Review:
LocoRoco
Genre: Platform
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Players: 1
Online Play: No
Firmware: 2.71
Locoroco compared to games like Miami Vice and GTA: LCS is a scorching beam of light, which rips through the gloom that most games now offer.
The opening sequence of the game shows and asteroid hitting your planet releasing hundreds of Mojas, which are trying to take over. Though to most it may seem that you take the role of the Locoroco, in actual fact you play as the planet, tilting and bouncing in order to save the little possessed space-hoppers, as most people call them, Locoroco.
Although you play as the planet you have a variety of different Locoroco that you collect along the way. These range differ in colour, ranging from yellow to red to black, each one sporting a different voice which allows for varying songs. Once collected you are able to choose prior to starting a level what LocoRoco you will use.
The main objective of the game is simple. Collect all twenty Locoroco's. These are collected by bouncing or rolling onto red pulsating flowers. Each time you collect a Locoroco, try bond with your Locoroco resulting in your Locoroco growing in size. But don't worry you can easily separate them again by a quick press of the circle button.
The only violence that is present in the game comes only in the form of Mojas. These Dreadlocks fiends rage from the size of a single Locoroco; there only offence being that they can slow you down slightly; to being Giants which oddly, seem to just want to sit on you. That is as violent as it gets.
The game uses a very unique control system. You use the L and R shoulder buttons to tilt the planet in order to move the Locoroco, holding these to down then releasing them will result in the planet bouncing, throwing the Locoroco into the air. The only other button used is the circle button, which brakes up and combines the Locoroco's.
These controls are so simple to learn that even the less experienced/younger gamers out there will pick it up quick.
The game offers three different modes of game play. Main game, mini games and Loco house.
The main game offers several worlds, each contains several levels. In each level you have a main objective, collect as many of the twenty Locoroco's as possible. There are also pink bugs to collect, which can be used in the mini game section. You also have the chance to collect Locoroco's friends the 'MuiMuis'. There are three of these on each level and are located in the abundance of secret passage ways, which are only found by the most keen eyed of players. These in turn, allow you to collect bonus items, which can be used in Loco house. By recording your results for each level along with the time it took you, the game offers a lot of replay value, allowing you to go back to a level and play it all over again just to try and beat your previous best score.
The Mini game section offers a brake from the stresses and strains of bouncing a blob around a level, giving you a choice of three small arcade stile games.
The last mode Loco House isn't really a game mode as sorts more like a novelty feature. LocoHouse allows you to build a house for your Locoroco out of the parts you collected in the main and mini games. As I said earlier its more of a novelty feature and will keep you occupied for the best part of five minutes.
The game offers very simple GFX, so simple you couldn't even call it cartoon like. But yet with its bold colours and none existent shading, Locoroco some how pulls it off. The simple 2D scenery is a thing of beauty. The water falls, although only one tone of blue with slight smidgens of white, some how gives a great indication of water. With the bold colours and lack of complexity in the GFX, there are none of those annoying white lines that are common with 3D games, and there is no pixelating in site.
The simplicity of it all is amazing! Who would have thought that in a world of 3D based shoot em ups with multiple textured layers, destructible scenery and thousands of polygons in just one character. That, a 2D game, with no killing, no colour blending or multiple textured levels could look so beautiful.
The audio of the game is original to the extent that the lyrics of the songs are sung in a 100% made up language. With each colour Locoroco comes a different tone of voice which adds to the good variety to the games songs. The songs are crisp, clear and extremely catchy. You can easily find you?re self-singing along to the songs almost straight away. But the downside is that after a while it does start to get annoying.
Locoroco is so utterly entertaining that even with its odd appearance and slightly annoying songs you could play this game over and over. What with some of its bizarre settings (like inside a frog and whales belly), its unique control system and lashing of endless humour you would have to be dead in side not to like this game.
Locoroco will take months for the average player to complete, as it offers a vast quantity of hidden goodies which all need to be collected in order to 100% the game. And with the scores saved for each level there is always the desire to do better.
Locoroco is by far the happiest game on the PSP it is simple to pick up and very hard to put down. I would give it 9/10.
The verdict:
Uppers:
- 2D scenery is a thing of beauty
- Huge lifespan
- Eye-catchy graphics
- Original soundtrack
- Simple controls
Downers:
- Too easy to beat the main objectives
- May not be suited for a more mature audience / more for a younger audience
- Soundtrack can become annoying
Overall score: 90%
Evolve
Revised 03/08/2007 
Linear Mode
