Marching to the beats of deja vu

Patapon 1+2 Replay will no doubt be a dream come true for many. Originally released for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in the late 2000s, the Patapon franchise has carved a cult following over the years. This isn’t surprising since the charming rhythm strategy series has remained dormant for almost two decades…until now.

Thanks to an all-new remastered collection, this first-party PlayStation series goes multiplatform courtesy of publisher Bandai Namco. Consisting of the first two Patapon titles, are these gems still a hit, or is this collection best left in the past?

Learn more in our full review for Patapon 1+2 Replay.

Patapon 1+2 Replay is as unique an experience as it was almost two decades ago, but it has some flaws

As the name suggests, Patapon 1+2 Replay is a remastered collection of the first two Patapon games for the PSP. Originally developed by the now-defunct Sony Japan Studio, they are essentially real-time strategy (RTS) games with a focus on rhythmic beat gameplay.

As such, the premise is fairly simple. Both Patapon 1 & 2 put players in the invisible shoes of the Great Patapon, an invisible deity that a tribe of creatures called Patapon worship. With the tribe aiming to journey to a world called Earthend, the player must help these adorable mascots by commanding their armies across dangerous set-pieces selected from a hub area.

This is done by means of playing songs that players will obtain throughout the levels. Since the games were designed for a handheld system, the controls are very basic. Each song’s beat is assigned to one action button, and stringing together beats allows inputting various commands, like PATA for X and PON for B on an Xbox controller.

So playing the PATA PATA PATA PON song by pressing the X, X, X, B string allows the army of Pons to march forward through a level. Similarly, PON PON PATA PON, or B, B, X, B, causes the troops to attack a target. It’s a pretty unique execution of the RTS genre and charming at the same time, thanks to the adorable Patapon animations and the headbopping soundtrack.

Each level features distinct objectives, like collecting resources by harvesting plants and animals, while others are all about taking down bosses. The core of the troop formation is a marching banner around which the player’s units congregate. As the Patapon armies move forth, new hazards like blockages and enemies will spawn, so to counter them, putting together the right team is important.

Successful expeditions will reward players with equipment and resources, which can be used to enhance the Pons as well as unlock new units. From standard spear-throwers that appear in both games to healer mages in Patapon 2, there is a healthy variety of units to select from, each with distinct stats, like damage and resistance, though only a handful can be taken into battle in any given stage.

In battle, using the right rhythm combo at the right time and staying on beat requires thinking two steps ahead, as missing timings can stop Patapons in their tracks, leaving them vulnerable to incoming foe attacks. Each successful command also leads to a FEVER Mode at the 10th combo, which amps up the music and empowers the Patapons to deal more damage.

Patapons have a health bar and can be defeated in combat, dropping Caps that need to be recovered at base, else the Patapons associated with them will be lost forever. This makes this charming game much more challenging than it appears at first glance due to the level of skill involved, which is welcome. That said, the first game starts pretty slow and almost feels like a tech demo for the concept.

This isn’t helped much by the repetitive nature of gameplay, making gameplay only bearable in short sessions, which is a constant reminder of the handheld roots of Patapon 1+2 Replay. This is also true of the various rhythm-based minigames needed to gather extra resources and XP (for creating units) that add to the grind, so all in all, it will be hard to shake off a sense of deja vu throughout both games.

Thankfully, the sequel game lessens these woes to an extent on top of refining the core mantra. Patapon 2 is much better paced with a greater variety of mechanics and challenges, including the new Hero unit, which allows unleashing powerful moves against foes. It also features a new dungeon mode where players must carry an Egg while taking down foes, making it a welcome side activity to practice beat timing.

The sequel is also twice as long as the original game, on top of featuring a new Evolution skill tree for Patapons, so there is ample amount of content in Patapon 1+2 Replay to sit through for those hooked on it. That said, it is an interesting choice that Patapon 3, also for the PSP, was not included in this package, so fans who wanted to get around to the latest mainline entry will be disappointed.

Graphics, performance, and sound

Patapon 1+2 Replay is a simple remaster, opting not to do much except upres the visuals when it comes to the graphics. The 2D aesthetic is crisp and clean, except for the full motion video (FMV) sequences ripped from the original PSP versions that still appear a tad blurry on the display with choppy animations retained.

Other than that, there isn’t much to complain about. Performance is rock solid, as it should be for what’s fundamentally two PSP games. There are a handful of new quality of life additions; however, like difficulty adjustments, input latency sliders, and more, letting players enjoy the game they want.

Coming to the third and most impressive aspect, the sound: it is excellent. This is a rhythm game at the end of the day, meaning the sound has to be the star of the show. The music, both in the foreground and background, is fun and catchy, even down to the victory jabber that the Patpons do in their fictional language.

In conclusion

Patapon 1+2 Replay is a basic but solid remaster of two iconic games. While the package does not include the third PSP entry, Patapon 3, both the original games are preserved in their full glory and look great for the most part on modern displays.

The gameplay is both unique and fun while offering a steadily increasing level of challenge through both campaigns, even though the core loop can get repetitive and grindy. All in all, Patapon 1+2 Replay is a great step forward for video game preservation, especially since fans have been clamoring for these titles to be remastered for a while now.

Patapon 1+2 Replay

Reviewed on: PC (Review code provided by Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Platform(s): PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch

Developer(s): SAS CO., LTD.

Publisher(s): Bandai Namco Entertainment

Release Date: July 11, 2025