Patapon 1+2 Replay - Switch Review

The original Patapon from Pyramid and Japan Studio was a PSP exclusive in 2007, as was its sequel in 2008. A PS4 port in 2017 opened up its audience a bit, but now we finally can experience this strange little cult classic on a Nintendo system with Patapon 1+2 Replay, a remastered rhythm-action bundle of the first two games. The question is, is it worth the wait? And… what is a Patapon?

The Good

Answering that second question in a few words isn’t easy, but: The Patapon are strange little cartoon eyeballs with arms, legs and a thirst for battle. Fortunately, they are on your side—in fact, you are their revered deity, guiding them into battle against fearsome creatures and rival strange-little-eyeball tribes as they quest across the land. The presentation is charming and silly, with the story and visuals raising many a smile.

But it’s the battle gameplay that is this game's USP. Your army is controlled by simple rhythm-action commands, with different 4-beat combos being different commands (Y-Y-Y-A is march, A-A-Y-A is attack, etc.). Combos make your Patapon stronger; miss a beat and they’re vulnerable. Knowing which commands to deploy when is key in progressing through the game and keeping your Patapon alive. You are playing a real-time strategy game on screen while keeping a beat and it really works on both levels. The music is simple but catchy (you’ll have Pata Pata Pata Pon chants stuck in your head for a while), and the strategy side has some surprising depth. There are units, formations and equipment to tinker with between battles, and pleasingly tactical fights to take on.

Both Patapon 1 and 2 have a long story mode, and while Patapon 2 doesn’t do much different from its predecessor (just does it all a bit more), the two bundled together for only £25 is certainly good value. The remaster also boasts some upgraded visuals and quality-of-life enhancements compared to the mid-2000s originals, and the Switch version is even the only one to come with the local multiplayer from the PSP originals.

TL;DR

• Rhythm-strategy gameplay is a blast on both fronts
• A lot of game for your money 
• Quality-of-life enhancements and local multiplayer on switch

The Bad

While the battle gameplay is fun, and you’ll enjoy the 4 or 5 minutes of each level, there is a point where it can get a bit repetitive performing the same button combos; this isn’t a game you’re going to want to play through in one sitting. And once you have played through it, you probably won’t be in a rush to do it again, with limited incentive to replay anything once the story is done.

There is also one problem with the port to Switch: depending on whether you’re playing on handheld or docked, there is a little bit of input lag, which is obviously an issue with a rhythm-action game. It's not game-breaking, and there are some settings you can change to combat it, but it still doesn’t feel great (and seems to be a hangover from the port across all formats)

TL;DR

• Limited replayability
• Fiddly timing from occasional lag

Final Score: 8/10

Patapon 1+2 Replay is a really interesting game wrapped in a joyously ridiculous package. Those who enjoyed it in its original release won’t find much extra here, but remastered visuals and quality-of-life enhancements mean this is the best place for newcomers to have a blast chanting with their Patapon pals. Pata Pata Pata Pon!

Thank you for checking out our Patapon 1+2 Replay Switch review, thank you to Bandai Namco for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

• Andrew Caluzzi (Inca Studios / Camped Out)
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