Review: Patapon 2

Patapon 2
SCEA, SCEJ
Available for download via Playstation Network for the PSP

Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon! Yes, those unforgettable rhythms are back along with the cute and enduring little Patapons in Patapon 2. After spending several months attempting to remove those words out of my head, they are now again lodged perfectly in there day and night ... repeating over and over again. God, I love this game!

Patapon 2 picks up where the original game left off with voyage of the Patapons’ boat towards new lands. On the way there, the boat is attacked by a kraken that destroys the boat and causes the Patapon to wash ashore on a strange new world. There they are attacked by the Karmens, demons and other horrible creatures but they also discover a masked hero who has lost his memory. From here, the Patapon journey to discover the truth behind the masked hero and the faith of their people.

Like the previous Patapon game, your army of Patapons are controlled not by normal means, but rather by musical rhythms. You as their Tribal God have different drum beats (the shape buttons on the PSP pads) that you can use to drum out a specific rhythm or command to your army. The flag carrying Patapon understands your rhythms and will help the other Patapons to carry it out. You know that you’ve done a rhythm correctly when the Patapons repeat the rhythm back to you. In order to earn bonuses that strengthen your Patapons, you must keep the beat going without pause. Lose this beat and your Patapons will stop and you will have to find the beat all over again.

Your little army will have a diverse range of warriors from archers to spear throwers, and you can even find hero units along the way to lead this specific warrior types. Ultimately it is your flag carrier that is your most important unit though because if he dies, the unit will no longer follow you and its game over. Units can be upgraded and even born from a tree in Patapon camp, but you must collect items from enemies in stages in order to do this. The tree gives you access to a bunch of new Patapon types including a Patapon with a bird mount and a Patapon with giant fists.

This time around there is a multi-player mode available where up to 4 players must defend an egg against a bunch of enemies until they can bring it to an altar at the end of the stage. The egg usually contains a new item or character.

The music in this game is just a fun as the first time around. The jungle beats will have you singing them in the office and probably scaring your co-workers. The use of light and shadow in the graphics still makes this a very beautiful and artistic game and I love the newly designed Patapons.

Patapon 2 is another wonderful hit and a great reason to own a PSP, if you don’t already. Not only was I amused with this game but I had my 4-year-old nephew sitting quietly beside me watching me play with game on multiple occasions and he doesn’t sit still for much. Currently, Patapon 2 will available in stores as a download voucher or as a direct download on the Playstation store for $19.99, but however you purchase it, you must purchase it because this is an amazing buy for the price and I can’t see any reason for not buying it.

Rating: 10 out of 10
Buy it!