Did you like the original Patapon? If you answered in the affirmative, there is a strong chance you'll immediately get into the groove of Patapon 2 for the PlayStation Portable. Available for play on several PSPs at the Sony's CES booth in Las Vegas this week, Patapon 2 continues the rhythm-based exploits of the cute, one-eyed Patapons.
The game opens with the Patapons en route to the edge of the world, but their boat sinks. Fortunately, the Patapon have you, their deity, to beat the war drums and guide them out of mishap and back on the road to victory. The opening cinema is just as adorable as the first game and if you surrendered to the charm of the Patapons once before, you're surely going to enjoy their cutie-poo antics here. Plus, the Patapons use words like "chillax," which makes them doubly endearing.
Once the game begins, you start re-learning (if you already played the original) the essentials of stirring the Patapons into action via the drum. Using the face buttons on the PSP, you input patterns along with the steady rhythm to perform different actions, such as marching forward and launching an attack. The game requires a neat bit of memorization of the patterns and then tasks you with adhering strictly to the rhythm in order to build combos and increase the potency of your movement. One false tap of any button and you reset your combo. If you're in the thick of battle, skipping the beat or botching a pattern can cause real trouble.
The first two stages of Patapon 2 -- Hunting on Tochira Beach and Exploring the Juju Jungle -- act mainly as in-game tutorials, teaching you the elements of moving, hunting, and gathering. As you march ahead, you must attack beasts and masked enemies to claim items, such as meat and fangs. Items can be used directly or combined to fashion new stuff. Yes, these are early stages, but there is no escaping the simple fact that playing Patapon 2 felt a lot like playing the first Patapon. There are new stages, enemies, and some obstacles in the game, but as far as the actual gameplay goes... so far, so similar.
The general atmosphere of the game has changed little, but this is one area where you are likely to hear little dissatisfaction. The art is still equal parts stylish and whimsical. To find the Patapons ugly is to need your eyes checked. The music is still quite cute, although it was something of a struggle to hear it. At least the game flashes a box around the border along with the beat so you can calibrate your rhythm in such audio-unfriendly situations.
While a cavernous convention hall filled with the thumping of competing booths isn't exactly the best environment to appreciate a rhythm game, Patapon 2 certainly feels like an appropriate sequel for the original PSP darling. It does seem to tread very familiar territory, but I don't recall too many Patapon fans complaining that Patapon would have been a better game if only it was more stubborn and complex.
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