Byte Size – Patapon 2: Remastered (PS4 Review)
You know those songs that just get stuck in your head? A tune or song that you will catch yourself humming along too, when having a shower or hanging out the washing. Well, prepare to have a new song bury itself into your subconscious! “Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon”. Patapon 2: Remastered is exactly that…a remastered version of the 2009 PSP title Patapon 2.
It has been up-rezzed to 1080p/4K for the PS4 and had its music refreshed, but that’s about it. The core of the game is unchanged, in fact it feels like bit of a blast from the past in a way. As music rhythm games don’t tend to be as big as they used to be.
“Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon!”
If you didn’t venture into the world of the Patapons back in the 2000s, the titles are ‘God Games’, where you control a tribe of Big Eyeballed, Patapon warriors across a screen. Using button presses in sync with the beat, they move forward and battle foes of all shapes and sizes. The warriors can be upgraded and by the time you have finished the 20+hrs campaign, you will have a Tribe to be feared by all.
The Good
Patapon 2’s gameplay is very unique, especially compared to mainstream 2020 titles. The art style is striking and the simple music becomes buried into your brain. One word….addictive.
The Bad
This game will appeal to a very specific type of gamer. If you are an ‘Indie’ fan, or enjoy games outside the normal vein of Shooters or Racers, then Patapon 2 is worth a look. Its not friendly to gamers who want an easy ride, as practice is a must and frustration must be embraced.
The Ugly
Some of the up-rezzing has not been done with as much love as the core gameplay. The cut-scenes can be surprisingly blurry. In particular one intro screen looked like a stretched PSP image!? Also, and this is bit of a shocker, at times I suffered from some input lag…which is a death blow in any rhythm game.
The Patapon games are bit of a Playstation-centric phenomena. They didn’t sell particularly well and haven’t been seen as a mainline release in almost a decade, but everyone seems to have heard of the “Patapons”. Even over ten years after its original release, Patapon 2 is a unique, beautiful and frustrating rhythm game. A game which will stick with you well after the console is turned off.
“Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon!”
