The rhythm-loving armies of Patapon are marching forth again, as Patapon 1+2 Replay will remaster the PSP classics for Nintendo Switch, PS5 and PC on 11th July.
This is great news for fans of the cult classic rhythm-action games, but there’s a twist. This pair of PlayStation Portable classics are being published on Switch, not by Sony, but by Bandai Namco instead. The new remasters are being developed by SAS Co. Ltd, who I cannot find any details about.
Combining the first two Patapon games into one bundle (though sadly not Patapon 3), you’re cast as a god looking down on the silhouetted tribe of the Patapon. Having been driven from their home by the Zigoton, you will take control and help guide them back to their rightful place by beating a war drum in certain rhythms to command your troops, telling them to march forward, attack, defend and more. Combine that with unlocking and commanding different units, and you’ll have to overcome monsters in the wild, assault Zigoton fortresses and more. Sticking to the beat with your button presses consistently enough, and your army will enter a FEVER! and boost their fervent abilities.
New for this remastered collection are some difficulty settings – Normal, Easy and Hard – adjustments for button timing to help with input lag, and a constant command display, so you don’t have to remember the specific commands.
Originally developed by Japan Studio – which Sony shut down in the last couple years – the games were a pretty much essential part of the PSP library. Sony revisited the games with a remaster of the original in 2017 and the sequel in 2020, both for PS4, but the game’s natural home really is on a handheld, if you ask me.
“As special as it was ten years ago,” Dom said in our 2017 review, “Patapon Remastered is a glorious example of when art, music and gameplay coalesce into something far more intoxicating than its sum parts would have you expect.”
Here’s hoping this Replay bundle gives the second game a little more love and attention, though.
Meanwhile, Patapon fans might like to revisit the early games, but if you want something actually new, the original creators are working on Ratatan, which is also due out later this year.
