We’ve been looking forward to Ratatan for a long time. Patapon and its sequel were a real favourite of ours back on the PSP, especially when played via the Vita with its gorgeous screen. Ratatan,is basically Patapon goes Rogue-like which will no doubt delight and frustrate people in equal measure.
It may seem a strange choice of genre to bolt rogue elements
to but then these sorts of games are all about repeated runs. As a result,
there is everything you would expect of modern games in that genre. You have a
central hub where you can develop weapons and skills by trading in objects
found on your runs, multiple pathways through the areas with a choice of
powerups at the end, areas where you upgrade for your current run, the list goes
on. There’s nothing particularly new here (or missing), but you’ve probably
never seen it put across in a rhythm action game before.
The rhythm action element is completely key to the whole
thing. At the bottom of the screen, you have a continually moving music sheet
with bars across it that repeats infinitely. Pressing buttons at the correct
times activates the different commands for your Cobun followers. For instance,
attacking requires pressing the ‘A’ button three times to the correct beat,
while calling your creatures back requires a press, a pause and then another
press. As you move through the game you get an ever-increasing list of commands
to employ.
Success depends on your judgement about when to throw the
little dudes into battle and when to beat a hasty retreat and regroup. You also
need to keep an eye on your own health bar. While inputting all the rhythm commands
you still have full control over your little pied piper creature who can run around
and jump but is defenceless without the Cobun.
One issue was that we did find it difficult to keep track of
everything at times as the screen is so vibrant and busy it’s easy to miss that
you are taking damage or about to die. The game could do with a bit more
simplicity in its visual design and more feedback with regards to when you are
taking hits. It’s something that is more of an issue in handheld mode as the game’s
visuals, while beautiful, are also pretty damn small. Its ok though, because
when the sound is as creative as it is here it deserves to be coming out of
bigger and better speakers than the Switch 2.
That said, the game works beautifully well. Controls are
quick and precise, and the rhythm inputs are responsive and crisp. It’s
certainly a game that needs mastering, but once you have developed the skills
your progression is only hindered by how good you are (and how powered up your
Cobun are). While some runs may well fizz out early there is normally the
feeling that you have at least grabbed some loot that will be useful in the
future.
Overall, Ratatan is a unique take on the Rogue-like genre. It’s
great to see one of the more unique and quirky entries from gaming history
making its way back to a wider audience. The change in genre is a bold move and
one that mostly works. We would like to see something a bit more traditional in
the future to really let us focus on the beats but until then this is a beautifully
realised alternative.
Overall 8/10
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