Patapon 2 Introduces Multiplayer, Heroes

Did you like the wacky artistic direction and innovative gameplay of Patapon, which was released for the PlayStation Portable in February? Either way, get ready for the sequel which is already in development and for the addition of a new multiplayer component to the title.

Game designer Hiroyuki Kotani recently talked to the editors of Famitsu about how multiplayer would change the game experience and make Patapon 2 an even greater hit than Patapon. According to Kotani, "We had a few different directions in mind when Yoshizawa finally ordered us to make a multiplayer game in the Patapon universe".

Multiplayer will be easy to set up and play will be as addictive as high-end drugs. In the single player game, all players will, at some point, come across giant eggs, which need to be hacked. The problem is that one player alone cannot make them hatch, so four players need to team up and then move the action of the game to a sort of altar. Using the pata-pata-ptat-pon signature drumbeat, the four players will move the eggs slowly, while defending them against various monsters roaming around. After the egg is delivered to the altar, a new mini-game, which revolves around a tribal routine used to hatch and break the egg, begins.

To make things even more interesting, both in single and in multiplayer, Kotani talked about the addition of Hero Patapon, which can be evolved and customized using items the player wins in multiplayer matches. He says that Heroes were needed because "there are lots more bosses and midboss-type enemies this time. We've got about double the amount of content to explore, just in terms of the number of stages alone. Add the customization options to that, and to be honest, you may never get to fully explore every bit of it".

As always when it comes to games which have big appeal in just one culture group, Patapon 2 only has a set release date for Japan. It will be available there in winter, while an international date will be announced when more of the game is ready.