 |
| PSP | |||||||
PataponReviewed by
Norman Canseco
A once proud and glorious race, the Patapon have been over taken by their sworn enemies the Zigoton. As the Almighty one, you must answer the Patapons’ call and lead them to victory and to their only destiny…to find Earthend and to obtain the legendary IT. By playing the ceremonial drums, and evoking godlike miracles the Patapon will obey your every command on the battlefield and fight to the bitter end. Are you ready for the challenge? Patapon can be classified as a Rhythmic-Real-Time-Strategy game (RRTS), not many of those around. You might even say it’s the first. The control scheme is very simple. Between battles, the D-pad and shoulder buttons navigate through menus i.e. selecting weapons, and stages. There are different warrior classes for you to command. As you start off you are given Melee-class, mid-range class, and a long-range class Patapon. Later on you will unlock more classes to expand your range or attack arsenal. The Main control in-game is only driven through the four main buttons, Each of the four buttons represent a different sounding drum, the Pata, Pon, Chaka, and Don. Commanding the Patapon is achieved by drumming out simple commands in rhythm. For example the forward march command is Pata, Pata, Pata, Pon, By playing this pattern to the in-game rhythm, your Patapon will march into battle. By entering the command Pon, Pon, Pata, Pon. Your fearless squad will attack at will. Learning new commands during the game will give the Patapon he abilities, to Dodge, Defend, and build-up strength, and even Charge. If there is any concept that Patapon stresses, it’s to STAY IN RHYTHM. As you progress you create combos which eventually lead to a FEVER mode in which your Patapon are in their peak and fight twice as Hard. But the second you miss a beat their morale goes low and you have to build it up again. As the Almighty one you also have the power to grant miracles such as summoning rainstorms, changing the wind, and shaking the ground. Use these powers wisely and you and your Patapon will be victorious. After each battle you return to your camp and depending on the outcome you’ll be treated to a little celebration or nothing at all. At this time you have the option of equipping weapons, creating new troops, and mini-games which reward materials to strengthen your army. In between battles you can take your Patapon on hunting parties to hunt Game and provide for the troops. This will help you in building up your forces and earning money for better fortifications.
More Screenshots (Click image to enlarge) :
|
|||||||
This is definite a change of pace from other games. If not revolutionary it’s is definitely one of a kind. The gameplay can get a little monotonous due to the fact that some stages may require you to have more troops, meaning you’ll have to repeat stages to earn money and materials to create more, but that goes for any RTS game. For the price (US$19.99) Patapon is a great buy, and is a great way to pass time, especially for those fans of rhythm games.
