Patapon 3

							Patapon 3 (Chinese+English Ver.)
Review
If you're familiar with previous Patapon games, it might come as some surprise to you
that in Patapon 3 you don't get to command an army. You're still a deity worshipped by
the titular tribe, and you still get to issue the little guys orders by rhythmically tapping
on sacred drums mapped to the PSP's face buttons, but the army has been turned to
stone, so you have far fewer units at your disposal. All is not lost, though; not only have
you been summoned into the body of a reincarnated hero, but there's so much
emphasis on loot and leveling this time around that your small band grows more
powerful practically every time you play. They can get so powerful, in fact, that where
previous games have generally required careful strategizing to succeed, here it's often
possible to forgo defensive and evasive moves in favor of an all-out offense. Still, there's
plenty of challenge to be found in the colorful combat zones of Patapon 3, and even as
you're decimated by a dragon or digested by a demon it's hard not to be won over by
the game's quirky presentation and succumb to its just-one-more-try gameplay.




The occasional need to grind unit levels is at least acknowledged; missions that
incorporate story events can't be replayed once you've beaten them, but typically
upon beating said missions, you unlock one or two more in the same locale that
can be replayed as much as you like. These missions even have descriptions that
let you know whether they're particularly well suited for leveling or for collecting
currency and crafting materials for use at the gear-upgrading blacksmith. Playing
through most levels you also collect treasure chests that are dropped or even
thrown at you by large enemies. You get to open treasure chests only upon
completion of a level, but their coloring and a numeric value at least give you
some indication of how good your loot is going to be when you pick them up.
That's good to know when you're fighting your way through one of the new three-
or five-floor dungeons, because at the end of each floor you have the option to
either retreat to your hideout with your loot and start the dungeon over or proceed
and risk losing it. Any loot that you don't think is worth keeping can be
dismantled at your armory to gain more crafting materials and currency, though
you shouldn't rush to get rid of any weapons and armor just because they're not
immediately useful. Weaker items in your inventory might occasionally be needed
for specific levels because they offer a resistance to or are highly likely to cause
effects like burn, sleep, freeze, and poison.