Ratatan is playable solo or in co-op multiplayer with up to four players.
Patapon fans, rejoice! Hiroyuki Kotani, creator of the popular PSP rhythm game Patapon, is returning with Ratatan, his first game in almost 16 years. Publisher Game Source Entertainment released a new trailer for the title on Sunday (November 17):
Like its predecessor, Ratatan can be played solo or in online co-op with up to four players per team. The game will also include collaborations with renowned video game designers and composers, such as David Wise, known for the Donkey Kong Country soundtracks; Tsutomu Kouno, known for the LocoRoco franchise; and Keiichiro Toyama, the creative designer behind the Siren and Gravity Rush.
Developers Tokyo Virtual Theory also emphasised that Ratatan uses its in-house engine, the Theory Engine, to ensure a faster and more stable network and multiplayer environment.
What is Ratatan?
Ratatan is a roguelike with rhythm side-scrolling action. The Ratatan are groove-loving adventurers who harness the power of music and magical instruments called "Melodium" to lead their armies of Cobun. They are one-eyed creatures similar to the Patapon, but unlike previous Patapon games, Ratatan's surroundings are full of life and colour.
The players act as the Ratatan, who use different instruments to command the Cobun armies to attack the enemy. "In addition to attack and defence rhythmic sequences, there are also actions that allow the Ratatan to move freely, with unique skills for each character," according to the press release.
These skills include healing, shields, damage, defence, debuffs and other abilities, which will help the party defeat the armies before them. Enemies players may encounter include the Dekadon, a "big grumpy dragon with a big grumpy attitude," and the Swashbuckling Manateers, described by the devs as “self-proclaimed 'Nice Guys' who promise to shed neither tears nor blood.”
When players successfully follow a series of rhythm sequences, they will enter "fever mode," in which the background music changes and the player's potential actions change. Instead of being a straightforward side-scrolling RPG, Ratatan is also a roguelike. This means that power-ups and rewards for each battle are randomised, so all runs are slightly different, which will allow for a lot of replayability.
Ratatan's development was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign, which started in July 2023. To date, its Kickstarter has cleared the 200,000,000 Yen milestone and achieved a "Secret Final Goal" of 225,000,000 Yen.
Ratatan will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC sometime in 2025. A Nintendo Switch version is also planned for release.
