Patapon creator's new rhythm strategy game Ratatan is heading to PC

Update: Ratatan's Kickstarter campaign is live now and merrily marched past its first funding goal (£109,000 / $141,000 / ¥20,000,000) in under an hour. The FAQ section states the team feels "very confident in getting everything into the game by April 2025." I'll have the rat-rat-rat-tan chant stuck in my head until then.

Original Story: Patapon’s beloved blend of rhythm and strategy has been sadly relegated to PlayStation consoles, but a new spiritual successor is bringing that cutesy charm to PC as long as the game finds success on Kickstarter. Ratatan was announced at this year’s Bitsummit, and it’s coming from developer Ratata Arts who are led by developers who worked on the original Patapon series. The newest trailer (below) shows off the game’s adorable singing soldiers. Take a look.

For those who might be unfamiliar, Ratatan follows Patapon’s footsteps and casts you as the lead conductor (general) of a musical army. The rhythm-strategy combat means you need to command the Ratatans in sync with the beat, and if done successfully, the titular warriors will chant their names, giving me a very powerful dopamine boost. I’m not excited to see my googley-eyed friendos burnt alive, but I am looking forward to the game. It looks delightful.

Speaking to VGC, the developers said: “The three main game concepts are over 100 cute characters fighting it out on screen, four-player simultaneous battles, and more adventure and roguelike elements than Patapon had.” Another new addition to the formula is the soldiers equipped with instruments that also have unique abilities attached to them. Examples include a support-type character who uses a megaphone to buff allies and debuff enemies, meanwhile, a defensive soldier can use guitar strings to protect fellow comrades.

The Kickstarter campaign starts today - July 31st - at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST - and the game will launch initially on PC, according to Gematsu. The campaign will also have console launches, and other new features, mini-games and modes available as additional stretch goals.

Ratata Arts are led by designer Hiroyuki Kotani, who also helmed the original Patapon. As you might be able to tell from the galloping music above, he’s joined by the series’ former composer Kemmei Adachi. Patapon was originally created at Japan Studio, a subsidiary that Sony restructured and then shut down.