I recently got to play around 100 minutes of Ratatan on the PlayStation 5 Pro, thanks to a review copy provided by Renaissance PR.
You can find my gameplay below:
You can also check out my first impressions of Ratatan below:
Pros:
- Rhythm-based combat.
- Stellar presentation.
- Roguelike progression.
- Online player for up to 4 players.
Cons:
- Minor stutters.
Overall:
Ratatan is the spiritual successor to the Patapon series. In these games, you get to command an army by issuing orders by timing it with the beat of the music. The actions include attacking, shielding, and using a special attack that consume MP.
What makes Ratatan different from Patapon is its Roguelike features. When exploring, you get to pick up temporary boosts that will last until you die. Once you return to town from your run, you will be able to upgrade your weapons as well as unlock other permanent buffs.
As expected, the presentation of Ratatan is stellar. The stylish character design meshes extremely well with the hand-painted background. Of course, the music is great too and fits quite well with the ongoing war chants.
The single-player campaign is advertised to be around 30 hours long. During my playthrough, I only progressed enough to defeat the second boss. So, you can expect quite a long game. Outside of the campaign, you can also play cooperatively as the game supports up to four-player online.
The only real issue I have is the minor stutters. While infrequent, it can be a bit jarring for a rhythm-based game.
Outside of that, Ratatan is an extremely fun and beefy successor to Patapon. Don’t miss out on it if you are a fan of the Patapon series.