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Ratatan, a rhythm action game inspired by the beloved Patapon series, has won the biggest award at BitSummit, Japan’s major indie game festival. The game received The Vermilion Gate Award during Saturday’s ceremony in Kyoto.
The crowd-funded game is set to launch on Steam Early Access on July 25. James Mielke, who founded BitSummit and leads the judging panel, praised the game’s journey from its crowdfunding announcement at BitSummit Gaiden in 2020 to its current polished state.
🏆✨Vermilion Gate Award 2025✨🏆️
[Ratatan – Ratata Arts]@ratatan_gameCome play it at BitSummit booth 1F BZ-08 and here: https://t.co/USIV2HpVWb pic.twitter.com/s3G5hGjVii
— BitSummit (@BitSummit) July 20, 2025
“Ratatan revives the indie spirit once present in Patapon, combining roguelike and rhythm elements with notable polish, and shows clear potential for lasting influence in the indie space,” Mielke said.
The festival also handed out several other awards across different categories. Visual novel adventure Digital Exorcist by Cool Beans Productions won the VGC Award, with judge Chris Scullion comparing it favorably to classic games like Hideo Kojima’s Snatcher. He praised the game’s humor and memorable characters.
Other winners included A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe, which took the International Award, and Flip Panic! by Software Control Corporation, winner of the Innovative Outlaw Award. Tournamentris by Studio ZeF earned the Excellence in Game Design Award, while Dreams of Another by Q-Games won for Visual Excellence.
🏆🎨 BitSummit Excellence in Visual Design Award 2025🎨🏆
[Dreams of Another – Q-Games]@PixelJunkJPCome play it at BitSummit booth 3F PL-01 and here: https://t.co/akWQunpYRl pic.twitter.com/29bM8ymDff
— BitSummit (@BitSummit) July 20, 2025
The sound design award went to Electro Bop Boxing League by Developer Dob, and Dream Mayday received recognition in the Student Game Jam category. Several sponsor awards were also given out during the ceremony, including the PlayStation Award for LOVE ETERNAL by brlka and the ID@Xbox Award for A Tiny Wander by DOUKUTSU PENGUIN CLUB.
BitSummit continues to showcase the creativity and talent within Japan’s indie gaming scene, with this year’s winners representing a diverse mix of genres and innovative gameplay ideas.
