COLUMN: ‘Jump Button’: Patapon And Rolito’s Handheld Gallery

[Jump Button is a new weekly column by Drew Taylor, written specially for GameSetWatch, that focuses on the art and substance of video game culture.]
It’s almost two in the morning, I’m dosed up on pain killers and my right wrist is sprained—possibly fractured—from a relatively nasty motorcycle accident I had earlier in the day. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to play ‘just one more mission’ of the addictive PSP rhythm/attack game, Patapon.
The narcotic effect is partly attributable to the simple (yet strategic) gameplay, insanely catchy rhythms and clever fusion of RPG-lite and rhythm/action genres. But it’s the crazy-cool graphic style of French artist Rolito (real name Sebastien Giuli) that has me gripped in a ‘fever’.
I want to see more.
Visually, the 35-year-old artist’s work on Patapon is like Willy Wonka meets Frank Miller’s 300. A candy-shaped universe full of strong geometry and complementary color palettes. Cave paintings for a […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Drew Taylor) and software by Elliott Back