acquire new weapons to equip their Patapon.
Only Four Bottons can control your Group. But be careful it is very difficult because you have to press the button on beat or you will be failed. EX. Pon Pon Pata Pon is to Move Forword you have to press on Beat circle-circle-square-circle

Story

Developed by Interlink, the same studio responsible for 2006’s LocoRoco, Patapon casts you in the role of a deity who is worshipped by the titular tribe. The Patapon have fallen on hard times since being forced from their homeland by the evil Zigaton army, and you’re their best shot at ever reclaiming it. Since you’ve showed up in their hour of need, you’ve also been tasked with leading the tribe to a mysterious place called Earthend so that they might gaze upon a sacred object known simply as “IT.” The Patapon are a tribe of adept warriors, but they’re clueless without someone to lead them and won’t do anything without first being told to by The Almighty. That’s you.

You interact with the tribe using a set of four battle drums, which are mapped to the PSP’s face buttons. Orders must be given to the tribe in time with a beat that’s constant throughout every mission using different sequences of four drum notes. Simple orders, such as “advance” and “attack,” are enough to get you through the early levels. But you’ll learn others, such as “charge,” “defend,” and “retreat” as you progress through the game. Furthermore, you’ll learn to use your godlike powers to perform four different weather-changing miracles that can be used to give your archers’ arrows a tailwind or to unsettle a boss with an earthquake among other things.

Archers, which are known as “Yumipon” in-game, are one of six different unit types that you’ll be adding to your army’s ranks as you battle your way toward Earthend. The others, which also have different names that will mean nothing to you, are essentially foot soldiers, spearmen, cavalry, musicians (whose tubalike instruments launch deadly projectiles), and heavies armed with oversized maces or hammers. You can only take three different unit types with you on each mission, and you can use a maximum of either three or six of each of them depending on their size. Inevitably, you’ll have favorites, but choosing the correct units for a given level is every bit as important as giving them the right orders once a mission is underway.

The 30-plus missions offer plenty of variety and come in three distinct flavors: hunts, battles, and bosses. Hunting levels are a way for you to gather resources from the occasionally bizarre and mostly harmless indigenous creatures of the Patapon’s world. Battles against the Zigaton army are objective-based (rescuing a captured Patapon or escorting a catapult to and then destroying a Zigaton base, for example). Because you get to pick up any weapons dropped by fallen enemies, battles are also a great way to improve your army without spending resources. Boss encounters are the most challenging missions the first time you play them because you need to figure out and memorize the bosses’ attack patterns before you really stand a chance of issuing the right orders to your forces in a timely fashion. Bosses modeled after dinosaurs, giant crabs, sandworms, and carnivorous plants make up much of the roster, but even those with similar appearances offer quite different challenges. Furthermore, after beating a boss you have the option to go back to face it over and over again. And it gets tougher each time you do.

Replaying boss levels is fun for a while, and the number of times you can beat a boss is a pretty good measure for the strength of your army. Hunting levels can also be replayed as many times as you like, though they don’t get any more difficult and offer no challenge whatsoever after a while. This is unfortunate because hunting levels are the only quick way to earn the ka-ching (Patapon’s life-giving currency) necessary to create new units for your army. But replaying them over and over again–which you’ll have to do at times–gets old pretty fast. Battle levels are the only ones that can’t be replayed, which is also unfortunate because they’re the most enjoyable missions of all and you’ll rarely get new weapons for your army any other way.

When you’re not leading your Patapon army on a mission, there are a number of things to keep you occupied back at the tribe’s home base. A handful of rhythm-based minigames that are unlocked during missions can be played here to earn extra resources and, in one case, to prepare attribute-boosting food for your army. There’s also a life-giving tree of sorts where you can plant resources, such as meat, rocks, and alloys to birth new warriors for your ranks. The quality and rarity of the materials that you use here will have an impact on the appearance and attributes of the warrior that’s created, but you’ll also need a lot more ka-ching to make it happen. Regular Patapon units are black and white; to paraphrase an insult from a Zigaton enemy, they look a lot like eyeballs with limbs. When you create stronger, faster, or fire-resistant units (to list a few examples of what’s possible), the eyeballs change color to blue, orange, or green and occasionally sport some quite unusual headgear that prevents them from wearing any helmets you pick up from fallen Zigatons.

As is the case in many role-playing games, collecting armor and weapons is one of the more compelling features of Patapon. Your army of eyeballs will look mighty impressive by the time you reach the end of the game. Because the game’s loot selection is so large and varied, it’s also unlikely it will look the same as anyone else’s. Some of the more ornate helmets dropped by mini-bosses are guaranteed to end up in your armory at some point, but there are plenty of swords, spears, shields, axes, maces, bows, and other weapons that you might never see even if you played through the entire game two or three times. Incidentally, it took us a little more than 13 hours to play through Patapon the first time, though we admittedly spent a lot of time experimenting with weather miracles and the like to uncover secrets. We also made a point of beating all of the bosses several times over simply because we enjoyed doing so. You’re free to continue playing even after you’ve beaten the final boss, by the way, which would be great, except that there’s very little motivation to do so. Yes, the game is still fun and the bosses continue to get more challenging. But what Patapon really lacks is some way for you to show off your army, its gear, and its achievements to other players on a leaderboard or in a multiplayer mode.

Patapon is a strategy game with some great boss encounters, as well as plenty of different weapons and armor pieces to collect. But first and foremost, it’s still a rhythm game. If you can’t keep a beat, you’ll struggle to string together combos of orders, which will result in your army standing around hopelessly anytime it is unsure about what to do. Fortunately, the game’s lighthearted soundtrack (not to mention a pulsating border around the screen) is helpful in this regard, and once you settle into a rhythm, your army will even start to sing along. Patapon’s audio design, like that in LocoRoco, is something that you’re either going to love or hate, but even those of you in the latter camp are sure to raise a smile at times. For example, there’s a baby mountain that lets out a cute chuckle when you play music on its toes in one of the minigames, and in some of the later levels, the music you’ve come to rely on for rhythm guidance seems purposefully composed to confuse you, which is a neat touch.

There’s never been a game quite like Patapon before. Its combination of light real-time strategy and rhythm is as superb as it is surprising. Anyone with access to a PSP would do well to check it out.

The Patapon were a flourishing people until they were defeated by the evil Zigoton tribe. The player takes the role of their god and uses sacred war drums to direct the Patapon tribe to take back their land. As the story progresses, the Patapon also embark on a journey to Earthend to look upon “IT,” a sacred object whose appearance and purpose is unknown to the tribe. The enemy of the Patapon tribe is the evil Zigoton Empire, a powerful tribe of circular creatures with red irises (as opposed to the white-irised Patapon) that have oppressed the Patapon since their fall from power. After fighting various battles against the Zigotons, guardian creatures such as dragons and giant worms, and the ultimate evil known as Gorl, the Patapon come to Earthend (the ocean) and see the rising sun, which they assume to be “IT”. However, unfulfilled by the anticlimactic end of their journey, they come to the conclusion that “IT” is, in fact, not the sun and to realize their destiny they must cross the ocean and continue their quest. The final scene shows the Patapon and Zigoton tribes working together to build an ark to cross the ocean.

Units

There are various types of Patapon that can be integrated into the player’s army that are unlocked throughout the course of the game. While there are 6 unit types in the game, only 3 squads, each comprised of a single unit type, can be included in an army at any given time. This makes unit selection and formation a key strategy aspect of the game.
The Zigoton army is a direct parallel to the Patapon army and are named in an identical fashion, e.g. a Zigoton Kibapon is called a Kibaton.

Hatapon – This Patapon is the first one available to the game, and functions to hold the army together. Holds high the Patapon banner. His death results in mission failure. Hata (旗) means “flag” in Japanese.

Yaripon – Spear-Throwing Patapon. This is the initial unit type given to the player to control, and is useful for both hunting and fighting. Their fever attack is a jumping spear throw that greatly increases the distance of the projectile while avoiding many enemy attacks. A Yaripon squad consists of 6 Yaripon. Yari (槍) means “spear” in Japanese.

Tatepon – Axe-Wielding Patapon. These Patapon are equipped with axes and shields and are primarily melee fighters. They are useless while hunting, as their attack range is negligible at best and scares off prey. Tatepons are arguably the best defense Patapon units, as their shields can protect the entire army from projectile attack. While in fever mode, their shields increase in size and provide better protection. A Tatepon squad consists of 6 Tatepon. Tate (盾) means “shield” in Japanese.

Yumipon – Archer Patapon. These Patapon have the largest attack range in the game and are always placed in back of any army. While they are extremely effective and can rain down arrows on enemies from afar, they are vulnerable to fire. While in fever mode, they shoot three arrows every attack instead of one. A Yumipon squad consists of 6 Yumipon. Yumi (弓) means “bow” in Japanese.

Kibapon – Cavalry Patapon. Equipped with horses and halberds, Kibapons deal heavy damage and knock back enemy troops. While relatively useless normally, they become faster and push back enemies with great power when in fever mode. They should only be used by a skilled player. A Kibapon Squad consists of 3 Kibapon. Kiba (騎馬) means “horse-rider” in Japanese

Dekapon – Mace-Wielding Patapon. These monstrous brutes are extremely large and bulky, and as a result do massive damage to their targets. Unfortunately, Dekapons are extremely slow, which tempers their awesome might. While in fever mode, Dekapon have a ground pound attack that stuns enemies. A Dekapon squad consists of 3 Dekapon. Dekai (でかい) means “gargantuan” in Japanese.

Megapon – Horn Playing Patapon. Megapons are by far the oddest unit in the game. They are taller than most other Patapons, and carry around massive horns. To attack, they play their horns and the sound waves that are projected take on physical form, flying at the enemy and causing damage. Megapons have a variety of attacks, but the two most utilized are a standard wave of 3 blue notes that bounce off of and around the enemy, causing ricochet damage, and a massive red note only used during fever mode that hits multiple times causing massive damage. A Megapon squad consists of 3 Megapon. Their name may be based on ‘megaphone’.

Upgradeable Units – During the ‘birthing’ phase at the Tree of Life, players can use different combinations of ‘ka-ching’ and raw materials they gathered during individual hunting missions, mini-games, and other means. Higher quality or rare ingredients coupled with higher ‘ka-ching’ costs results in higher quality base units. An example would be pairing ’succulent’ meat along with ‘cherry blossom’ instead of ’standard’ meat and ‘wood branch’. This is not discussed, nor combinations given in the included game manual, but players can experiment for discovery.

Items

Pon Drum, Pata Drum, and the Chaka Drum are used in basic moves for the Patapons. The Don Drum is used for miracles. There are also different miracles that you can get such as the Rain JuJu and the Tailwind JuJu. you can find various other items during missions, hunting, and battling bosses. some items are Dusty Crystal found from Momoti at the Heave Ho Oasis, cafeteria meat, tender meat, succulent meat, mystery meat, stones, hard iron, titanium ore, mithrill (used to forge divine tools of war),wood branches, cherry tree materials, hinoki, super cedar, blunt alloy, hard alloy, wooden spear,iron spear, steel spear, scorching spear,tin axe, steel axe, wooden shield, steel shield, ice shield, wooden bow, iron bow, steel bow, fire bow, wooden halberd, iron halberd, steel halberd, horses, fast horses, iron hammers, wooden helms, iron helms, steel helms, wind helms, and many other items. these items can be looked at in your altar.

Playable Demo

On January 25, 2008. a playable demo was announced by the Patapon’s associate producer Chris Hinojosa-Miranda via the official PlayStation blog. He revealed that the demo would be available for those who pre-ordered a copy of Patapon through GameStop. It has since been released as a downloadable demo for those in Europe and North America through the PlayStation Store. Progress made in the demo version of Patapon (including the acquiring of a special demo-only weapon, The Spear of Protection) is transferable to the full retail release so players can resume progress from where they left off in the demo.

Critical reception

IGN (rated the game a 9.2) considers Patapon, “not only one of the best rhythm games ever released, it’s also one of the best titles for the PSP.” GameSpot gave Patapon a 9.0/10 citing its excellent art design and innovative gameplay. 1UP.com gave the game an A, noting its understated strategic depth despite the game’s faults. Metacritic shows an overall rating of 87 out of 100

Patapon Unlockables

Mini Games