We need more Patapon
Anyone with a PSP owes it to themselves to go out get Patapon now.
Why such a strong recommendation? Simple, because Patapon is both one of the best games on the PSP and one of the most original (and well designed) games I’ve played in a very long time. For the unaware, Patapon is a rhythm-RPG-strategy game based around a small tribe of eyeball people called Patapon. The Patapon have been driven into near obscurity by the Zigoton, and it is up to you as their noble god to guide them back to glory. How do you do it? By drumming the little guys into battle.
Patapon’s successful genre mixing reminds me of another genre buster, Puzzle Quest. Both are games with RPG elements in which battles are settled via atypical rhythm or puzzle sequences, respectively. From the design point of view, this is pretty interesting. We can all think of many games that integrate cross-genre elements into the core gameplay to limited success. For example, sokobanesque box puzzles in RPGs, or unique character RPG elements in RTSs. What is truly unique about Patapon and Puzzle Quest is the way that the cross genre elements become core elements instead of mere additions.
Take an RTS with RPG elements, such as Warcraft III, as example. Your unique hero units have stats, skills, and equipment ala RPG. This is acts as another level of depth to the standard RTS gameplay, but by no means is it necessary. While it takes utilization of these extra elements to maximize your effectiveness in the game, it is completely possible to beat the game and succeed in multiplayer dealing almost exclusively with the core RTS gameplay.
The difference in games like Patapon and Puzzle Quest is the way the introduced elements are included. You simply cannot play Puzzle Quest without dealing with the puzzle or RPG elements. They are both critical to the gameplay and must be utilized. The same goes for Patapon: there is no way to play the game without dealing with both rhythm and RPG elements. It even seems to be incorrect to refer to these games as RPGs with puzzle/rhythm elements; we have to say they are RPGs and puzzle/rhythm games all at once.
This whole idea of something that has more than one traditional gameplay mechanic at its core is something I would like to see a lot more of. I personally think that the less entrenched in stereotypical genres that a game is, the more opportunities there are for creativity, originality, and ultimately the creation of utility to gamers. While there will always be a place for the classic styles, one thing is for sure:
We need more Patapon!