Ratatan, the spiritual successor of Patapon, now has a publisher and a release window. It’s going to release in 2025.
Hong Kong-based publisher Game Source Entertainment will be publishing the game, which raised money via crowdfunding platform Kickstarter last year.
Described as a rhythmic roguelike action game, Ratatan has Patapon designer Hiroyuki Kotani and developer Tokyo Virtual Theory (TVT) collaborating, as Ratata Arts, in developing this game. Nelnal, whose works has featured in the Pokémon Card Game and Deltarune also contributed to Ratatan as game illustrator and character designer.
Ratatan will also be utilsing TVT’s Theory Engine, a middleware created for faster P2P (or rather, non-server-based) multiplayer experiences.
In Ratatan, the player is the eponymous Ratatan, and through the power magical instruments, control an army to attack enemies.
Attacking and defending requires rhythmic button press but you can move freely. And if you press those buttons in the rhythm accurately enough, it will trigger Fever Mode where the music (featuring cute babbles and gibberish that sometimes say “ratatan”) will get more intense.
If you’re familiar with Patapon, the PSP game that also recently cameo’d in Astro Bot, then Ratatan is more or less that game again.
However, unlike its spiritual predecessor, there’s a roguelike element in Ratatan. Each new run, the Ratatan and its army, the Cobun, will randomly get different power-ups and abilities.
Ratatan hasn’t locked in a release date yet, but it’s now set for release sometime in 2025 for the PS4, PS5, PC Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.