[Drem]

Patapon is one of the most unique series around right now. It blends rhythm games, strategy games, and RPGs into a very interesting and entertaining game system. I've never really gotten around to playing more than a few minutes of it, but I've always had this impression of it being a really jolly game. Just look at the title screen of Patapon 2: friendly music, round and pleasing characters, and a welcoming dance. It just seems like a fun and happy game.

Then E3 2010 came around. I'm watching Sony's press conference on the internet stream, and they play this reveal/teaser trailer. I had no idea what it was until it says "Patapon 3", and even then I was completely befuddled. "What the hell happened to Patapon?" I don't mean this in a completely negative way. I was just honestly really confused, because it seemed like a complete 180 on what I thought Patapon was. There was always the lingering fear of maybe Sony was trying to "grow up" Patapon and give it some "baditude". But regardless, I was really curious and interested in the game. Mission accomplished for the trailer, I suppose.

I then proceeded to forget about it until a couple of weeks ago.

I happened across talk about a demo for it released in Japan back in January. Titled" Full of Surprises! 100 hour DEMO", it is a supposedly 100 hour demo that features both single and multiplayer modes. On a whim I decide to look it up on youtube, and this is the first video I watch.



I was literally awestruck. The round and jolly Patapon of yore (with a bizarre lightning symbol and wings?) literally transforms into, uh, something pretty cool. The tone shift was really radical. Sharp edges, humanoid character design, dark colors, and electric guitars. Not tribal drum beats and happy children chants, but electic guitars! As I listened to the music, I just wondered to myself "When did Patapon become so epic?" I mean that in the literal sense, not wacky internet usage. It just felt like the game was now about a serious, grand adventure, probably to save the world. Just all of this stuff together gave me this really big smile on face.


So of course I went and got the demo. It's really fun! Essentially, Patapon 3 is adapting to the popularity of the the cooperative multiplayer oriented monster hunting genre. You now have Superhero Patapons. This is your character, who is treated very much like your character from monster hunting games. You can customize equipment, level him up, modify his skill sets, and all that good jazz. You start off by choosing one of three classes:

Kamen Rider Yarida


Kamen Rider Taterazay


and Kamen Rider Yumiyacha


As you level him up, you unlock skills and abilities you can equip to your characters, as well as open up new classes. Each class levels up separately and have their own skills and abilities to unlock, and you have access to all skills and abilities regardless of what class you currently are. So you can pretty much multi-class you characters. It's a lot like a character in an RPG.

Each Superhero class also has a special super power to help differentiate it's style. Yarida can throw exploding spears, Taterazay can make him and his allies assume a defense stance and become mostly invincible, and Yumiyacha and rain arrows from the sky. There isn't a limit to how much you can use these powers, but they are initiated with different commands and lend themselves to different strategies. They are very powerful and important moves, so your playstyle will change heavily based on what class you are so you can maximize your ability's effectiveness.

Singleplayer has you outfit your Superhero and a squad of regular patapon and go on various missions. You keep moving forward and fight giant monsters and other patapon tribes. All I've fought so far are giant trolls and spear patapon, but videos of the previous games promises giant crabs, laser shooting robots, and demons. The game has really nice art direction; everything is silhouettes with very strong and broad colors to create and emphasize detail, so I'm looking forward to seeing the designs and animations for the monsters. There also seems to be quite a lot of loot in the form of equipment you can find or craft from materials, so those who like that kind of collection will be pleased.




I've only played multiplayer once, but in co-op each player controls only their Superhero patapon. You team up to a total of 4 players and go on similar missions to the single player, including long dungeon runs through multiple floors. There are also Since there are now 4 superheroes, there is lots of giant monster hunting. There is also an 8 player VS. multiplayer which I haven't tried yet. It seems to revolve around capturing towers and killing each other.

Much like other rhythm games, you often enter a "trance state" as you play, but Patapon's has an intensity to it, because you have to think too. You have to keep playing with the musical rhythm to stay in Fever mode (enhances your commands), but you also have to watch what's going on and strategize ahead of time. It seems like all monsters choerograph their next attack, but you also only issue commands every other 4 beats. If you mess up, you either lose fever mode, get slammed in the face for the next 4 beats, or probably both. It's a really interesting state of mind I enter, and I can't remember what's going through my head when I play.

I suppose this ended up being more of a rant than a concise description of the game, but I really just wanted to talk about how much my mind was blown by the game's change in tone. I should stress, however, that Patapon did it right. The game changed it's atmosphere mainly through it's music. By adding an electric guitar and changing the tune slightly from previous games, it effectively changes the tone without compromising the game's soul. It doesn't feel forced or cheesy; it's just a little different.

It's a cool game and I suggest people try out the 100 hour demo, which can be gotten from here. It has both ad-hoc and infrastructure multiplayer, so you can play online without Ad-Hoc party or Xlink Kai. The game comes out in the US on April 12 for only $20. It's a great price for what seems to be a great game.


And I just wanted to show this Superhero Patapon because I think he looks cool.

Kamen Rider Pykeron

[Mikey]

This thread is timely because I'm about to start playing Patapon 2, maybe I'll actually finish it in time for this game's release.

[internisus]

Nice post! I'm crazy about the Patapon games. You did well explaining what makes them special.

[internisus]

So I'm playing Patapon, and there are a couple of little things I really like that don't often get mentioned. One is how arcane it can be. I like this because it's strange and wonderful for things to be hidden in a game that is not only linear but actually plays along one dimension! They do it with tricks like the totem pole hanging out at the very first hunting plain that spits out a bent compass when you come back to activate it later after getting the necessary drums, and then that compass reveals an ancient place guarded by a boss where you can get a miracle. Actually, that example is a necessary part of the campaign and is well-clued because of it, but I am charmed by the way it works. There are similar things where you kill a particularly evasive beast and pick up something that points to a new location. Sometimes such a creature is only around during certain weather, which you can control.

The other thing I really like is the flexibility provided by the gorgeous art style. Notice that demon in Drem's post that seems to reverse itself but without actually changing its shape? There's a lot of that, and it's all thanks to the silhouetting-plus-color-shape style. There are a lot of huntable creatures that look like this guy, who is the most basic huntable creature:



And then you get close or start to attack it and it unfolds or reverses and is revealed to be:







And some of these imitators will attack you, so the art is actually providing the gameplay opportunity of surprising you. But who cares about that boring crap! It's just delightful to watch!

You can actually see both of these things that I like happening at the same time here:



Finally, I want to confess that I just like the world of these games in general. The story is surprisingly robust for a game that plays like this does. For example, when you're crossing the desert in Patapon there are these two guys manning a watch tower. One tells the other to go for help, but he refuses to abandon his friend; when you destroy the tower his friend dies and he is forced to run off. This guy, who is just a regular enemy guy who happens to be given a name, actually becomes a recurring character and increases his strength, eventually through dangerous means, in his pursuit of vengeance upon you. And I like how the zigoton forces' naming follows the same logic as your own: yaripon -> yariton. And I like that everything is legends and history and there are these different clans and demons and stuff. It all comes together nicely, and it's a fun place.

Having seen footage of the Patapon 3 demo, I have to admit that I'm worried about the more "realistic" backgrounds and the more angular art style. I love the flat, simple, graphic design look of any given Patapon scene, for one thing, and while I think the angular look is a cool riff on the series's visual idea I'm concerned that it will result in fewer transformations like I described above. I'm sure it'll be an awesome game; I just hope it doesn't lose what I most enjoy about it.

Here's the best footage I was able to find:

[Mikey]

I'm playing Patapon 2 now (it is my first experience with this series) and I am pretty bad at it. Sometimes my rhythm gets thrown off when things get too noisy or I get wrapped up in watching the action.

When I can/can't get my dudes to equip things also seems a little obtuse. Is there something I missed? I thought it had strictly to do with levels, but I've leveled up my mans and some of them still refuse to let go of their wooden helms :(

[internisus]

Are you aware that Patapon 2 has difficulty levels you can set at any time? You can set it to Easy so that it's not as strict about hitting right on the beat. Regardless, in general, I find it imperative to nod my head while playing because it's otherwise hard to keep the rhythm while also thinking about the situation and commands.

Sorry; I dunno about the other thing. I haven't actually really played much of Patapon 2, so if there are level prerequisites for equipping things I don't know about it. I would be surprised if that wasn't made explicit, though. If you're just trying to change a dude's wooden helmet to an iron helmet you picked up in a mission, it seems weird that you wouldn't be able to.

What I do know is that only normals (whites, the basic evolution type) can equip helmets. Unlike weapons and other items, helmets in Patapon 1 can all be equipped by any class; so any class of normal patapon can equip any helmet, while all other equipment is class-specific and is used by all rarepon evolution types. Maybe some helmets can only be equipped by yaripons or tatepons etc. as a new thing in Patapon 2, but I'd expect that if any helmets are class-specific it would be made clear.

[internisus]

IT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT THEY CHANGED EVERYTHING WOW

[Drem]

I just want to say I somehow had no idea that anybody actually replied to this thread aside from that first reply from Mikey, so sorry for not participating in the discussion. I will now proceed to read what I missed and hopefully have something to say.

[internisus]

[Mikey]

I'm getting better at this game. I'll say something more substantial when I've really sunk some time into it.

[Sniper Honeyviper]

Man, this seems like something I'd enjoy if the graphics had any weight to them and it didn't look like a flash game. As they stand, I really have a strong aversion to playing it.

[Victor]

The Patapon games are consistently wonderful looking.

[Sniper Honeyviper]

In still images they look fine, but in motion I can't help but be reminded of a bajillion cheap flashgames with too much marionette animation. Same with LocoRoco.

[internisus]

[Rud31]

Oh hey I actually read this thread. It was a fun read please keep posting about it. I couldn't stand actually playing Patapon.
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[internisus]

I hope that we SB folk can get some multiplaying on with this. Honestly, I'm not actively working through the series at the moment since I'm doing Mass Effect, so I might be late (and also won't have any impressions of Patapon 3 to offer immediately when it comes out).

[internisus]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-04-11-patapon-3-review

[internisus]

Multiplayer sounds really terrific!

But what happens if I want to play this game two years down the line?

(Also, reminder: Today is release day!)

[internisus]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/12/patapon-3-hits-psp-today-for-20-free-item-code-here/

[internisus]