Really, Patapon was truly unique – something that few PSP titles can really claim.
Thankfully for fans, Patapon 2 improves on the formula of the original game, even if the sequel doesn't stretch the genre in any new directions. The basic premise is simple: using the four face buttons on the PSP - Triangle, Square, Circle and Cross - you tap out specific four-note rhythms in time to the pulsing background beat in order to command your tiny followers. As their Almighty, your commands are the only thing they will listen to, so if you don't command them, they won't move. There is no autonomy – if there was, there'd be no gameplay.
Thoughtfully, developer Pyramid has allowed ardent fans to import their game saves from the original Patapon; those who spent time accruing ka-ching (money), items, weapons and resources from the original stand to gain the most benefit from the get-go. They will, however, have to endure six or so levels of introductory challenges before the game properly grows legs. Pyramid has also wisely fleshed out the army creation process. After the handful of intro levels, you're likely to come up against a wall – a challenge that you just can't clear without starting to rework your army.
Patapon 2 offers very little in the way of in-game training to guide you through the new Pon creation process, called the Evolutionary Tree. Like the rest of the game, there's a feeling that the game is essentially making the assumption that you're at least partially familiar with the core process – but to gloss over the new additions is a little too presumptuous.
In short, the Evolutionary Tree allows you to take your three basic Pon varieties – Yaripon, Tatepon and Yumipon – each has its own particular combat or defensive preference and these can be further micromanaged and specialised in terms of strengths, resistances and abilities. However, this level of micromanagement is something of a double-edged sword; on one hand, it's amazingly deep and this allows the Patapon-devout player to perfect a warrior tribe that is either exacting to the point of obsession, able to handle specific tasks and challenges as they come up. On the other hand, you end up having to individually track something like 18 or so Pons, each with their own stats and weapon requirements, combat preferences and uses. It just gets to be a bit much – almost a case of too many options to be practical.
There are auto-arrangements, of course –and if you really wanted to, you could ignore this whole Evolution Tree, but progression is intrinsically tied to army strength, so you will not fare well with this approach. Again, fanatical Patapon players will have less trouble – but even casual fans might well balk at the complexities and lack of tutorials.
The world, however, remains as rich and colourful as the original. The landscape is entirely 2D, lovingly animated with multiple layers of hills, trees, strange spiralling tendrils, mountains, valleys, abstract and strange at all times. The foes are equally fetching in an off-centre kind of way. Many tribes from the original game return as your army grows and presses forwards. Replaying stages you've cleared unlock various challenges and opportunities for near-essential item gathering (needed to 'grow' new Pons) and to raise your Ka-ching and experience level. Pyramid certainly understands that retreading the same old missions over and over again would be tedious, so the added variety actually bumps the game's 45 stages to upwards of 80, making it a larger and more varied experience than the original Patapon.
Perhaps the most interesting shake-up to the formula is the introduction of the Heropon. The Hero is the captain of your squad in a sense, leading your charges and generally dealing a healthy amount of damage in the process. However, your Hero is also capable of swapping between the core classes we mentioned earlier, which not only adjusts his attack pattern and stance, but also gives players access to Hero Powers. These Hero Powers are only activated by completing a string of four perfect beats in a row – trickier than it sounds – and in doing so, a special ability is triggered, such as group-wide defence boost or strengthened attacks. Again, not a lot of explanation is given to the player on exactly how this stuff works – something that much of the game is guilty of – but trial-and-error and some experimentation pays dividends if you have patience.
The issues we held against the first game still sadly come into play in Patapon 2. At times, the music you're listening to actually syncopates the rhythm (meaning, the rhythm tends to change up the beat structure from 4/4 to 5/4 or similar, throwing in additional beats when you're not expecting them). If you're one of those players that really gets into listening to the music to keep your beat in time, then you're going to really have to factor in the on-screen pulse around the border of the screen. It becomes a serious challenge in later levels – particularly on higher difficulty settings.
A lack of on-screen enemy health bars makes it tricky to adequately gauge how you're faring against the waves of enemies, too. For smaller ground forces, that's usually not a problem; once you start facing off against bosses though, it can sometimes feel like you're stabbing in the dark. The Evolution Map, where you track the levelling process of your troops and steer your armies' key skills and resistances, also has issues, as mentioned. With that said, the game does go the extra yard with its ad hoc, shared multiplayer mode. In it, up to three other players can hop in and cooperatively take down waves of enemies while securing rare materials, minerals and items for use in the single-player game. It plays out much like the single-player experience, but it doesn't really offer the same level of depth as a full-scale battle system might. Honestly, it actually feels like Pyramid is holding this one back for the inevitable third instalment. We shall see.
