I embarrassed myself playing rhythm strategy roguelike Ratatan in front of the devs at Summer Game Fest, and I'm not alone, so the devs are already tweaking the difficulty level

I absolutely embarrassed myself playing the Ratatan demo in front of several of the devs at Summer Game Fest. I have fond memories of playing the first two Patapon games back on the PSP, but despite loving both rhythm and strategy games, the combination of the two has always been particularly taxing on my brain, like a classic case of trying to simultaneously pat your head and rub your stomach.

Patapon designer Hiroyuki Kotani is building Ratatan with many of the same elements that made the original games so memorable. You still command a squadron of adorable little soldier creatures across 2D levels, drumming orders along to the beat to issue commands like 'attack' or 'guard.' You've got to carefully watch what your opponents are doing, respond to their movements, and make sure your little dudes are dealing damage, all while keeping up with the rhythm.

After suffering crushing defeats to multiple bosses in the Ratatan demo, I'm honestly a little relieved to see that the demo's public release has similarly been brutalizing a wide swathe of players, to the point where the devs are already tuning the action to make it a bit friendlier to get into. With Ratatan set to launch in early access this July, tuning based on player feedback was always part of the plan, and I'm glad to see it - the new elements here genuinely add a lot to the Patapon formula, and with the right balancing tweaks, that quirky old PSP spirit could make a mark in the modern era.

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Call and response

"Feedback is already coming in, and some people are saying, 'hey, this game is, like, really hard,'" producer Kazuto Sakajiri told me via translator at SGF. He added that the team is "thinking of different ways to try to adjust for that [with] accessibility options. So they do want to implement those as they move forward."

Around the time that interview took place, the team had actually already made a big list of planned demo improvements in a meaty Steam blog post, citing a "lack of clarity and poor controls" as primary issues with this early version of the game. That certainly tracks with my experience, as I found myself struggling to make sense of all the commands listed out on the corners of the screen while simultaneously wrapping my head around the basic controls and rhythm demands.

But just listing out everything I struggled with is probably a bit redundant here, since it's all addressed in the update plans - though I will shout out the devs "tweaking enemy wind-ups and attack intervals to make them easier to respond to," which directly addresses my biggest gripe with the demo. It's important to note, however, that all these tweaks are targeted at making the game easier to learn, not to master. The devs still want to make sure that players who want a greater challenge can find it.

The team wants to "reward players that are good at rhythm games," Sakajiri told me. "So they do want to have that option there. If you're really good at rhythm games, you're going to get more items. You're going to get more merits. They want to have various kinds of players be able to enjoy it."

Jam session

While I might've struggled to complete much of the Ratatan demo - though I did beat that boss on a second attempt thankyouverymuch - I didn't have much trouble enjoying it regardless. When you nail the proper commands with perfect rhythm, lining up a 'fever' bonus for a power-up and wiping the floor with an enemy fleet, it feels so satisfying, and chasing that feeling is more than enough incentive to learn the mechanics.

There are two key differences between this and Patapon. One is that you now directly control a character in each stage, running back and forth as you command your forces and try to dodge attacks yourself. The other is that the game now takes on a roguelike structure, where you set out on short runs featuring a series of short battles followed by a boss fight, choosing what rewards you want to pursue along the way. It's a bit like choosing what rooms to pursue next in a game like Hades - do you want to get currency you can spend for permanent upgrades, a boon to help your build in the current run, or a desperately needed health refill?

I remain a bit of a roguelike skeptic even to this day, but I have to admit that the format fits perfectly for Ratatan's bite-sized challenges. Spend a few minutes in intense rhythm battles, hop out for a chill time shopping for upgrades and choosing what to do next, and repeat. It creates a nice flow, and gives the game a distinct identity separate from its spiritual predecessors.

While the team is "very happy with all the support and the enthusiasm that the Patapon series has brought to Ratatan," Sakajiri says, "they also want to emphasize that Ratatan is its own game. It's a separate IP. It is important that it retains the 'Kotani-ism' [from] the original developer. He's here and puts his own unique charm on both games. So they definitely want players to feel that. But they also want to build upon Ratatan and have people approach it as its own separate IP."

With Ratatan set to enter early access in July, Sakajiri said the team is looking forward to feedback from fans - not just on potential problems like the early difficulty, but also on what people want more of. The devs "really enjoy comments and feedback like, 'oh, a player really likes this Ratatan character. They really like this song or this level.' So as they continue development, they want to try to build upon that and try to get a better feel for what they like and implement that into the full version." With the work the team is already doing to respond to play feedback, I'd say they're on the right track.

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