Reviews// LocoRoco (PSP)

It's not all happy happy joy joy throughout though, as a contrasting shadowy evil peppers the angelically pastel hues of the otherwise wholesome landscapes, in the form of Mojas. Appearing in a number of guises, from the more simple spiked hurdles to the anthropomorphised grimacing black clouds that hungrily gravitate towards you, the Mojas introduce an increasing element of danger to the proceedings, the consequence of which is the loss and/or potential death of members of your little squad. While never presenting too deadly a peril, and seldom being responsible for the rarity that is Game Over, the Mojas still inject a considerable amount of tension and anxiety to the mix, especially if you're well on the way to acquiring the full 20-strong party.

As mentioned earlier, LocoRoco is by no means perfect. Despite the lovingly-crafted and often genius designs of its environments, there are still a good number of overly-frustrating moments to be encountered as you attempt to navigate some of the particularly demanding terrains, as well as an all-too-common occurrence of sudden one-way sections which, if you discover you've missed something, leaves you with no alternative but to restart the level. But it's clear that the latter issue is a definite design decision, rather than an oversight, and, thankfully, the game rarely loses appeal upon replay.

Ultimately, however, LocoRoco seldom gives you an excuse not to smile, laugh, grimace, or all three at the same time, as its rollercoaster-inspired environments make for an experience in both the metaphorical, as well as the literal sense. The game might not be to everyone's taste, but it's rare that something as novel, stimulating and downright fun as this comes along. If you own a PSP you really have no excuse to ignore LocoRoco; if you don't own a PSP, the chances are that, like the guy that watched over this reviewer's shoulder, you soon will have.

SPOnG Rating - B+

[i]We are regularly being preached to about accessibility within games these days - more from the Nintendo camp than anywhere else, but there still remains a general consensus that the industry as a whole needs to simplify things somewhat in order to appeal to a wider demographic. On the face of it, LocoRoco's avant-garde visual style, eccentric soundtrack and overtly Eastern leanings may seem quite the opposite, but ultimately, for the PSP at least, the game is definitely a firm move in that particular direction, being remarkably elementary in concept and extremely easy to pick up, whilst at the same time not turning its back on regular gamers.
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