Developed By: JAPANStudio
Published By: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: Playstation 4
Reviewed On: PlayStation 4
Japan Studio’s Patapon 2 is back again! Remastered and with 4K Upgrades on the PlayStation 4.
This adorable looking, weaponized one-eyed stickmen, 2D side-scrolling rhythmic craze was first released in 2008 on the PlayStation Portable, one year after its predecessor, Patapon was released in 2007. Personally, I was overjoyed when the studio announced that Papaton 2 would be getting a remastered treatment because that would mean the chance is high that Patapon 3 (the most celebrated Patapon game, in my opinion) might be next! *Fingers crossed*
But let’s talk about Patapon 2 Remastered first <3
Plot. There’s always a plot, even for a game as silly (in a cute way) as this.
Patapon 2’s story starts with the tribe of Patapon warriors setting sail to the ocean, seeking for the promised land, Earthend, before coming under attack by a giant Kraken-liked monster that ended up destroying their ship, sinking it deep into the ocean.
Now washed ashore, the warriors find that there are more than just gigantic deadly beasts that await them in this foreign land. The Patapon would encounter a hostile foreign tribe, Karmen, standing in their way, determined to deter the Patapon’s effort in their search for Earthend. Now, like any other typical gameplay plot and whatnot, it is only with the help of the “Almighty” player (you) that the Patapon warriors will stand a chance to reach the promised land they were looking for.
Gameplay.
This is a rhythmic game and like the name of its genre suggests, the gameplay mechanism involves music and beats. The gameplay is simple, but tricky to master for it requires your utmost focus to follow the tempo (beats), or the pulsing/blinking frame, before tapping a series of 4 buttons to key in the right combination of command at the precise right moment, otherwise, ruining the tune and your Patapon becomes vulnerable.
If you think this game is just like any other musical games that you’ve played where notes waterfall down and you just need to hit it at the right time, relying on your tip-top hand-eye coordination, well you will get slapped hard by Patapon. The game needs hand-ear coordination, which is a lot more difficult than it sounds. I would always say Patapon games are the most unique ones among the Musical Games Genre.
Each rhythm combination involves the four buttons Triangle, Square, Circle, and Cross and executing the command combinations correctly will control the Patapons to either move, attack, defend or dodge. One of the challenges is, a Metronome liked beat will continuously pulsate in the background, serving as an indication to when the keys should be tapped. For example, the simple command to instruct the warriors to move forward requires a 4 key command of Square, Square, Square, Circle. Every time a Square is tapped, the Patapons will shout ‘Pata’, and ‘Pon’ for every circle. When done right, moving forward would yield a ‘Pata Pata Pata Pon’ musically.
By executing the command combinations accurately several times in a row, the Patapons will enter a “fever” state which amplifies their attack, defense, dodging. But most importantly during this stage, the Patapons will (cutely) sing along with the music beat in the most charismatic way that really lights up the whole mood. Usually, this will either benefit the player and encourage the player to focus or make them panic and lose focus because of the effects and rock and roll in the music (the latter is what happens to me more often than not haha!).
This is not just a simple ‘hit the button correctly’ rhythmic game though, for it also comes with RPG elements like Weapons, Armours, Troop Classes, Heroes, and Crafting, for example. Each Patapons can be changed to a different type or level up in the upgrade tree.
There are mini-games for players to play as well which also involves music beats, with every successful beat dropping materials for players. Players will also face some bosses in the game (which are repeatable for farming) as defeating the bosses provides materials for upgrading weapons or increasing the Patapon’s levels.
Visual and Sound Upgrade is a Yes.
The graphics in Patapon 2 Remastered is crisp and clear, with every detail and effects look great on a bigger screen. It’s like switching (heh get it?) from the Nintendo Switch handheld to dock mode where everything looks BIGGER and better, of course.
Sound-wise, the game is best played with a headset on, just so that one can drown themself into the musical craze. Although obvious, it is still worth mentioning that the remastered version of the game definitely sounds better than the original version… because the remastered version is on a PS4…and the old one was on… a PlayStation Portable…
Verdict
If you are a first-timers trying out this game, you may have difficulty performing the perfect command combinations at first, but once you get used to the music beats and commands, the game becomes very enjoyable. The game is fun but can be quite grindy since you have to keep farming for the materials but personally, I don’t mind the grinding, I really enjoyed the gameplay, and as I’ve said, I find this rhythmic game rather unique (in a positive way).
Patapon 2 Remastered definitely brought back a pleasantly nostalgic feel. What’s left now is Patapon 3 to join the remastered club, and we’d have a complete edition for the full house. Definitely worth re-visiting for old-timers, and worth a try for newcomers.
