Patapon

Pata-pata-pata-pon! A few beats on the drums and suddenly you command an army of little one-eyed warriors. Patapon from 2007 is one of those games that could only have come about thanks to the courage to experiment, and the PSP gave it a perfect home. It came into being under Sony's wing, with Rolito contributing to the design along with the team around Pyramid, and the result was an utterly distinctive mix of rhythm game and strategy.

The principle is ingeniously simple and at the same time addictive. Using four buttons you enter rhythmic sequences that correspond to commands: march, attack, defend, retreat. When you keep the rhythm, your Patapons start moving like a well-oiled machine, and if you hit a series perfectly, they enter a feverish "fever" mode where they're stronger and faster. Here music and gameplay aren't separate layers but one and the same thing.

Visually Patapon is instantly recognizable. The flat, silhouette style with bold colors and cute yet warlike creatures creates an aesthetic that resembles nothing else. Together with the hypnotic rhythm it builds an atmosphere that draws the player in and won't let go.

In development terms it was one of the flagship experiments with which Sony showed on the PSP that the handheld was a platform for original, authored ideas too, not just for ports of big brands. Patapon became a cult affair and its success led to further installments of the series.

Culturally the title earned a reputation as one of the most imaginative games of its generation. To this day it's cited as an example of how a rhythm game can function as a full-fledged strategy and vice versa. It's quite simply an original worth getting to know.

Why play: An utterly original fusion of rhythm and strategy with an unmistakable look. If you want something you won't find elsewhere, this is it.