More Articles on LocoRoco
LocoRoco Xmas Level Coming SoonVideo Game BAFTA Winners AnnouncedLocoRocoLocoRoco Demo Now AvailableSCEA Confirms E3 Line Up For PS2/PSPLatest Reviews
Buzz! Quiz TVSpace Invaders ExtremeEchochromeGuitar Hero: AerosmithNinja Gaiden Dragon SwordUser Reviews
There are currently 0 User Reviews for LocoRocoWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
LocoRoco Review
Chris Leyton
15/06/2006
Look what happens when you mix jelly, a space-hopper and far too many mind-altering substances...
There's more than something a little bit odd about the latest title to stem from Sony Computer Entertainment's Tsutomu Kouno.
Set on a planet far, far away, where cheerful creatures named LocoRocos live, singing joyfully, dancing and playing with glee. Bouncing and hopping along with a smile on their face, the LocoRoco's peace is disturbed one day with the arrival of Moja Troops from outer-space, who have invaded the peaceful planet and threaten to enslave the joyful LocoRoco.
If that hasn't put you off already, then LocoRoco will easily provide the best original experience on the PSP since Lumines arrived with the handheld...
At its core LocoRoco is a classic 2D platformer that revolves around the timeless mechanic of collecting items; ok so the concept may not be the most original, yet LocoRoco is still in a world of its own, both figuratively and literally. Taking control of the eponymous LocoRoco, essentially a gelatinous blob with facial features, LocoRoco challenges you to roll around the different levels, using just the PSP shoulder buttons to rotate the stage around and progress from A to B. It's a control system that's accessible to anybody, but like all the classics, remains deceptively tough to master - it's a game that Sonic Team or Nintendo would be proud of.
Starting off with just one small LocoRoco the stage is packed full of collectable plant pods, along with other items that look suspiciously close to the Lums from the Rayman series. Collecting the flowers adds a LocoRoco to the one you're controlling, increasing the size of the gooey blob that you're controlling. With the LocoRoco increasing in size faster than the average E3 attendant's bags of freebies, you'll often have to split the LocoRoco up into smaller "chunks" to progress through the level. The level designs often call for this technique, rolling through narrow shoots and cogs like some strange cross between Pachinko and the classic boxed game "Downfall", only to sound like a desperate maternal animal calling out for her young to rejoin her and reform into one big blob again afterwards.
The aim is to collect 20 LocoRoco's from plant pods on each stage, a certain number of Lum-like items and three hidden MuiMui which are often tucked deviously out of the way in true platformer tradition. With the obligatory snow, forest and dark levels along with a customary intestine stage for each world, LocoRoco throws level after level of clever designs with varying techniques at you.
So a simple concept with an intuitive control system and great level designs adds up to an enjoyable platformer; what I haven't mentioned yet is the sheer insanity of LocoRoco, a game that feels, looks and sounds as though somebody spent far too much time in an asylum on a staple diet of pre-school TV! The concept alone is enough to drive a division between most people, however that's nothing until you've seen the overly vivacious visual style and the mad, mad music - think the Chipmunks singing J-Pop and you're probably somewhere near to the truth.
Like all good platformers LocoRoco often walks the fine line between enjoyment and frustration, with twitch jumps, precise movements and devious secret areas to discover along the way. Despite its simplistic control system there's a definite art of rolling LocoRoco's, requiring short hops, quick flicks and the dogged determination that will get a LocoRoco back up that river you didn't want to come down in the first place. The only problem is the bits that do drive you insane with determination, whether it's trying to reach the last MuiMui or crossing a difficult path, will drive you even further into insanity because of the very nature of the game; the bright lights, the loony sounds... it's like Mario on mushrooms or Sonic on speed - forget PEGI guidelines, this game should have a mental health warning!
Like Mario and Sonic before it (and countless others in between), LocoRoco is a deceptively easy title to play, and the assortment of Moja Troops are designed more as obstacles around the levels rather than putting up a threat. Those with a sadistic mind will want to check out the cruel ways in which the Moja Troops attack the LocoRoco, whether it's the Moiya violently snapping away until it tears a solitary LocoRoco away, or the Musukusu snatching one and taking it underground to eat! The real challenge behind LocoRoco, one that will keep you glued for months, is to try and collect all the items on each stage.
It's probably a bit too easy to get carried away with the world that LocoMoco takes you, however the game does have some faults. Although the core roll-around gameplay is enjoyable and captivates you in its fun little world, its sheer simplicity is also a slight downfall. Throughout the game you'll come across six different coloured LocoRoco, each with a different facial expression and definitely different attitudes, but beyond singing along in different styles to the background music (admittedly very amusing), there's not a lot to separate them. It seems a missed opportunity to look past adding extra puzzles to the level design, based upon different attributes of the LocoRoco's you've unlocked. Perhaps the team didn't want to confuse the concept, however it will leave some growing tired of its occasionally repetitive nature.
Away from the main game LocoRoco puts those items you've collected to good use. MuiMui's often provide parts to use in the Loco House mode, whilst pink lums provide credits needed to play the three different mini-games. The Loco House mode finds players designing a stage with different parts to direct a LocoRoco, guided by his own intelligence (or lack thereof) to a reward on the stage - it's Lemmings gone loco, albeit with fairly limited appeal. The way in which credits and rewards all serve a definite purpose is a nice touch and lends a sense of structure to the game; you're not just collecting things for the sake of it. Ultimately you're left wanting for a little more however, it's a shame the team couldn't include any multiplayer options, such as racing to collect the most amount of items in old-school Sonic fashion.
Presentation is a strong element to LocoRoco, both in terms of the game's visuals and sound. Strong, bold colours create a simple, distinctive and fluid style, but one that remains strong thanks to the convincing jelly nature of the LocoRoco's movements and the designs of the levels themselves. The way in which the game's developers have manages to squeeze so much charisma into a gormless blob would make even the likes of Pixar and Aardman Animations proud; it's almost enough to bring you to tears when your 19 LocoRoco blob is decimated to nothing trying desperately to reach the last MuiMui in a nefarious array of Toges and Bottyyo-ros!
If the visuals are the first thing to ensure a double check, that's nothing until you've heard the crazy sounds that come from the game. Like all the best PSP titles (well Lumines at least), LocoRoco utilises music and sound effects to create a distinctive handheld offering; singing away to the songs, the LocoRoco's performance gets better as it increases in size, splitting into a crowd of voices when the LocoRoco is split into smaller chunks. Covering everything from the aforementioned J-Pop playing Chipmunks to James Brown style Funk, LocoRoco layers it all in a quintessential Japanese style to create something that your ears may never have previously come across - just make sure to play it with your headphones on.
