Bandai Namco Entertainment has brought the first two entries of the beloved Patapon franchise together in a single remastered collection, Patapon 1 + 2 Replay. This release preserves the original charm and style of the series, delivering a faithful recreation that will feel instantly familiar to longtime fans.
For those who already love Patapon, the rhythm-based gameplay remains as distinctive and quirky as ever, offering its signature blend of drumming commands and strategic action. However, its unique style is an acquired taste, appealing to players who enjoy the challenge and repetition of the rhythm-driven mechanics. While the remaster offers the game on newer platforms, it remains an identical experience to the versions released many years ago. Areas that might have benefited from updates or modern refinements have been left untouched, ensuring authenticity but original limitations.
As the story of Patapon unfolds, you learn of a once great tribe seeking to reclaim its former glory by reuniting with the Mighty Patapon and journeying to Earthend. After a sudden fall from their peak, the tribe lies in ruins, and it falls to you, the Mighty Patapon, to feed, equip, and lead them on expeditions ranging from resource hunts to intense battles against the rival Zigoton tribe. Your leadership comes in the form of rhythmic drumming, using specific beat combinations to issue commands. A steady rhythm can direct the tribe to march forward, launch attacks, brace for defense, or even summon rain. Perfectly maintaining the beat triggers Fever mode, a state that boosts your Patapons’ strength in both offense and defense, and a fun little FEVER Chant.
Your army begins with spear wielding foot soldiers, but as your campaign continues, you can unlock a variety of specialized units. Patapon 2 expands this roster with aerial warriors and magic users, giving you more tactical options. At the heart of the formation stands the Hatapon, the banner carrier and symbolic leader. While essential to the tribe’s morale, the Hatapon is also their greatest vulnerability, as should he fall, the mission will end instantly, sending you back to prepare for another attempt.
Each Patapon can be outfitted with different weapons and gear, allowing you to tailor their loadouts to suit your strategy. There is an “Optimize” option that instantly equips a single unit with the best available gear. This, though, is one of the items that could have been modernized, as an “Optimize All” function would have made this portion of gameplay less tedious during larger army management. Even so, watching your meager early squads gradually transform into a fearsome, unstoppable force, capable of overwhelming rival tribes, has its own satisfying charm.
Speaking of tedium, grinding has long been a sticking point in the Patapon series, and the repetitive nature of its core gameplay can make it more noticeable. While the addition of miracles and other abilities helps break up the rhythm, the loop remains largely unchanged. For much of the journey, you’ll be cycling through a small set of drum commands, carefully timing them while monitoring enemy movements to avoid missteps. The focus on precision and repetition is part of the game’s identity, but it can also make extended play sessions feel like a test of patience as much as skill.
For those willing to embrace both games, Patapon 1 + 2 Replay delivers its gameplay and plethora of content, with each title offering dozens of hours to explore. As a straightforward re-release, it performs its role well, preserving the original experience, even if it lacks some more useful changes that can make the gameplay loop and defeat feel more like an annoyance.
A PlayStation 5 code was provided by the publisher for review purposes
