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Sony’s unique and oddly charming game makes its way to PSP. When it comes down to it, the gameplay in LocoRoco, although unique and different, turns out to be a one trick pony. Yet it’s hard to find this as a negative in a very charming game that lets you drift along, taking it all in.
In the game, you’ll be introduced to cute little creatures called LocoRocos. As you roll around the game’s different levels, you’ll have to put an end to the evil attack of the Mojas on this planet. The game’s forty levels are split up into five words, each with a different theme although some levels’ themes are recurrent across the different worlds. It makes for a charming atmosphere and one that obviously doesn’t take itself too seriously.
In the game, you won’t control a LocoRoco as much as you’ll control the environment that it rolls around in. You’ll basically use the left and right triggers on the PSP to tilt the levels, allowing the LocoRoco to move in the direction you’re tilting. If you press both triggers, it’ll jump. As you progress through the levels, you’ll have to collect 20 berries, each of which makes your LocoRoco bigger than it was before. Don’t fear that it’ll get too big though since you can break them up into many smaller pieces to get through tight spots. Getting them to regroup is just as easy, as both functions are done with the circle button. The game doesn’t put a whole lot of opposition in your way before you finish. You basically just have to get to the end of the level, although there are secret areas to find with more berries and an occasional Moja in your way.
Because you can collect up to 20 berries in each level, you’ll often find yourself going back to levels to try to collect all of the berries and other collectibles in the game. Among other things you can collect are Mui Mui and pickories (isn’t this a silly game?). In addition, you can replay each level in time trial mode where you’ll attempt to clear it as fast as possible.
Aside from the actual levels, the game has a few minigames. In one, you can actually build your own levels for the LocoRoco to bounce around in. In the other two, you’ll have to complete a task to get more House pieces. To participate in the game, you’ll need 100 pickories. The Loco House is a place where you can exercise the LocoRoco by using parts found in the levels or minigames. Building a house out of these pieces isn’t particularly hard but building one that is useful or fun to watch takes a bit more effort. The game lets you send a demo of the game via the share game feature of the PSP, as well as send your created levels to other players.
The visuals in LocoRoco are extremely simple yet strangely delightful. The LocoRoco are nothing much than different colored blobs with unusual faces, but nonetheless they convey a sense of personality that more advanced games with their fancy 3D graphics don’t quite match. The environments feature the same art style and it works very well there too. The animation is splendid, too. They move around in such a laid back manner that you can’t help but fall in love with them. Overall, it certainly isn’t the most technically advanced PSP title available, but it’s surely one of the best looking.
The music complements the art style very well. The music is extremely catchy and sells you on the game if the simple gameplay and artistic visuals didn’t do it. The sound effects are equally solid, as are the vocals. It all builds an excellent sense of atmosphere.
LocoRoco is definitely recommended if you’re going to be playing for short amounts of time. While the audiovisual presentation is amazing – and to be honest probably worth the price of admission – the actual gameplay can get a little stale after long gameplay sessions. Trading levels and Loco Houses with friends can also be quite fun. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Sep 14, 2006
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