Patapon 2 (PSP)

[aruljothi]

Release Date: 2009
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Genre: Action
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Interlink


The descriptor "rhythm action strategy mashup" makes perfect sense to Patapon veterans. Though, if you haven't played Patapon and are still puzzled by that phrase, you have a second chance to figure out why said description works with Patapon 2. Like its predecessor, Patapon 2 uses the basic rhythm-game mechanic of tapping buttons in time with catchy tunes to control the action in battle, but it adds enough new features and accessibility to increase its appeal.

Patapon 2 continues the saga of the Patapon tribe and its quest to reach the legendary Earthend. Again, you play the Patapon's deity, and lead the tribe's army of warriors by pounding out beats on their war drums during side-scrolling combat. It's deceptively easy to get into; three basic rhythm combinations direct your troops to advance, attack, or defend. But that's only the beginning of your battle.

As you progress and get the hang of drumming out your commands, Patapon 2 smoothly layers on new gameplay features. You start out focusing on inputting the drum beats. After getting that down, you can focus more on matching the flow of the fight -- much like a dancer hitting his steps without actually thinking about them. The battles become more intense due to factors such as increasingly complex music, enemies that require precise timing to attack or defend, and environmental effects (such as wind that limits your archers' range) heighten the battles' intensity as the game progresses. Though, despite everything going on, when you hit a groove, that feeling of everything syncing together is quite rewarding.

It helps significantly new players that the sequel has a new easy mode. Like in the previous game, Patapon 2 expects you to play through its levels multiple times. Having to go back to earlier levels again and again became a grind. But, Patapon 2's leniency on your beat-timing in general (and especially on the easy mode) make the levels feel less like repetitive grinds and more like favorite songs you're happy to jam along to again and again; songs that also reward you with more loot.

The big incentive for replaying levels comes from gathering materials (bones, alloys, seeds, etc.) to use in evolving your Patapon. Each individual Patapon can evolve from the standard Patapon form into a more specialized form (like spear-wielding Yaripons or horse-riding Kibapons). These forms tend to emphasize specific traits: such as improving your critical attack chance, or increasing ice resistance. Climbing further up the Evolution Tree (another new feature) results in stronger units/forms, and eventually ends at the most powerful Patapon form. But the game gets a bit more complicated; each form can also level up individually via adding materials to it. This results in a surprisingly complex situation of planning out which Patapon to evolve, and which ones to stop evolving and level up the specific form to its maximum potential instead.