Patapon's unique cocktail of rhythmic strategy has been missing for far too long, but a spiritual successor made by Patapon veterans finally has an early access release date.
For those unaware, developers who worked on the cult classic PSP series jumped to Kickstarter a few years ago and managed to raise a whopping $1.5 million (219,314,335 yen) to fund a roguelike successor called Ratatan. It still has a gorgeous style and combat that has you syncing up commands with the beat, but this time, the cutesy little soldiers will chant rat-ta-ta-tan as they march into battle.
At the Summer Game Fest 2025 adjacent Day of the Devs showcase, developer Ratata Arts gave us another adorable look at the game alongside an incoming early access release for folks on PC: July 25. But if you simply can't wait to get your hands on the roguelike spin, then there's also a free Steam demo available now, featuring two toe-tapping worlds, online co-op, and four ratatans.
The full game was originally planned for release on April 2025 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch, but it now just has a nebulous '2025' window. Either way, Ratatan's inbound early access launch is a promising sign that the full game isn't too far behind.
"Feel the beat and use rhythm sequences in time to order your Cobuns in the direction you want them to go," the game's storefront description explains. "Since the Ratatans can be moved freely, your judgement to decide where to give orders, where to position the ratatan, and when to retreat is critical."
For now, check out some other upcoming indie games of 2025 and beyond.
