Back in 2006 when Sony released the first LocoRoco it became a cult hit thanks to its unique gameplay mechanic, quirky art and musical styles. Some loved the concept behind the game; others felt it lacked variety and lasting appeal. Sony has brought the series back to the PSP with the recent release of LocoRoco 2. Thankfully, while it still retains a lot of qualities from the original, they have managed in making it easily accessible for newcomers to become the first must-own PlayStation Portable title for 2009.
Gameplay
If you have played the original LocoRoco not a lot has changed so you will feel right at home. You do not need to have any previous knowledge to enjoy the sequel, so those who missed out won’t feel lost. LocoRocos are small round creatures who have been called upon by the MuiMui people to help them protect the planet from an impending attack from the evil Moja. The Moja and their boss failed to take over the planet in the first game and have come back with what they think is a better strategy. As the LocoRocos, you are tasked in helping the MuiMui stopping the attack again.
Your goal in the game is to help lead you LocoRocos to various locations across this planet through an interesting and funny played story. For this to happen, you’ll need to manipulate the world and the LocoRocos to reach your goal. Every level starts off the same: you begin as one single, tiny LocoRoco. As you trek through each stage you will collect berries which will increase your size. Your size makes you stronger and easier to travel through each stage and battle the various enemies. The LocoRoco can grow up to 20 times its original size making it one heck of a friendly beast. With the simple touch of the circle button, you can split your giant LocoRoco into smaller ones which can also help you when needed to complete certain tasks. For the most part you can complete most of the game as a single, massive LocoRoco but some parts will require a split.
Everything that you do in the game is done with the use of the Left and Right Buttons. Click either and you’ll shift the screen in that direction; clicking both will cause your LocoRocos to jump. On top of jumping, you will earn other perks such as the ability to swim and change your shape to fit into certain spots. There is even the ability to pull plants out of the ground which help you obtain musical notes that you collect in each level. Thanks to the simple controls, if you never tried the first, it will not take you long to get a hang of them. At the same time, thanks to the new abilities, it gives returning players new features to take advantage of. Also, since you unlock abilities as you progress, you will want to go back and replay levels to find things that you missed the first time around.
While it may be easy to get used to the controls, it is still the one aspect that will win or lose gamers. Since the game requires you to control your character and the environment with the Left and Right buttons, you are bound to encounter some problems from time to time. For the most part, the controls respond well but you will encounter issue with jumping and tight spots. Often you will need to retry a specific maneuver a few times before you get it right. Another minor setback occurs when your LocoRoco needs to fit into tiny spots or objects. You will have to adjust it such a way that it triggers the animation and this can be very sensitive and annoying. If you’ve played LocoRoco before, you are probably already used to this, but new players might be put off if they can’t manage to get things to fit according to plan. You just have to remember that the LocoRocos are round, so they aren’t going to stay in one spot forever.
Graphics and Sound
The art style behind LocoRoco 2 is still as vibrant as the original. Those who complained about the lack of variety in the first will have nothing to fear here. The game uses a very large color palette and nothing looks bland or repetitive unless it was meant to be that way. The various environments in the game are also quite animated. The water world will contain plenty of water bubbles while the ice portions will have your LocoRoco slip and slide along the course. Sections loads incredibly fast and you won’t notice any slowdown in fast moving sections. You will experience both interactive and non-interactive sections with nothing that looks or feels out of place.
Music is an integral part of LocoRoco 2. As you play the game, the music behind every action adds to each stage. Some of the music is from the first game, but there are also some new tunes for you to listen to. All 7 of the different LocoRocos have their own song that they sing and each level’s music gives you a better sense of your environment. Tense moments will be accompanied with the proper music and achieve success will only cause your LocoRocos to sing in happiness. While the music is great, it can eventually get to you, which can be both a blessing and a curse. I will warn you now, after hearing most of the songs a few times, you will have a hard time getting them out of your head.
Value
LocoRoco’s main storyline will have you travel to twelve different locales, all familiar to fans of the original. There might be a lot to do, but you can go at it at your own pace. Each stage should take you anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes to complete. Your length will vary depending on how quickly you run through the stages and your hopes of finding everything within them. Even after you complete the game’s main story, there are extra levels that you can unlock, so expect a couple of play-through before you get everything.
As part of the story, there are tons of mini-games which will become available as you progress. The mini-games you will play include a version of ‘whack-a-mole’, a bomber game and even a racing game between LocoRocos. My favourite one is a fun rhythm-based game that can be found in every stage if you have the right amount of LocoRocos. All of the mini-games also unlock additional content for other portions of the game, especially collecting stamps and pieces required for the MuiMui Camp.
Conclusion
LocoRoco 2 is a great continuation to the series and a game that most, if not all, PSP owners should have in their collection. Other than the minor gripe with the sensitive controls, there is a lot to love about this game. Thanks to the more balanced difficulty, it is highly unlikely that LocoRoco 2 cannot be enjoyed by players of varying skills. Some might be disappointed in the fact that not enough new content was added. It seems clear that Sony was looking to appealing to more gamers by giving everyone a favourable experience. They fixed the complaints of lack of variety and questionable difficulty and have given gamers a game that can be tackled in long plays or short-bursts.
If you missed the opportunity to play the first, there is no real excuse to not get LocoRoco 2. At a very affordable price-point, you’re getting more than enough to satisfy your portable gaming needs for a long time.
+ Easy to pick up and enjoy
+ Stunning Graphics and Music
+ Plenty of unlockables and secrets to uncover
+ Every mini-game is extremely enjoyable
+ Great value at a very affordable price point
Cons
- Music might make you go mad because you can’t get it out of your head
- Sensitive Controls can cause some issues
- Might disappoint hardcore fans of the first who were looking for more fresh content
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
I’ve always been an advocate for cheap and easy...Er...when it comes to gaming, that is. Unfortunately, it’s because of this that I’ve missed out on some of the bigger titles over the past few years. (CoD4, anyone?). Buying used games, ordering online from sites like Amazon or Ebay, is a simple way to avoid high pricing, (at least until you factor in...
I’ve always been an advocate for cheap and easy...Er...when it comes to gaming, that is. Unfortunately, it’s because of this that I’ve missed out on some of the bigger titles over the past few years. (CoD4, anyone?). Buying used games, ordering online from sites like Amazon or Ebay, is a simple way to avoid high pricing, (at least until you factor in... 
Cayoux
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