With the beat of the sacred Patapon drums, nothing makes Almighty more happy than to see his beloved subjects destroy everything in a fevered wrath. Anyone who's ever played has felt the delight of sending your boys into Fever and watching them thrash the crap out of everything that moves. The same still goes for Patapon 2, but now with more warriors at your disposal.

First, let's take a look at the loyal warriors returning from the last Patapon.

Hatapon

Your loyal flag-bearer and drum-keeper still keeps to his duties, which is basically stand around and watch as his comrades get killed one by one. Hatapon is still there, still his useless self, and still has to be kept out of harm's way. You'd think he'd have a new flag-whacking skill or something.

Yaripon

The masters of the throwing spears are your main hunters and a staple in every battle. You just can't go anywhere without these guys.

Yumipon

The Patapon archers shower enemies with arrows while keeping themselves safely out of reach. Problem is, though, because of their range, they tend to miss a lot when spraying shots.

Tatepon

They may not be good hunters, but these guys can defend and take a lot of punishment. Enemies that stay still find that these guys don't take prisoners.

Kibapon

The Patapons have cavaliers too! These guys take their steeds and literally drive the enemy back. Apart from being effective fighters, these guys also make your army look so darn cool, making like a cavarly and all. Gotta love these guys.

Megapon

When they say Megapon, they mean megaphone! Just when you think you turned your army into a harmless marching band, these guys will give the enemy a note they won't forget.

Dekapon

Every army needs a big burly dude that can hit like a PMS-ing amazon. For that, there's the Dekapon. They may move like they have all the time in the world, but they make up for it with their sheer brute power.

Now, time to meet and greet the new recruits of the Patapon 2 army.

Toripon

They didn't make the cut last time, but now that coach is taking them out of second string and straight into the front line, providing much-welcome air support to the force.

Robopon

In some bizaare twist of fate, the primitive shanty-dwelling tribe has developed robotic enhancements, hence the Robopon. These guys make short work of barricades and throw boulders while they're at it.

Mahopon

We've got archers, knights, and warriors, so it won't be long before the mages start coming in. The Mahopon is a versatile magic user which can heal your troops and smack your enemies with the usual fire, ice, and lightning spells.



Apart from your three new recruits, you could take advantage of a new, revamped evolution system (gotta admit, the first one was a limited), so these guys you see here could become even stronger.

Release date remains the same, May 5th, priced at US$ 19.99. PSN download will be on May 7th, for a cheaper US$ 15.

---

More news for Almighty:

• Patapon 2 download details, multiplayer video
• Screenshots: Patapon 2 - Patapons flying high