Official Website

Platform: PSP

Genre: Action, Puzzle

Number of Players: 1
 

You thought that Katamari had the market cornered when it came to cute on the PSP, but the young Prince is going to have to make some room for a newcomer. The name LocoRoco might not mean much to you right now, but here very soon, it’s probably all a lot of PSP owners are going to be talking about. It’s cute, it’s innovative, and it’s damn addictive.

So . . . . what exactly is it?

The story goes like this: somewhere beyond the moon, the sun, and just about everything else, there is a planet inhabited by some unusual creatures, and among these are the LocoRoco. These happy little guys have lived a rather peaceful existence; at least they didn’t until the evil Moja Troops invaded their happy home. But let’s recap; the LocoRoco are peaceful, and they really don’t know how to deal with a threat like this, but that’s where you come in. You’ll need to help them rid their home of the Moja as well as rescue their friends and find the hidden Mui Mui to restore peace to the planet once again.

Oh, did I mention that this same is addictive? Oh yeah? I kind of thought so.

LocoRoco has some of the most simplistic gameplay that anyone can get into the game, and I can guarantee from personal experience that if you live in a one PSP household, you probably will lose control of the system as some point while someone else get immersed into the world. The idea in every stage is to guide LocoRoco to the house at the end, and this is done merely by using the L and R buttons to tilt the screen and move LocoRoco. By holding the L button down for instance, it tilts and holds the screen in that direction, and while held, pressing R will make LocoRoco jump. This is necessary as there are a number of obstacles that you’ll need to make your way over, and it’s also the only way to get ride of those nasty Moja.

That sounds simple enough, but there’s a bit more here to contend with. You’ll find fruits in each stage, twenty in total, and eating one of these will make LocoRoco bigger. Also, there are areas where you’ll need to be smaller to pass through, so by tapping O, LocoRoco will break apart, the number of course depending on how many fruits you’ve found. To get yourself back together, simply hold O and all the LocoRoco will once again merge together. There are also pickories in the stages, a type of food (I guess) that you can collect as well as pieces to the Loco House. The end of each stage, you will be awarded a score based on how many items you’ve collected as well as your time and getting everything will open a time attack mode. Also, for those itching to take some pictures, just simply press select and see what you come up with.

The stages seem straight forward, but there are things to look for. There are hidden areas that will help you collect everything in each stage, there are breakable walls or ones that can be pushed over, and there are even section where you will need a certain number of LocoRoco to gain whatever reward is hidden there. Beware of the Moja and nasty black spikes though, if one of them grabs you, they will take a Loco unless you get away from them, and if you loose them all . . . I think you know what happens next; game over.

It’s not always about hopping around and breaking apart though. There are air streams that will carry you high into the sky, creatures that will transform you into different shapes, or others that you can use to catapult yourself to new heights. And, even after you’ve finished a stage, you can reenter it, and trust me, you won’t always find everything that is in each level the first time around. Things can be very well hidden and some stages can be a bit frustrating the first time around, but not so much that it makes the game troublesome to play. Instead it’s just about getting to the end, then maybe paying another visit and seeing if you can locate everything.

The pieces that you find are important for your Loco House, a fun type of mini game where you can move Loco around in and place different items around. There are also min games, and this is where those pickories come in handy. You’ll need to exchange them in order to play the games, though not all of them will be available to you at first. That’s where hard work comes into play. While you might start the game with a yellow LocoRoco, as you move further through the world, you will find new friends of different colors. Red, green (or olive I guess), pink and even black are a few of the colors that you can choose from.

It’s not just the gameplay that makes this game impossible to put down, but much like the Katamari games, it’s the music. LocoRoco however isn’t made up of songs sang in Japanese, but instead in LocoRoco. Sure, it’s a fiction language, but nevertheless, it’s addictive to listen to. The songs are catchy and have a nice ethic feel to them in most cases. Also, each Loco that you get has a different voice, so depending on the one you are using, the lyrical sound will reflect the change.

The graphics are the final part of the game that truly make it into a game that will undoubtedly become a modern classic. They are bright and colorful, but they don’t necessarily look like any other game that is on the market today. While not 3D, in this case the 2D shine magnificently and the stages often look like drawings that you might find a young child doing. Take note as well that as the songs play, you can see Loco singing right along with the music no matter if he’s big or in several small pieces. The bright and colorful look to LocoRoco really is the final element that is going to keep you playing.

In case you hadn’t already figured it out, addictive is the key word here, and Sony really seems to have created a game that will easily rival the Katamari series (and word has it that the Katamari team is no longer . . . a sad thing.) If you’re not caught up in the songs, you’re involved in the action, but it’s really every part of this game that makes it nearly impossible to play “just for a minute.” I’ve already logged several straight hours in the world of LocoRoco and at this point, I’m not even close to wanting to step away just yet.

-mike-