In
Patapon, the player takes the role of a deity worshipped by an anthropomorphic eye-ball army known as Patapons. The Patapon village named "Patapolis" serves as the main hub, allowing the player to revive fallen troops, select missions, and play minigames. Before each mission, the player can choose up to three different units for battle with the banner-wielding Hatapon as the leader of the units. There are eight possible units to choose from: The shield and sword-wielding Tatepons, the spear-wielding
Yaripons, the bow and arrow-wielding
Yumipons, the cavalry lance-wielding Kibapons, the heavy club-wielding Dekapons, bird-riding Toripons (only in
Patapon 2), magic-wielding Mahopons (only in
Patapon 2 onwards), and Tuba-wielding Megapons. Each unit can have a maximum of three or six troops depending on the type of Patapon. During missions, the player can command the Patapons by inputting specific sequences using the face buttons on the PSP, each representing a drum. These sequences can command the tribe to move forward, attack, defend, and other actions. A pulsating border signals the player at what rhythm to input the commands. Successfully entering a proper sequence in sync with the rhythm will lead the tribe into a "Fever" increasing their attack and defensive bonuses. Fever can be accomplished by maintaining a combination of 10, or achieved early if a combination is 3 or higher and the command was performed perfectly in sync. If the player ceases to command the Patapons or inputs the commands off-beat of the border's rhythm, the combo and fever will be lost. During fever, Miracles can be performed that affect the weather. Examples include summoning rain to cool a scorching desert or summoning strong winds assisting in the range of the Yumipons' arrows. Once a mission is complete, the player can return to an earlier mission to acquire additional resources and equipment to build up their troops before a larger battle. Materials, weapons, armour, and a currency known as "Ka-ching" can be gained by fallen enemies to fortify the player's troops. If a Patapon is defeated in battle, it will drop a cap that can be used to revive the Patapon once the mission is completed. If the cap is not retrieved during the mission, the Patapon is permanently lost. New Patapons can be created in the Patapon village using the tree of life and requires Ka-ching and materials such as sticks, stones, and branches. Using rarer versions of those materials creates stronger variants of the Patapons. ==Plot==