Ratatan, a musical roguelike

Ratatan is a roguelike action game that uses rhythm-based mechanics rather than purely reactive gameplay. In Ratatan, you choose a main character, who uses different instruments, and adorable little minions (known as Cobuns) to follow you, attack, and use their skills. It’s actually closer to a roguelite than a roguelike, as there is a meta-progression system.

Leading your colorful army

You can upgrade the Cobuns and equip them with better weapons, and it offers up to 4-player co-op gameplay with multiple different companions to choose from! Ratatan is a slower-paced roguelike than the standard ones, as you primarily move left and right while leading minions around. You use three different commands to control them. The design of the Cobuns and the character designs and worlds are charming and visually striking. Players can change the playable characters between runs and keep the meta progression. After every run you can upgrade the companions, change their weapons, or even swap out the types of Cobuns you start with. You can have 2 melee, 1 archer, or 2 archers and 1 melee, etc. This allows you to mix and match to vary your strategy!

The future of Ratatan

Ratatan, at the time of this article, is set to release into Early Access on Steam on July 25th, 2025. A demo is available to try out the game featuring co-op, 4 characters, and two worlds on Steam. The game is set to launch for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and Switch in addition to Steam!