The creator of famous PSP rhythm game Patapon, Hiroyuki Kotani, is back with a new design, Ratatan, set to release on PC among other platforms in 2025. A combination of rhythm and side-scroller, Ratatan will take up to four players in online co-op. Players will defeat enemies by sending rhythmic commands to their troops in battle. Ratatan will also be a roguelike, meaning your powerups and rewards will be randomized each time you play through it.
“Players act as the Ratatan, using magical instruments to deliver different commands to the armies of Cobun to attack the enemies,” said developer Tokyo Virtual Theory in a press release. “In addition to attack and defence rhythmic sequences, there are also actions that allow the Ratatan to move freely, with unique skills for each character, further deepening the musicality of the game.”
A key feature of the rhythm gameplay will be “fever mode,” where players who accurately follow the rhythm sequences alters the background music interactively to get new powers.
Much like the classic Patapon, Ratatan stars little one-eyed critters, but the backgrounds and overall art style are much more detailed in Ratatan—a real departure from the older, simpler gameplay style for the apparently new more action, strategy, and powerup-focused Ratatan.
Ratatan got funding via a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier this month.
Developer Tokyo Virtual Theory also made a note of its in-house engine, the Theory Engine, which was designed to provide a fast and stable environment for multiplayer with others—key in a rhythm game.
Patapon was a sensation when it released on PSP back in 2007, drawing a ton of attention for its engaging rhthym play often described as “addicting.” It went on to have two full sequels, but creator Kotani hasn’t been prominently back in the designer’s chair since Patapon 3 in 2011.
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