There’s something undeniably groovy about the fusion of rhythmic gameplay and roguelite mechanics, and Crypt of the NecroDancer remains one of my favourite games to this day. That being so, Ratatan sounds like it’s going to be right up my street, too.
This 2D side-scroller by Ratata Arts is the newest project from the creators of Patapon, which some of you will remember from back in the noughties (or the remaster from 2017). For the uninitatied, both Patapon and Ratatan have a big focus on toe-tapping rhythm-based gameplay.
Ratatan promises to throw you into battles with “over 100 characters fighting in a massive melee.” You’ll be issuing timed instructions to your so-called Coburns, and positioning them will be as important as your timing.
If that sounds somewhat abstract, check out the trailer below and I think it will make more sense.
It slipped past me back then, but there was a Kickstarter for Ratatan back in 2023, and at that time it raised ¥219,314,335 / £1,140,215 / $1,444,152 – not too shabby, right?!
Bringing things back up-to-date, Ratatan now has a Steam page, and the developer is promising to share updates there as the game nears full release in 2025. Speaking of which, this one’s not only heading to Windows PC; it will also release on Switch, PS4/5, and Xbox Series X.
You can head over and add it to your wishlist, should you so wish, or hit the link to Kickstarter, where there’s an abundance of information about the game. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
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Still with us? Of course you are! If you want to keep reading about great hand-picked rogues, the following articles represent a huge collection of the best roguelike games ever made.
Next, there are genre-specific lists that delve into the best roguelike games of all types. I’ve pulled out the best examples from each category, alongside the links to more in-depth articles!
The best turn-based roguelikes: Caves of Qud | There are some seriously incredible turn-based roguelikes out there. Of all the modern games, these are the closest to the original Rogue.
Awesome first-person rogues: Gunfire Reborn | We almost went with Blue Prince for this spot, but most people checking out first-person rogues probably want to wield a gun, you know?!
Cool roguelike deckbuilders: Balatro | Sorry, Slay the Spire fans, but this poker-solitaire deckbuilder has stolen Mike’s heart and won’t give it back.
Exciting roguelike platformers: Spelunky | Now, don’t get us wrong, Dead Cells is an incredible game, especially with all the DLC switched on. But when it comes to impact, you just can’t beat Spelunky.
Amazing action-roguelites: Hades 2 | And finally, let’s wrap things up with our favourite of them all. There’s no beating the original Hades, although Hades 2 comes pretty close!
