I hopped over to my local Gamestop yesterday and dropped $5 on a pre-order, something I haven’t done in who knows how long. The reason? The Patapon demo, of course. I played a bit of Patapon at Sony’s Gamer Day a couple months ago and was hooked. Think Loco Roco, but even cooler.

Let me see if I can explain the game, since it’s pretty wacked out (in a good way). You assume the role of the Mighty Patapon, the god to the Patapon creatures. By banging your drum, you energize them to move, attack, defend, etc. Each action requires a different drum pattern. You start off the demo with two drum types and eventually get a third before the end. Each action is a four button sequence that you have to hit in the rhythm of the beat going on in the mission. You press your button sequence and the Patapons respond and perform the action. As soon as they’re done, you need to hit your next buttom string.

If you keep proper time with the music, you’re Combo bar increases. The higher your combo, the higher the damage your Patapons will inflict. The best place to be is Fever mode, when your combo bar reaches 10. If you miss the rhythm with a button sequence, your Combo bar starts over. As you progress, you unlock new weapons and acquire various items that will allow you to resurrect legendary Patapon warriors to help your cause.

The gameplay may seem simple, but it actually gets complex as more button actions get added. You have to remember the string of buttons and keep time with the music. You also need to decide whether to move, attack, or defend. In the full game, there will be many more button sequences for new actions that you will have to remember as well.

The game is very addicting. It’s one of those games that once you pick it up, you won’t want to put it down. I’ve played through the demo at least 5 times so far since yesterday. I usually don’t advocate pre-ordering, but in this case I’ll change my tune. Get in your car and head down to your local Gamestop and put a preorder on this game. It’s only a $20 game, and you won’t be disappointed.