Patapon 3 taps onto PSP April 12

After taking 2010 off, Sony is set to bring its Patapon franchise back to the PSP this year. Today, the publisher revealed through the PlayStation Blog that Patapon 3 will be available for the PSP in both UMD and digital formats beginning April 12 for $20.

As with its two highly regarded predecessors, Patapon 3 follows the rhythmic pursuits of a belligerent tribal warband intent on slaying beasts as mythical as themselves, using a variety of primitive weapons. Gameplay is heavily influenced by the rhythm genre, in that actions in the game--such as advancing, retreating, blocking, and attacking--are accomplished by hitting an appropriate combination of buttons in time with the in-game soundtrack.

Patapon 3 features a slightly darker narrative than its predecessors, in that it takes place after all but one of the tribe was turned to stone.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Patapon 3.