Official Website

Platform: PlayStation 3

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1

Peripherals: Ethernet Broadband

Support: HD 1080p, PlayStation Network Compatible

Since the PSP was released, there have been a few games that have resulted in a battle over who controlled the system. The first of those was Lumines, a game that found both my wife and I helplessly addicted, and before long there was LocoRoco. Once again we were caught in a web of addictive gameplay, and the game has now made its way to the PlayStation Network as a brand new title.

But . . . this isn’t the LocoRoco that you may know from your portable, though there are some similarities.

Once again LocoRoco has found himself alone and without his friends, and once again you must guide him to find them. However, you won’t be controlling LocoRoco this time, but instead a butterfly. As you move the butterfly through the screen, you need to get LocoRoco to follow by pressing the circle button. You’ll find others scattered throughout the game that will also follow if you get close enough, adding into a growing collection of the little fellows who will all sing that unique language of theirs. Look out though, LocoRoco’s nemesis, the Mojas, a lurking just around the corner and are hungry; LocoRoco is on the menu. The helpful Mui Mui's are found within the game as well.

The idea behind the original LocoRobo was definitely unique and one that wasn’t found in any other games and my assumption was that the PS3 version would work in a similar fashion. I had imagined that the SIXAXIS would be used to move left or right, controlling LocoRoco as you navigated him through the games stages. Then there was talk that it was a screensaver, something that I hadn’t expected. The butterfly as the playable character definitely wasn’t what I had envisioned.

The lack of control of LocoRoco really isn’t comparable to the original game at all. The game of follow the leader becomes a little bland and repetitive, though there are still some challenges. To get the LocoRoco to follow, you will need to have them touch in some cases, and they often are in some out of the way places that are very difficult and frustrating to reach. The Mui-Mui meanwhile are found on different movable items that you control by tilting the SIXAXIS controller in the desired direction, and once again, this isn’t always easy.

There are 200 LocoRoco to find in the game, though if you loose too many of them to the Moja, it’s game over. In order to move further in the game though, you’ll find an element that is much like the original, and that is having enough LocoRoco to open different areas. Often though, they will wander on their own or there are sections that you need to keep closed so they don’t fall into air currents, and this can be equally frustrating. It gets worse when you know for a fact you have enough of the little guys to move further and one of two happen to slip by requiring you to try and round them up again.

Locoroco Cocoreccho retains the same look as the original game does, so it’s incredibly cute and fun to look at, especially now that it’s presented in 1080p, and while the original did have some degree of difficulty, there are times when this version is simply frustrating. It often feels as though it lacks fun and excitement that made the first LocoRoco so much fun, and so addictive to play. Instead it feels more like a rather half hearted attempt to cash in on a game that a lot of people enjoyed. Locoroco Cocoreccho might seem tempting, but I can’t really consider this to be a legitimate sequel, something that has been rumored to be in the works. You can still sing along with them if you’d like, but this song just isn’t quite the same and Locoroco Cocoreccho is a pale imitation of the PSP game that brought a lot of thrills to portable fans across the world.
 

-mike-