Ratatan

Ratatan is a cross between a strategy game and a rhythm game with roguelike elements. It was created by Ratata Arts and TVT, some of the dev team members including Hiroyuki Kotani and Kenmei Adachi, respectively the director and composer of the Patapon series. The game was crowdfunded on Kickstarter, the funding campaign being a massive success.

Plot

Ratatan is set in a fantasy world of Redo.We play as the Ratatan, musical creatures traversing colorful lands and facing danger, leading armies of adorable Cobun into battle.

Mechanics

Ratatan is a side-scroller. We control a conductor commanding the titular Ratatan; each one has different combat skills, usually tied to the musical instrument they wield. For example, Keroronpa motivates his allies and demotivates his enemies with his megaphone, while Harigittan protects our units with his guitar riffs. Our music can also convert the Chorus, dangerous, voracious creatures encountered on our way, to our side, turning them into adorable and formidable Cobun. They form the bulk of our army, marching ahead of our Ratatan and dispatching threats.

Just like in Patapon, we control our squad through simple commands, such as march, attack or guard, issued by pressing sequences of buttons to the rhythm of the music. To succeed, we must match our strategy to the faced threat - including powerful bosses - and stick to the rhythm. Sticking to the beat flawlessly activates Fever Mode, turning the music more dynamic and our Cobun more powerful.

Game modes

Ratatan supports singleplayer and multiplayer for up to four people.

Technical aspects

Ratatan's artstyle is cartoonish and extremely colorful. The catchy soundtrack is highly reminiscent of the one from the Patapon series.