Patapon review Sony PSP

We were wowed by Patapon when we had a sneak preview of the game at the tail end of last year, and we've been itching to get our hands on the finished product ever since. There's nothing really to compare this hugely original game to - Patapon is a rhythm-action-strategy game which combines a sense of timing and beat with strategising attacks on your enemies, and it's all carried out in distinctive 2D silhouette-style graphics. So is Patapon everything we've been hoping for? - find out in our review now.

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Patapon review for Sony PSP
When you're trying to sleep, it's not uncommon to get a tune lodged in your brain. And if you play Patapon in bed, you'll soon know exactly why we're mentioning it here. It's a rhythm-action cum strategy game (if you can imagine such a thing) which has an infectious repetitive riff that will be burbling round your cranium well into the early hours.

It comes from the makers of LocoRoco, though aside from sharing a gorgeous 2D art style and some memorably cute little characters, they're very different beasts. You guide your patapon army through flat, side-scrolling levels, killing rival red soldiers for weapons and items, beasts and birds for meat and money, and bosses for certain special objects. This is accomplished by tapping out a rhythm on the PSP's face buttons, each of which represents a different drum. Square is ‘pata', Circle is ‘pon', Triangle ‘chaka' and the Cross button is a bassy ‘don'. You gradually learn different beat patterns – for advancing, retreating, attacking etc. – and your men repeat the chant back at you for every rhythm you bash out.