Ratatan - Switch 2 Review

With the Patapon fanbase starved for a new entry (it’s been 15 years since its third entry), they’ve certainly been clambering for a new entry. The release of Patapon 1+2 on Nintendo Switch certainly helped to provide a more modern and convenient way to play the originals, but that hardly satiates their hunger. Thankfully, many of the original developers, including series creator Hiroyuki Kotani and composer Kemmei Adachi, have banded together to create a spiritual successor with the release of Ratatan. And with wide-eyed indie optimism and a thirst to return to the side-scrolling rhythm-action genre, it sets out to create a new IP that will equally get your feet tapping to the beat.

The Good

If you’ve ever played any of the Patapon games, Ratatan will feel very familiar. Move from left to right with the left joystick, perform actions based on various button combinations and do so to the beat; the better your timing, the better the action will perform. It’s a genuinely fun time, despite it sometimes feeling like patting your head while rubbing your belly. But its premise is one that’s not often explored, so if you’re after something new, Ratatan could scratch that itch.

The art style is very striking and the Ratatans are very cute! Where it differs from Patapon is that its style is far more detailed, especially in its backgrounds and character designs. At the end of the day, it’s all subjective and classic fans may prefer its original bold colours, but it can’t be denied that this new style is easy on the eyes.

Where Ratatan differs most compared to its spiritual predecessor is its roguelite progression. Like most roguelites, you’ll enter level 1 with basic equipment and an unhealthy dose of overconfidence. When you inevitably lose in devastating fashion, you’ll be placed back in the hub world - charmingly called Rataport - where you’ll be able to upgrade your weapons, expand on various skills and manage your inventory with the loot you’ll come across. This approach helps to act as a differentiator from its predecessor, offering more than just another entry (especially considering Patapon 1+2 is available on Nintendo Switch already).

TL;DR

• Genuinely fun rhythm gameplay
• Cute character and world art
• The Roguelite approach helps to provide a nice gameplay loop

The Bad

Considering the nature of the game and the entry’s choice to go with a roguelite spin, the multi-tasking can easily get very overwhelming. You may say “well, roguelites are designed to do that”, but in this instance, even if you get everything right, you will undoubtedly lose and only gradually make progress after each run. There often doesn’t feel like much skill is involved; you just need to mindlessly run into the next run with improved weapons and more Ratatans and go through the motions until you’ve unlocked enough to satisfy the game’s behind-the-scenes statistics.

The roguelite approach also showcases another problem with Ratatan: a lack of depth. You’ll often find yourself playing the same level over-and-over, and there’s a gross lack of level variety which reaffirms the repetition. This is perhaps where the Patapon series shined brighter, with carefully designed level structures that felt like challenges as opposed to mindless grinding.

When most of the game’s progression requires you to upgrade your weapons and unlock/purchase new skills/upgrades, the UI doesn’t feel intuitive to navigate. Sometimes confirm is the A button and other times, it’s RB, and the crafting and upgrading feel shallow and bland.

Lastly, just to reaffirm that feeling of going through the motions, there is no option to sprint or move faster when not in combat (although there are unlockable abilities for some characters to increase movement speed or to dash). This makes the simple hub world feel like a chore when half of its upgrades are on the far left and the other half are to the far right. And when you defeat all of the enemies in a level or are in an interval section with no enemies, getting to the next section can take 10 seconds or more (which sounds like a nitpick, but when you need to do this over and over again, it gets old quickly).

TL;DR

• Chaotic nature works against it at times
• Roguelite choice reveals an overall lack of depth
• Menu UI isn’t very intuitive
• Movement is slow when not in combat

Final Score: 6/10

I can respect what Ratatan has set out to do by reigniting the classic Patapon formula while providing a new take with its roguelite approach, but the resulting execution feels haphazard and tedious. Don’t get me wrong, players can get some entertainment from Ratatan, especially if you’ve been starved for a new Patapon entry for over 15 years, but by trying to create a point of difference, it’s ultimately fallen short on being a solid standalone video game.

Thank you for checking out our Ratatan Switch 2 review, thank you to Game Source Entertainment for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

• Andrew Caluzzi (Inca Studios / Camped Out)
• Bel Cubitt
• Bobby Jack
• Jack Caven
• Nintendo Maniacs
• RedHero