Skip to the next paragraph if you still haven't finished the first Patapon. Major spoilers ahoy! The last time we saw the Patapon, we saw them working with the Zigoton building a boat to cross the sea to finally find Earthend. Patapon 2 picks up after the boat they built was damaged from attacks and storms, and they ended up in a strange land with tribal enemies.

Kombo got our hands on a preview copy of the game and we got a good feel for some of the changes in store for the Patapons. Now in their second game, after getting so much critical acclaim, there is a lot that is similar with Patapon 2 versus Patapon 1. The additions and new features are basically tweaks on the gameplay from the first game.

One of the biggest changes is the upgrade tree for individual Patapon. You can take them a variety of different directions to specialize your army for difficult missions. Eventually, you'll have an army of mega Patapons to handily win battles. It adds more depth to the customization of the tiny army by adding another layer beyond equipping new items and armor.



What made the original Patapon stand out was the rhythm based gameplay. It took some getting used to by staying extremely consistent with the timed button presses. Patapon 2 eases the system by giving you one opportunity to get back on track before you lose "fever mode." When you have the rhythm fever, your hero Patapon will unleash super moves that deal more damage than standard attacks.

There are bound to be more changes that become evident with the full version of Patapon 2 in March. Right now, it looks to be the next step in the evolution of the series by throwing more of just about everything good about the first game in the second.