Patapon: Cute, addictive fun...
I bought this game after finishing God of War: Chains of Olympus in a ridiculous time, and was looking for something to entertain me on the journey to and from work. To be perfectly honest, this game has provided that and so much more.
The aim of the story is to lead the Patapon tribe to IT, whatever that is, which lies at Earthend. On the way you'll be smashing up some angry bosses, fending off the Zigatons, as well as making sure your army is well fed and watered.
The gameplay mechanic puts you in the place of the Patapon god, beating out rhythms on your holy drums in order to make your army advance, defend and so on. As with most rhythm games, the more accurate you are at keeping to the beat, the more responsive your army will be, eventually entering Fever mode, where upon they will gain more ferocious attacks and respond at a heightened pace. The system picks up your button presses well, although it can be a task to get used to the rhythm aspect in the more frantic fights, especially it you loose controls for a split second.
Patapon also has a great deal of unlockable minigames, armour, units etc, all of which can be used to gain better troops and exploit your enemies weaknesses. The minigames are often fun, although some can be mind bendingly frustrating, and reward you with useful materials for unit and equipment creation.
The game is really a great blend of the rhythm and strategy genres, and does bring something new and refreshing to the table. In addition, the mission times clock in at around 4-8 minutes to complete - just right for those short journeys. And while there are over 30 missions, you will find yourself replaying vast segments in order to improve your army to complete the harder missions later in the game. This really extends the life of this charming little number beyond most portable games currently available.
The only downsides I can see to this game is the repetitive nature of the gameplay. You will find yourself beating out the same rhythm commands over and over, playing the minigames again and again, and constantly farming the materials needed to improve troops in between the main missions. However, if you can get round this you have a fantastic game, cute as a cuddly kitten, and packed with more warfare than the Starship Troopers.
