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Title: Ratatan demands your attention, rhythmically

Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2025 16:00:48 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ratatan-deman...

Sometimes, you tire of guns, zombies, and sequels; sometimes, you want to
lead a bunch of tiny creatures and rhythmically march them into combat,
letting the waves of confusion wash over you. ThatΓÇÖs what Ratatan is here
to do.

ItΓÇÖs the spiritual successor to Japan Studio and PyramidΓÇÖs beloved
Patapon rhythmic action series. However, you donΓÇÖt control Patapons,
anymore, but Ratatans ΓÇô which are completely different. These animal(ish)
characters bark button-timing orders to their little squad of Cobun
characters, who can launch attacks, assemble around the character you
control, evade attacks and more. Inputting command sequences promptly also
charges up the "Fever" bar, improving the effectiveness of those actions as
well.

I havenΓÇÖt played the Patapon series, which stretched to three (!) games on
the PSP, in years, and while the mechanics are similar, Ratatan is more
elaborate, evolved and customizable. At its core, though, itΓÇÖs the same
mechanic that demands you maintain the rhythmic input of commands and avoid
attacks. It sounds simple enough, but corralling your Cobuns to follow you
into battle and balance special attacks with avoiding damage felt like the
gaming equivalent of patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Also, itΓÇÖs
2025, so itΓÇÖs a roguelike flavor of rhythmic action. Of course.

You can select between several different animals-with-weapons-and-one-eye,
and each comes with a different load-out of Cobun warriors. Some are melee
fighters, while others are ranged attackers. You can also buy (or craft) more
powerful weapons for each Cobun, adding to the sense of progression. I think
thatΓÇÖs needed, as Ratatan is a roguelike take on the Patapons that came
before it. YouΓÇÖll dive into a portal and battle multiple waves of enemies,
often picking up buffs or treasure at the end of each wave.

Each run is then typically capped off with a boss fight, either against a
smarter, smaller enemy (and its underlings) or a more monstrous threat.
During my demo, I was mostly getting beaten by a giant hermit crab, despite
having picked up a very useful freezing attack buff during that run. I had to
learn that lesson: You can pick up all the buffs you want, but youΓÇÖll still
need to nail the rhythm of attack and defense, while simultaneously keeping
an eye on enemy attacks and the placement of both your character and your
adorable Cobun fighters. (RatatanΓÇÖs character designs are inspired by
Nelnal, best known for their work on Pokémon and Deltarune.)

Further fight dynamics include a jump move and guard move that combines the
Ratatan and Cobun movements to avoid game-ending damage. Fortunately, the
early parts of the game didnΓÇÖt demand mastery of these.

ThereΓÇÖs an early Ratatan demo still available to play on Steam, but the
build available at SGF 2025 seems much closer to a finished release. I was
able to explore the gameΓÇÖs hub world, filled with shops for upgrades,
crafting and organizing your RatatansΓÇÖ band of Cobun warriors. These parts
felt a little confusing when served alongside the starting levels of the
game, but should add longevity and interest when folded into the whole game.

Ratatan will launch later this year on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and Xbox
Series X/S.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ratatan-deman...
160048067.html?src=rss

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