Similar to Patapon, players lead a motley group of creatures (known, unsurprisingly, as Ratatan) to the Hereafter in a side-scrolling, rhythm-based adventure. Alongside support for more than 100 characters, it offers online co-op for up to four players. The response has been positive thus far, with an 89 percent “Very Positive” rating based on 422 user reviews.

Ratatan will remain in early access for about six to 12 months, which could change depending on the progress of development. It currently offers five worlds, various weapons and skills, boss battles, progression, and multiplayer, with Version 1.0 expanding on all this further (and introducing endgame content).

While the final price hasn’t been decided, it could increase once Ratatan leaves early access. Stay tuned for more updates and check out the launch FAQ.

The money raised by the campaign will go into more than just the development of the base game, since the company also added quite a few stretch goals for the extra money raised. Thanks to having hit the ¥200,000,000 goal, the game will include additional features, like playable Dark Ratatans, base customisation, collaboration with artists, and support for additional languages.

Patapon—the game serving as the primary inspiration behind Ratatan—was a rhythm-based strategy game that was originally released on the PSP. The game was praised by critics, and eventually made its way on to more modern platforms, with Patapon 2 Remastered being released on the PS4 back in January, 2020.

If you’re interested in checking out Ratatan, which will likely take quite some time to come out, check out the gameplay trailer below. The trailer shows off some gameplay, which bears a striking resemblance to Patapon.