The Switch is home to a good selection of rhythm games, but one series that has never made it over to Nintendo systems is the Sony-published Patapon — which began life back in the PSP. It's unlikely that we will ever see that series on Switch, but it looks like we will soon have its spiritual successor as the development team has opened up funding for their next project, Ratatan, which has now passed its console stretch goal.
Much like the team's former series, Ratatan is a rhythm-based side-scrolling adventure game where you will take command of an adorable army and send them out against oncoming foes by keeping to the pulsating beat. The Ratatan leaders each possess different skills, so you will have to combine the toe-tapping rhythm controls with a level of tactical thinking to make the most of each run and sacrifice as few troops as possible.
The game comes from Ratata Arts — the minds behind the original Patapon games— and has already exceeded its third stretch goal to bring the game to Switch after just days of going live on Kickstarter.
For a little more information about the game itself, check out the following summary from Ratata Arts:
Ratatan is diving onto the roguelike scene in this combination of rhythm and side-scroller action. Players can move to the groove alone or team up with friends in multiplayer mayhem suitable for up to four players! Engage in huge melee brawls with more than 100 characters duking it out for supremacy. Defeat your enemies by riding the rhythm of Ratatan's catchy, toe-tapping soundtrack in this delightful, heartfelt adventure!
Rhythm Commands and Cobun Orders
Feel the beat and use rhythm commands in time with the music to order your Cobun in the direction you want them to go. The Ratatan can be moved freely, so use your better judgment to decide where best to give orders, where to stand when on the offensive, and when to retreat. A sense of rhythm and strategy is crucial in order to survive long adventures while losing as few Cobun as possible!
Fever System
Keep to the beat and your party will enter FEVER MODE, a feature no good rhythm game can do without! Feel the vibes shift as the background music dynamically changes and your Cobun erupt in a flurry of frenzied dance moves that'll really get the heart pumping! And if everyone's party goes into FEVER MODE at the same time, you'll really bring the house down!
Ratatan still has 30 days to go in its Kickstarter campaign and it continues to close in on its next stretch goal — which will add an extra minigame to the mix — by the minute. Be sure to check out the official Kickstarter page to see the various rewards for donations.
Of course, we don't have a release date for this one just yet, but we sure are excited to find out more.