Ratatan doesn’t scratch that Patapon itch, or offer an interesting roguelite experience

Roughly 2 years ago, the crowdfunding campaign for Ratatan, a new rhythm roguelite by a number of Patapon devs, wrapped up after hitting nearly all of its stretch goals. While not intended to be Patapon 4, it clearly wanted to remind players of the Japan Studio series. Now, with Ratatan in Early Access on PC and a 2026 release window, the final result is finally getting closer. And, honestly, I’m not sure if I can really see what the team is going for.

Ratatan‘s core gameplay shares much of its DNA with Patapon, as you play different notes in time to the beat to command little creatures called Cobuns. Different commands allow them to attack, defend, or dodge attacks from enemies, with consecutively well timed notes building up your fever gauge.

However, here you also control a titular Ratatan at the same time. Rather than following the beat, you can freely move them at all times when not playing notes. They can’t attack, and must instead avoid taking damage while the Cobuns take out enemies.

It’s a weird choice, considering how many different Ratatan you can choose from. None of them can attack or act differently from each other, just giving different passive benefits like extra healing or damage. Cobuns are only knocked out temporarily after losing all their health, so most battles are just a case of hit and run as you keep your Ratatan alive while waiting for them to come back.

The lack of real variety between each Ratatan is just one part of the game’s failure as a rogulite. Very little changes between each run, as you go through the same set of stages and bosses each time. Naturally there are a few different room types and randomisation when it comes to rewards, but after an hour you’ve already seen a solid chunk of what’s to come.

Most upgrades come in the form of cards that grant more passive effects. They come in different elements, though most are little more than percentage changes or minor benefits. None seem to change how you’ll actually play, which isn’t exactly great when the base gameplay is not that interesting.

It doesn’t get much better outside of runs. There’s next to no story, and meta progression is currently limited to simple things like adding more Cobuns to your roster or, once again, increasing stats by a few percent. You can craft gear for the Cobuns too, though enemy drops are usually better (or at least higher level.)

Obviously, Ratatan is an early access title with time to grow; The roadmap already shows that multiple updates are planned over 2025 and beyond. But right now, I don’t think the game works particularly well as either a spiritual successor to Patapon or a roguelite.

We previewed Ratatan on PC using a code provided by the publisher.

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