LocoRoco
Score: 96% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America Developer: SCEA Media: UMD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Strategy/ Platformer/ Puzzle
Graphics & Sound: There are times when a game breaks through and does more than just entertain. True entertainment is rare enough, sad to say. I can remember a few games from the ranks of past experience that stand out. Klonoa was a complete sleeper but took the 2.5D to a completely new level of creativity - I would still love the game today, without a doubt. Ico was another title that had me from the first moment. Both these games had unique graphics that stood out from the crowd. LocoRoco has exactly that same visual quality, backed up by rock solid gameplay. Primary colors mix with pastels; kaleidoscope swirls and shapes twist through lush backgrounds. Instead of splashy light trails and particle effects, there are subtle fade-ins and fade-outs. Instead of sharply defined polygons, there are organic, lumpy, squishy shapes everywhere. There are no textures in the game, but plenty of expressive design in the form of color and shape. A candy wilderness with overtones of your most saccharine childhood dreams and nightmares. Coupled with the phenomenal visual presentation is a soundtrack that should be released as an independent album. Each LocoRoco sings along with the music, which even makes the same track seem different. When a new LocoRoco is discovered, it is in a level where its music is the feature. Musical styles range from sweet and sexy pop to cheesy (tongue in cheek) adult contemporary. I can't remember when as much music lodged in my brain from a game. The incidental sound effects are equally strong and distinctive. The environment offers all kinds of aural feedback, making certain sections of the game feel like a new-age pinball machine. The developers cultivate your attachment to the cute little LocoRoco and then break your heart by having them cry out, seemingly in pain, when you run into some hazard. LocoRoco also give you clues as to secret areas in the game by saying little phrases and making their little hair stand on end.
Gameplay: Adding to my earlier sentiment about originality in design, LocoRoco manages to be as strong a production as you're likely to play on PSP this year. The thought that went into the game shows in every level, and yet the driving principle is ridiculously simple. When bad Mojas invade a peaceful world and threaten the gentle LocoRoco population, it falls on you to save the day. Instead of playing the part of some Super LocoRoco or caped crusader, LocoRoco puts you in the rather inconspicuous persona of The Planet. That's right... But you've played Planets before, haven't you? Planets can't do but a few things well, like rotate, storm and quake. So the controls are relatively scaled back. The shoulder buttons tilt the screen if pressed separately or can pop LocoRoco up in the air when pressed simultaneously. The circle button splits the LocoRoco into smaller pieces, assuming you have gathered more than a few together. The point of each level is to help the LocoRoco increase their numbers by gathering berries and avoiding Mojas and various environmental hazards. There are very few things that will destroy a LocoRoco outright, but if the LocoRoco you gather are separated for very long, there is always a Moja lurking to snap up strays. When the goal is reached in a single level, you will hopefully have gathered 20 LocoRoco and some special items. The items will help you amass parts to build a home for the LocoRoco and also serve as currency for mini-games that can be unlocked during the game. At the end of each world (there are five total), you play through a spooky landscape that is crowded with Moja and features a boss. If you thought the regular Moja were tough... The levels are these crazy, well-built little puzzles, crafted with love and the mind of a scientist. There aren't enough mini-games but the replay value of the main game is very high. If there is a weakness in LocoRoco, it is the lack of change in pace from level to level. It's not that I felt bored, but the game was beaten quickly and could have used more segments that featured totally different gameplay, like the mini-games. Nitpicking, to be sure, because LocoRoco is close to a perfect production.
Difficulty: Another area where LocoRoco works well but could work better is in the level of challenge. The game is not difficult. It works because there are elements of LocoRoco that require more skill to unlock. Time Attack is the pinnacle of challenge, but just gathering the 20 LocoRoco in each level will require twitch reflexes, a good eye and an engaged brain. The hidden areas where your LocoRoco doesn't clue you in look obvious only after you've spent a lot of time playing the game. Often it is just intuition that pays off when it comes to finding the last Loco Roco in a level. Jumping and sliding are the most challenging aspects of play and require that twitch reflex I mentioned. Truly difficult stretches are few and far between. LocoRoco almost plays as a casual game, except for the brainpower required to think through obstacle courses and the reflexes to back up your attack plan.
Game Mechanics: Rarely will you encounter a more "pick up and play" title than this. Learning the controls is easy, mastering them is a slightly different story. The trickiest bits are when the physics of the landscape need to be used in a very specific way. My example - and personal hell - comes from the snowy, sliding levels. Dips in the landscape can be used like half-pipes to throw your LocoRoco up into the air and onto platforms. Sliding isn't usually enough. Gathering enough speed is a combination of having a big enough LocoRoco and using the tilt feature in combination with a well-timed "pop" on both shoulder buttons to catapult the LocoRoco. All of these elements need to be present to make sliding really work. Other examples are scattered throughout the game. Casual gamers can simply gather a few LocoRoco in a level and move on. Playing this way may not open up certain features in the game, but you can still get to the end. More dedicated gamers will want to stay and master the mechanics behind the extremely well-tuned physics of this game. This is a classic game that should be part of every gamer's library. If you want to poke holes at LocoRoco, you'll have a hard time. It's fair to say that those who only want realistic, serious games need not apply. Otherwise, if you like the idea of something unique and approaching videogame "art," you will definitely find it here. Features like multiplayer modes or online components should be present in the sequel and I hope there is a LocoRoco deux. In the present time, I will seek to improve the LocoRoco population and decimate the ranks of the Moja corps further.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
Ultimate Ghosts \'N Goblins Test Drive Unlimited