Ever wished they’d make a new Patapon game? Me too. We had three titles in the series within the space of four years on the PSP, and then nothing since 2011 aside from some barely-competent remasters on the PS4.
That’s not to say that the folks behind the originals have forgotten about those wonderful mash-ups of rhythm and strategy games though, and although it may not bear the Patapon moniker, a new project has been quietly bubbling away under the supervision of some very familiar names – and the work seems to be going swimmingly.
The stupendously-titled Ratatan is looking more real than ever and the team at Ratata Arts has followed its Kickstarter success with the reveal of a publisher for the game in Game Source Entertainment. A self-described “leading console game distributor in Asia,” GSE will be helping to launch Ratatan across PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and PC at some point in 2025.
Patapon’s original designer, Hiroyuki Kotani, is back as director on Ratatan, and Patapon composer Kemmei Adachi is taking on both director and game designer duties this time around. Ratatan’s art comes from Japanese artist, Nelnal, who’s worked on franchises like Pokémon and Deltarune in the past.
Along with this news, Ratata Arts has dropped a glorious “Reveal Trailer” for Ratatan, making for something of a proper unveiling and a very thorough first look at the game in action. It should be instantly familiar to anyone who played those PSP classics, with that same side-scrolling, rhythm-driven action gameplay. This time around, there are also some roguelike elements with seemingly randomised adventures as well as both persistent and temporary power-ups and rewards.
The main things to take away from this new are: Ratatan’s art looks beautiful. Ratatan’s music sounds beautiful. Ratatan’s existence is beautiful.
Check it out below:
Kieron's been gaming ever since he could first speak the words "Blast Processing" and hasn't lost his love for platformers and JRPGs since. A connoisseur of avant-garde indie experiences and underground cult classics, Kieron is a devout worshipper at the churches of Double Fine and Annapurna Interactive, to drop just a couple of names.
