Perfect for handheld gaming, this fresh take on rhythm games really makes you use your brain AND makes you laugh.
Frankly, I'm a hopeless addict. It's like when Tetris came out and I started dreaming about it, only this goes on all day. I hear Patapon chants as I walk down the street to their rhythm!
At the start of the game it's very hard to resist feeling quite, well, god-like as the Patapons welcome you as their leader, never a bad feeling! The tutorials for each rhythm you use to control your army of eyeball-men are simple and effective, very much like learning real African drumming. The game eases you into the action, but don't let it lull you - it gets quite hard as it goes on!
Over time you open up new types of troops to create and that's where strategy starts to really kick in. What type of Patapon should you make? What are the best Rarepons and what materials do you need to make them? Which should you use for each type of battle, hunt, or mission?
For that matter, what type of mission do you want to go on next? There is the next mission in the storyline available. You can fight the bosses you encounter over and over, they get stronger and tougher with each defeat, but they also yield some great rewards. You can go for a hunt. There are so many options that the game has great replay value, as you find yourself wanting to try a whole new strategy.
Then there are the mini-games, each with their own skill level and rhythms to learn. They provide ways to get necessary supplies, but are also a nice break from the usual missions.
The Patapons themselves are very fun and funny to watch, as are all the creatures that inhabit the lands you cross. It's just impossible to not love them!
Overall, this game is the perfect thing to have on a handheld device. The graphics are endlessly amusing and just right for a small screen, each mission only takes a few minutes, and it's very easy to get absorbed right back into it any time you pick it up.
I would highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys music and strategic thinking, or anyone who is looking for something completely different from anything else. A deceptively complex game that is easy to love!