The PSP has, according to many of the critics of the system, seen a dearth of high-quality games. Personally, I don’t agree with this statement. It is true that a large chunk of the PSP’s library consists of ports of games from other consoles. But most of these ports are not 1:1 translations, and do offer additional content not found in the original games. Even without additional content, sometimes it’s just great to have a portable version. Burnout Legends is a fine example of the kind of game that translates well to the PSP without having to add a lot of new content.
But lately, there have been some new games — and more are on the horizon — that challenge this criticism. One of the first of these wildly uniqe games is the refreshing LocoRoco, from Sony Computer Entertainment. Part action game, part platformer, part puzzle game and — to some extent — part god game.
The game is set n a small planet that is home to these little creatures called LocoRocos. They look and act like semi-sentient water ballons, squishing and rolling along the terrain of the planet. The storyline behind the game is pretty simple: The cute little LocoRocos live on a distant planet, where they help the plants grow. The planet of is invaded by the MojaTroop, and you have to get rid of them. Simple enough.
The most unique aspect of this game has to be the control scheme. Rather than control the little LocoRocos directly, you control the planet itself, tilting it back and forth with the shoulder buttons, which causes the LocoRocos to roll over the terrain. By holding down and releasing both shoulder buttons, you can bounce the terrain and make the LocoRocos jump. A t the beginning of the level, you have one little LocoRoco to move around the planet. But as you progress through the level, you’ll find little red fruit that, when the LocoRoco eats them, will make him grow. As the LocoRoco gets larger, he’s unable to fit into certain areas of the map. But by tapping down the circle button, you can cause a lightning strike that scares the LocoRoco into splitting itself into multiple LocoRocos. Once they’ve separated, you can hold down the circle button; this causes and earthquake that makes the LocoRocos huddle together and rejoin.
As you roll, bounce, split and rejoin the LocoRocos through each level, your goal is to get them to their little gourd-like homes, finding secrets, rescuing their little friends, the MuiMuis (I’m just glad I don’t have to say that out loud) for rewards, and beating up the Mojas along the way.
The type of terrain varies from level to level. Some levels are on fairly neutral ground, while others are covered with slippery ice or sand. The most unique level is one in which the terrain is red, sticky and squishy, representing the digestive system of a giant frog which swallows the LocoRoco in the opening cinematic for that level.
There are many secret areas in the levels. Some of them are invisible until you bounce the LocoRoco into a hidden hole in a wall, or break through a thin piece of floor or ceiling. Some areas can only be accessed by being spit, hit, lifted or thrown by various contraptions and creatures throughout the level. When you rescue one of the MuiMuis, he will present you with a “house part”. These parts can be used to create little Rube Goldberg-like contraption in the LocoRoco House, a small mini-game accessible from the main menu. Also found throughout the level are Pickories, little purple flying … things … that you can use as currency to play other minigames.
The charm in LocoRoco lies in the stylized levels, the fun squishy-blob physics and the catchy soundtrack, which varies form level to level and with each of the different LocoRocos you can play with. The LocoRocos will even lip-sync along with the music, and if you have multiple LocoRocos onscreen at once, they’ll even harmonize when idle. LocoRocos will also sing to various sleeping characters in the levels in order to wake them up. When awoken, some characters (like clouds) will cary the LocoRocos to before-unreachable areas, while others will award them with more house parts.
Technically, the game is rock solid. I’ve seen no graphics glitches or bugs in the time I’ve played, and load times are very short.
There are no “multiplayer” features of LocoRoco, but you can share your “LocoRoco houses” with other PSP owners via wi-fi.
The game’s playtime may not be the longest around (there are around 40 leves, 10 levels per “world”), but what’s there is a blast to play and very addictive. The game is suited for both long and short play sessions. It’s easy to pick up in the middle of a level and just keep playing. LocoRoco is a must-have for any PSP collection.
Summary:
Graphics: **** Fun, fast and stylish, with great animation.
Sound: **** Catchy and Cute. Not too repetitive.
Gameplay: *** Never gets old, and the controls are as easy as it gets.
Replayability:*** There’s some replayability in trying to find every secret, but it will eventually get old. Not for a while, though.
Overall: ***1/2 A fun and unique game perfectly suited to the PSP. What more could you want?