I vividly remember purchasing the first Patapon game. As soon as I brought it up to the counter, the clerk at EB warned me that for the next few months, I would regularly start chanting “Pata pata pata pon”. I looked at her like she was a little nuts and headed home. But sure enough, within 20 minutes of game play, I found myself rambling those faithful words. Patapon was a unique rhythm based game that was not only addictive but couldn’t help not making you smile. Quirky and cute, this fast became one of my favorite PSP Games of all time. And now Sony Computer Entertainment is giving us more drum lines to chant with Patapon 2.

Story

While both Patapon games do have a small underlying story, it is really not the type of story that will keep you wondering about upcoming plot twists and the fate of your adorable marching army of eyeballs.  Leaving off from the original Patapon, we find the ship of the Patapon army dashed on the rocks of a strange shore. Their quest for that giant Visine bottle in the sky, Earthend, isn’t going so well. Very few Patapon remain so it is up to you to rebuild your forces and continue your journey.

Gameplay

Patapon 2 is rhythm based gaming at it’s finest. In order to control your adorable chanting minions, you must drum your way into battle. Earning different drums as you progress, you use varied drum combinations in order to execute your moves: advancing, defending and attacking. The key is staying on beat with the game’s music or your little Patapon will be very disappointed in your rhythmically challenged skills and mope. Along your travels you will also uncover Juju: special drumming skills that allow you unique abilities such as conjuring rainstorms and wind. Keep that funky beat going and you will soon find yourself in Fever Mode which will grant you more power in attacks and defense and enable you to use that powerful Juju of yours.

Your newly acquired Keith Moon-like skills are not solely for battle and hunting though. In Patapolis, the Patapon’s hometown, you will find fun mini games to play in order to get extra items to upgrade your army. This will help you out even more than in the first Patapon for Patapon 2 not only gives you the opportunity to advance the skills of your army through battle experience but also lets you level up and evolve your Patapon at the Tree of Life (where all your little blinky friends are born). No longer are you restricted to the basic types of Patapon; you can create a wide variety of Patapon from giant Patapon with brute force or small Patapon with speedy attacks. Each variation of Patapon can be leveled up as well, granting it better attack and defense the higher the level. Although not upgradeable, one of the best new additions to Patapon 2 is heroes. You will now find your army joined by a Patapon Hero: a strong warrior donning a mask who, unlike your other Patapon, will respawn shortly after being killed. Heroes also offer more a special hero attack, usually attained during fever mode, that will do significant damage to your enemies. With the consistent presence of your Patapon hero, you will now be able to access the Patagate: a new travel portal where you can join other Patapon heroes in unusual battles to earn even more Pata-swag.

Patapon 2 also throws multiplayer into the mix. While it was a bit disappointing to find that the multiplayer was just battling bosses from the single player, having another Pata-fan to join you in the fun is most welcome.

Graphics

While Patapon 2 isn’t laden with impressive textures and staggering visuals, this still remains to be one gorgeous game. The graphics are very reminiscent of asian shadow play with it’s own quirky style. The buildings, obstacles and even your patapon warriors (in their early stages) are mainly black and white while the backgrounds are pulsing with rich tones that are very vibrant and contrast very well with your little eyeball buddies. Everything from the detailed fortresses, covered with drawbridges and spiked defenses to the animal life in Patapon 2 are gorgeous to look at. While it was a little disappointing to see that the majority of your animal adversaries were the same as the first game aside from some minor modifications (like a tail or different color), this game features some very impressive new bosses which are larger and more intimidating than the original game. While other games are so detailed that at times is distracts you from where you should be focusing,  Patapon 2 and it’s predecessor have found the perfect balance between graphical beauty and basic although not mundane art-style.

Audio

Unless you’re not a fan of infectiously adorable chanting, you will find yourself grinning along as your little Patapon sing their way into battles. Their squeaky yet adorable voices are what drive the audio in this game. Everything from their battle chants to their songs of celebration in Patapolis will have you fighting the urge to sing along. While some of the classic drum chants remain, there are a wide variety of new tunes to mix it up and tap your feet to, be it on the battlefield or playing a mini game in Patapolis.  The addition of difficulty levels for the mini-games adds even more fun music to PON your way through - don’t be thinking that you could get by on all the music you had memorized from the first game!

Recommendation

The goal for any game sequel is to keep everything that made the first game good and improve on it and that’s exactly what Patapon 2 does. This games maintains it’s addictive gameplay and infectious music but brings even more to the table with multiplayer, customization and new characters. While there are those who may see this as simply Patapon 1.5, I see this game as it’s own animal and you would do yourself a great disservice to pass it up. Don’t miss the rhythmic brilliance that is Patapon 2.

Patapon 2
System: PSP
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Publisher: Pyramid (JP)
Find:Sony Playstation Store
All reviews are based on final retail code unless otherwise noted

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