Early Access

Ratatan: Rhythm, Chaos and Charisma in an Early Access Build That Already Hits the Beat

Anyone who has missed the peculiar magic of issuing commands through percussion will immediately recognize Ratatan ’s spiritual heritage. Several members of the original Patapon team are behind the project, after all. Yet this...

Introduction

Anyone who has missed the peculiar magic of issuing commands through percussion will immediately recognize Ratatan’s spiritual heritage. Several members of the original Patapon team are behind the project, after all. Yet this is not nostalgic imitation. It is a modern reinterpretation. The game combines tactics with a visual and musical celebration, packed into a roguelike format of intense runs, constant unlocks and a base where you prepare for your next attempt. Even in these early Early Access versions, the game demonstrates two things: it knows exactly what it wants you to play, and it knows exactly how it wants to sound.

Setting and Core Structure

The premise is direct: you mark the rhythm using command sequences, such as “pata-pata-pata-pon”, and your squad responds on the beat with attacks, defenses, buffs or special formations. Combat takes place in side-scrolling stages organized around waves of enemies, with bosses demanding that you read their patterns and maintain your timing without panicking. At its most chaotic, more than a hundred units may appear on screen. Beneath that spectacle lies a light tactical layer, asking when to push, when to hold, which unit belongs at the front, which ability should be spent immediately and which should be saved for the critical phase of a boss encounter.

The roguelike DNA is visible in the structure of its runs: route choices, loot and perks alter each attempt, ranging from improvements to your squad to synergies that change the rhythm of your “battalion.” Between runs, you return to the hub to equip weapons and items, reorganize your team and prepare the next expedition. The action remains readable, the feedback of each strike is synchronized with the beat, and when everything clicks, it feels delightful: you sing out commands and watch the swarm carry them out in time.

Online co-op for up to four players adds a very welcome social dimension. Coordinating through rhythm, rather than merely voice chat, has an appeal of its own. A teammate who nails the cadence can be the difference between defeat and bringing down the final boss together.

Differences from Patapon

Although Ratatan is the spiritual successor to Patapon, it makes several important changes that give it its own identity. In Patapon, the player acted as a deity guiding creatures through drum commands. In Ratatan, you have direct control of a leader character and their troops within each level. That means you are not only issuing rhythmic commands, but also moving the leader and manually dodging attacks. It replaces the distant perspective of an omnipresent god with something closer to the action.

The structure is also different. Patapon progressed through relatively linear campaign missions, even if repeating stages for resources was often necessary. Ratatan adopts a roguelike format built around shorter, replayable runs. Each attempt links together rapid battles followed by a boss encounter, with decisions on rewards and routes in a format reminiscent of Hades. The result is a faster, more segmented pace than in the original classic. This structure of short sessions followed by between-run upgrades gives Ratatan a distinctly modern identity, centered around replayability and repeated experimentation.

There are also major differences in platform and multiplayer focus. Patapon was a PSP exclusive designed entirely for solo play. Ratatan, by contrast, is multiplatform from the outset and places strong emphasis on multiplayer. It has been designed for different screen sizes and for enjoyment both alone and in online co-op. It also features eight main characters, the “Ratatans,” each with unique powers and designs, rather than relying on a single fixed army. Although solo play is entirely possible, the developers encourage playing with friends or through matchmaking, with Kotani stating that “Ratatan is more fun when played with others.”

Artistically, Ratatan expands on its inspiration as well. Patapon relied on the minimalism of black silhouettes against 2D backdrops, whereas Ratatan presents a more colorful, detailed and vibrant world without losing readability. Its music retains the infectious energy of its predecessor while exploring a broader variety of styles and rhythmic layers. Each world introduces musical ideas far beyond what Patapon attempted. Overall, Ratatan feels like a modern evolution: respectful of its rhythmic roots, but enriched with enough new ideas, including its roguelike structure, co-op design and distinctive art style, to stand on its own rather than depend entirely on nostalgia.

Progression and Content, Based on Early Access Version 0.5.5

Early Access already provides a strong framework of content and progression:

A range of Ratatan units to form and unlock, each with clearly differentiated roles such as damage, support or rhythm control. Learning how to combine them forms part of the strategy.
Weapons and equipment that make a tangible difference during a run and change the character of each unit. Swapping weapons changes both how your creatures attack and the cadence of combat.
Enough bosses and arenas to create that familiar “one more and I’m done” pull. Each new boss becomes a rhythmic wall to overcome, pushing you to improve.
A central hub where you can manage formations, listen to newly unlocked tracks, check challenges and plan changes to your build. It is your base of operations between attempts.

Permanent upgrade paths are not overwhelming, but they do offer choices with a genuine sense of identity. It captures the classic roguelike loop of returning to the hub, improving two things and convincing yourself that this time you will definitely succeed. Multiplayer still has room to grow, but it already works, and produces genuinely memorable moments when an entire group locks into the same rhythm and attacks in unison.

Art Direction and Technical Performance

Visually, Ratatan opts for vibrancy and clarity: sparkling creature designs, colorful backdrops and highly readable iconography that prevents the pulse from being lost in the middle of all the noise. The result is chaotic but understandable. You rarely feel unfairly punished because you could not see what was happening. This distinct visual style also helps separate it from its inspiration, leaving the minimalism of Patapon behind and developing a personality of its own.

Technically, the team has been polishing the game at a strong pace through frequent patches. Two points deserve particular mention. First, the game was rolled back to version 0.5.5 after a critical issue was detected in a later update, with the studio prioritizing stability while correcting the problem. Second, there remain occasional Early Access rough edges. Recent weeks have brought fixes for bugs such as saving mid-combat, critical effects on multi-hit attacks and voices failing to play online. Some players have also reported small synchronization and animation issues on certain hardware, including a known visual stutter caused by Unity’s 50 Hz timestep when running at 60 FPS, subsequently patched, alongside minor multiplayer desynchronization issues already on the developers’ radar. None of these problems ruins the experience, but they form part of an honest picture of an Early Access game that is alive and evolving.

Sound Design

This is where Ratatan truly takes flight and develops a personality of its own. The soundtrack does not merely accompany combat; it structures it. Rhythmic layers mark enemy arrivals, anticipate boss phases and make commands and reactions move together with the music. A variety of musical styles remains connected by a playful, infectious identity, while sound effects underline the precise timing of every order with clear feedback.

In co-op, when everyone aligns with the beat, music and action seem to become the same thing, elevating every encounter. Ratatan also dares to go further musically than Patapon, exploring different genres and rhythms for each world without losing cohesion. This is a soundtrack that makes you want to turn the volume up.

Quality of Life and Multiplayer

The game makes a real effort to teach its rhythmic language without becoming overwhelming. Tutorials are concise and clear, the hub is easy to navigate and menus respond quickly. Quality-of-life touches such as latency calibration options and different button layouts, including a classic mode for Patapon fans, demonstrate that the developers want every player to be able to find the rhythm.

Online play is stable when connections cooperate, and the patches improving voice communication, loading times and run restoration after disconnections are welcome. There is still room for matchmaking filters or clearer signaling of co-op roles, but the direction is promising. Ratatan is already enjoyable in company, and that side of the game should only grow stronger on the road to full release.

The Good

A strong gameplay foundation: its blend of light strategy and feel-good rhythm feels excellent from the very first beat.
Co-op for up to four players, at its best when the group synchronizes and feels the music together.
Vibrant art direction: colorful chaos that remains readable, populated by charming little characters even in its wildest battles.
Outstanding music that guides and elevates every encounter, giving each battle personality.
Clear progression: builds and upgrades genuinely alter the flow of a run, encouraging experimentation with synergies.
Active support through frequent patches and quick responses to issues, reflecting the studio’s commitment to improving the game.

The Bad

Early Access technical rough edges, including a temporary version rollback after a critical bug and a number of identified issues still being polished.
A fairly steep learning curve if you struggle to internalize its rhythmic language. This is not a casual rhythm game; it demands coordination.
Multiplayer options remain limited. It is already fun, but still lacks advanced features such as richer filters or clearer role indication.
At times, especially against certain bosses, reliance on luck and loot can briefly stall progression.

Conclusión

8/10

Ratatan enters Early Access with identity, charisma and an abundance of rhythm. It is not merely a nostalgia project. It is a game with its own voice, one that understands the pleasure of issuing commands through music and watching a tiny army convert the beat into victory. Yes, there are still screws to tighten, and the team is plainly aware of them, but the game’s heart is already beating strongly. Every run invites one more attempt, every boss becomes slightly easier to dance through and every unlock opens a new “what if?”

Tokyo Virtual Theory and Ratata Arts have managed to revive the spirit of Patapon without trapping it in the past. If the idea of thinking in rhythm appeals to you, this is an Early Access release already worth playing, and one with very promising prospects for version 1.0.

Final Score: 8/10

Recommended For

Players who love rhythm games blended with light strategy.
Groups of friends looking for a different and highly musical co-op experience.
Roguelike fans who enjoy trying new builds and synergies in every run.
Players who appreciate an open development process, frequent patches and evolution shaped by community feedback.
Nostalgic Patapon fans eager to see the formula reborn with modern twists.

Available platforms: PC.