LocoRoco

By Tom Bramwell Published 26 April, 2006

Some thoughts on the demo. Principally, "woot!"

I saw a poster on the Tube yesterday. No, not those stupid Orange mobile phone ones with the raccoon and dolphin and panther balloon animals that are meant to be different talk plans (the future's bright! The future's full of hot air!); it was for some film I didn't bother to remember the title of, and it said "This year's breakout cult classic! Showing soon." And I got so confused by the contradiction that I went back just to make sure it didn't say "Cos, you know, it got good reviews then nobody went to see it, but now it's BACK! FIVE THUMBS UP!" or something in small print. But it didn't. I still don't fully understand.

Anyway! Say hello to LocoRoco - this year's breakout cult classic!

You've probably already downloaded the demo, which - in a fit of better-late-than-never-ness - Sony's made the first to be available off the Internet for PSP. In which case we can sit here for a bit and wink and smile knowingly at each other, because it really is special. Somewhere between Mercury, Mario and Yoshi's Universal Gravitation lurks the niche this now occupies, and it's one you sorely need to explore.

'LocoRoco' Screenshot blobs

The number in the top-left keeps track of all your blobs. Don't they look happy! There are 20 to find in the demo.

On the surface, it's a simple left-to-right 2D platform game - the twist being you control your character(s), a smiley orange blob, by using the shoulder buttons to tilt the screen left or right about 30 degrees so it rolls along, and pressing both shoulders together to jump. As you go, you're on the lookout for red flowers, which enable you to multiply when you rumble over them. I say multiply, but basically it adds another one - another orange blob for the collective, giving you another life, of sorts, but also altering your momentum.

The basic idea is to maintain that momentum as you navigate fairly simple platforms, jumps and gentle puzzles, but the latter also draw on the game's other trick - your increasingly bulky blob's ability to split into its component mini-blobs. By pressing circle, you split into as many as you've built up, allowing them to filter through narrow estuaries, move more quickly and outmanoeuvre enemies.

Once you're split, the screen draws back to keep track of separate blobs, but never at the expense of slowdown. There's one occasion in the demo where you might find it hard to keep track - not of the blob-units themselves, but the things one of them's trying to evade - but it's not a critical failure. Once you've navigated whatever peril you're facing, you can rejoin the blobs by holding circle and tilting the screen so they all pool together in a corner - merrily yelling what sounds like a childish chorus of "joooooin!" as they do so.

'LocoRoco' Screenshot physics

The physics are just right to do things like ride half-pipes, such that they are.

By letting go of circle before they all jooooin you can make smaller blob-groups, and, in a nod to Mercury, split into a pair of blob groups in different areas to tackle problems that require a bit more speed than you have in bulk form. There's a lot of smiley experimentation, because it quickly becomes apparent that you can't find all the little red plants just by sticking to the path in front of you. As well as evading enemies, you'll split off so a smaller group can try and sneak through the stomping legs of what appears to be a kind of squatting waterboatman to reach a wayward flower. Not all creatures mean you harm - most enemies are easily distinguishable black spiky nasties, and apart from a pesky owl who spits some out there's also a kind of bipedal ladybug with a snork-nose who sucks you in, rotates his head back and fires you out when you press the shoulders together, allowing you to target a switch in the ceiling and then head through the pathway it opens.

The demo level's full of little secrets, and the way they're telegraphed or gently hidden speaks very promisingly of the game design as a whole - when you suspect there's a secret, or you've given a glimpse of one, reaching it is somewhere between Sonic-style walking-behind-the-wall and intuition. It's clear and subtle at the same time, and encourages replay. (I just paused mid-sentence to play through the level again to check on a small fact, and I found even more stuff I'd missed on the previous ten occasions I'd gone through it.) There are clear benefits to seeking things out, too - not just in your high-score at the end. At one point, you saunter past a sleeping moon, and if you have enough blobs, they all split off, line up and sing him to life, which opens up another area. Even when you reach the end of the level - you pause in-between some tulips to finish - you can go a bit further, balance on a seesaw and find another red plant upon a ledge.

It'd be easy to dismiss the game's charm as some sort of excitable reaction to the unusual controls - and I'm certainly excitable - or to complain that the limited tilt arc is restrictive, but I reckon to do either of those things would be to miss the point. The arc is ideal for the level design, and the level design in the demo is interesting, occasionally smilingly inventive and full of hidden bits you want to track down.

'LocoRoco' Screenshot lala

La-la la-la la-lalala! La-la la-la la-lalala!

The charm's the cherry to the tasty cake. The ingredients are just right. It may look like a cookie-cutter platform game about a bunch of wobbly anthropomorphic jellybeans (although that's not even English. And what does "cookie-cutter" mean? This is a rubbish sentence), but the physics are just right for each gelatinous whole, the jump height varies depending on how long you depress the buttons, and even obscure design ideas come off with zero explanation. When I leapt off a trampoline onto some squidgey circular footholds, I sort of knew they'd propel me further than the usual platforms. So I set about leaping between them collecting pink bees, eventually emerging onto a platform where I picked up a little black man out of Doshin the Giant - or so he appeared - and even he made some sort of sense. He waved, anyway. There are three of him to collect.

There are lovely touches abounds - as I sit and type, leaving the blobs to their own devices, they bounce inquisitively around the little platform they're on, their eyes darting this way and that and eventually settling back on me. All the while a giddy theme tune plays over the top - it wouldn't be out of place on the Katamari Damacy CD; it's like Cherry Blossom Colour Season with an upbeat twist - and streamers of clouds dart across the background. It's positively beaming.

The whole thing's delightfully silly and personal, like Mario let loose in Keita Takahashi's idea box, and easily the most exciting thing I've played on the PSP. So yes, here's to this year's breakout cult classic. It's out on June 23rd. And hurrah for this program of PSP demos, Sony - this one's a joy.

LocoRoco's due out in Europe on June 23rd. We'll have a review up closer to release.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (61) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • smelly #1 6 years ago

    sounds a bit like gish.

  • Zuiyo #2 6 years ago

    Livin' La Vida LocoRoco!

  • symmetry #3 6 years ago

    Must... resist... must... keep... old... firmware...

    MUST... RESIST...!

  • oerhoert #4 6 years ago

    Yeah, does anyone know how it compares to Gish?

  • Teeth #5 6 years ago

    Gish was nice but a bit clunky and unkind. From what I've seen (not played the demo yet) this looks much more fun.

  • Skoptsie #6 6 years ago

    More happy games please!

  • Bezzy #7 6 years ago

    Gish + Mercury?

    Gish definately took a while to get the hang of, but it had real charm once you did - lots of depth to Gish's abilities.

    Loco looks like the core mechanics are far simpler, so the depth is likely to be more within the way you use the levels than the actual direct use of the blob.
    Edited by 1 at 26/04/06 @ 15:31

  • JediMasterMalik #8 6 years ago

    I completely agree. This is a great demo (and only 8 MB :o). Anyway he forgot one very important thing ...

    THE BLOBS SING ;)

  • smelly #9 6 years ago

    Feel sorry for the maker of gish. Shareware guy comes up with fun innovative game in his bedroom. It has flaws, but that's to be expected for something made by someone on his own.

    Then the big companies come along and rip off his idea. :-(

  • Steroyd #10 6 years ago

    sudden... urge... to...buy....game...

    *looks at release date*

    NOOOOOO!!!

    Why must this demo tease me so badly? :(

  • Teeth #11 6 years ago

    I don't think this is a rip of Gish. In Gish you are a single ball that doesn't change size, you cling to the walls and ceiling and you can't rotate the world.

    Besides which, it wasn't made by one guy. One guy came up with the high concept and the art. Chronic Logic then made the game for him.

  • Bezzy #12 6 years ago

    "Feel sorry for the maker of gish. Shareware guy comes up with fun innovative game in his bedroom. It has flaws, but that's to be expected for something made by someone on his own.

    Then the big companies come along and rip off his idea. :-( "

    Or, it could just be a co-incedence. The amount of times I've had ideas nicked by someone on the other side of the planet... this tin foil hat just isn't doing its job!

    And I think that they're both different enough that they're not totally stepping on each others' feet.

    Edit: What Teeth said.
    Edited by 1 at 26/04/06 @ 15:39

  • absolutezero #13 6 years ago

    Gish? Gish Gish Gish!!

    GISH GISH!!

    Gish?

    Gish.

  • Cabelo #14 6 years ago

    Aye, I don't see the Gish comparison at all.

    They're both blobs...

    OMG! They stole his gish!

  • Teeth #15 6 years ago

    Plus the Loco Roco dev said himself that he had neither heard of nor played Gish when he started Loco Roco.
    Edited by 1 at 26/04/06 @ 15:40

  • RedPanda #16 6 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • Kay #17 6 years ago

    Bollocks. I really want to play this demo, but I don't want to update my firmware.

    K

  • Teeth #18 6 years ago

    Just do it, man. Play your retro games on your computer instead. PSP has good games now

  • drumbaby #19 6 years ago

    Just do it, man. Play your retro games on your computer instead. PSP has good games now

    Aye...Syphon/Loco/Monster Hunter, and now they're saying the control scheme for Tomb Raider Legend is cool at IGN. For me at least the PSP's fallow days are gone.

  • dsmx #20 6 years ago

    I just finished the demo with a perfect on everything i feel releaved the addiction can stop.

  • HavaR #21 6 years ago

    It is possible the makers of LocoRoco never heard of Gish before. Still that doesn't change the fact that aside from controlling by tilting the screen with L & R the mechanics are all the same as in Gish. Sure you can't split the ball into several smaller in Gish, but that's stil only a slight deviation from the solution to get by narrow gaps in Gish. The tilting of the screen to control the ball isn't a new idea either. Look at Cameltry/On The Ball for that.

    Nevertheless this game looks like a lot of fun and seems to have charm in bucketloads. Too bad it's on the PSP:(

  • Teeth #22 6 years ago

    ya I did already say that the guy who designed it said he'd never played Gish, and in Gish one of the hooks is that you can stick to the walls... did you just not bother reading the thread?

  • smelly #23 6 years ago

    Sorry, i just want to promote gish, as it's ace. I love gish.

  • Teeth #24 6 years ago

    It's true smelly, it's really good... some of the music is fab too.

  • afray #25 6 years ago

    multiplayer sumo-gish-westling is also billie-piper-awesome!

  • HavaR #26 6 years ago

    I did read the thread. I just think the similarities are too many to not mention. You don't have to emulate every single featureof a game to be still be strikingly similar. I still think LocoRoco looks to be different and fun enough to warrant a purchase though(If I had a PSP that is).
    Edited by 1 at 26/04/06 @ 17:25

  • erp #27 6 years ago

    played the demo of this on a friend's PSP today and it's just as glorious as when i played it at TGS - even moreso, infact, given this time i noticed the singing. damn, looks like i'll just have to buy a PSP now...

    incidentally, there's an aces interview with the LocoRoco director on 1up.com somewhere. loads of interesting tidbits of info - my favourite being the fact that this is his first game as a director and previously he worked as a planner and designer on Ico - and his answer to the question of why to do a 2D game is genius... sorry i haven't got the link, but it's well worth hunting out.

  • Teeth #28 6 years ago

    I live to serve

  • kangarootoo #29 6 years ago

    "The amount of times I've had ideas nicked by someone on the other side of the planet... this tin foil hat just isn't doing its job!"

    I second that. Me and a friend invented the expanding crosshair sights used in the first Rainbow Six game, until Rainbow Six nicked it about 3 weeks later. You wouldn't think they would be able to build a feature like that in so close to release, but apparently so.

    Plus, on topic a bit more (but only just), aren't space hoppers just the coolest thing. Such a simple idea but so versatile, with single player, cooperative and competetive gameplay already built in straight out of the box.

  • JediMasterMalik #30 6 years ago

    Don't call it a space hopper. It's a Loco Roco ;)

  • Danj #31 6 years ago

    How is it possible that this is being released here on June 23rd? The Japanese website http://www.locoroco.jp/ says they aren't getting it until July - how can we have a release date that's before the Japanese one? Not that I'm complaining mind you, I just don't see how that info can be correct.

  • Lupine #32 6 years ago

    Even though the locoroco site says july the japanese official playstation site has it down as thursday 22nd june for japan.
    So we are only going to be 1 day behind them.
    Very rare to see sony do anything like that, but i aint complaining.

  • Pho-Zoon #33 6 years ago

    lovely.

    I won't buy it if it doesn't have japanese screentext though. It just wouldn't be the same.
    Edited by 1 at 26/04/06 @ 20:07

  • Gl3n #34 6 years ago

    This is practically the only game other than lumines that makes me want a PSP :(

  • the creeper #35 6 years ago

    This demo is awesome! I couldn't believe it when I completed it and apparently I hadn't found even half of what I was supposed to collect in the level!

    Exit, Daxter and now this in such a short period of time. We've been waiting a long time, but now we PSP owners are finally starting to get some quality software! Let's hope this is just the start and we don't have to endure another barren spell :o(

  • bdaggers #36 6 years ago

    just downloaded

    bloody attract screen has a "woot" sound effect going off all the time that is the EXACT tone I have set as text message alert on my phone, missus just walked by "is that youre phone getting all the messages ?"

  • Steroyd #37 6 years ago

    How is it possible that this is being released here on June 23rd? The Japanese website http://www.locoroco.jp/ says they aren't getting it until July - how can we have a release date that's before the Japanese one? Not that I'm complaining mind you, I just don't see how that info can be correct.

    Maybe because the only thing the devs have to to localise the game is change the text. :)

    I highly doubt they're going to translate the singing, not even sure if it's Japaneese to begin with, and PSP's are region free why wouldn't they reease it worlwide on the same day or whatever?
    Edited by 1 at 26/04/06 @ 23:47

  • Zero_ #38 6 years ago

    I heat it's great, and I -might- upgrade my 2.5 to play it, but how does the game last? Katamari was quirky and fun for about 3 hours, before it got really stale, not offering something else.

  • Eldritch #39 6 years ago

    One of the most bizarre and cute games ever! I LOVE IT! \o/

  • p0b #40 6 years ago

    But what's with the code that appears in the top right of the starting screen once you've completed the game? On restart it disappears. A google search proved nothing.

  • tonynibbles #41 6 years ago

    Awesome game.
    Even though I'm stuck onthe see-saw bit. No way out! gah!

  • Flying_Pig #42 6 years ago

    Downloaded this last night - great fun. A cert for a buy. I just hope they don't change any of the music or sound - in fact, just release the jap version worldwide!!

  • septimus #43 6 years ago

    Great game. The comparisons to gish don't stand up. No way does gish have the charm or play as well. It is quite different. Wow, a blob, it has to be a rip :-|

  • Bezzy #44 6 years ago

    I'm in love!

  • DaveTheHutt #45 6 years ago

    Looks like a kiddy game.

  • sonmi451 #46 6 years ago

    "looks like a kiddy game"

    yeah, steer well clear of this one DaveTheHutt. go and buy yourself a copy of 'The Punisher'.

  • djchump #47 6 years ago

    OMG it's so happy!
    Smiley smiley happy happy!
    It's awesome

  • JediMasterMalik #48 6 years ago

    The world would be a nicer place if everyone played this game. :)

  • Zero_ #49 6 years ago

    Let's just hope the creator of this game doesn't get cocky, and become a hippy...

  • Murbal #50 6 years ago

    woot indeed. This is precisely the quirky sort of title the PSP needs (and I really want!). What fun!

  • kangarootoo #51 6 years ago

    "yeah, steer well clear of this one DaveTheHutt. go and buy yourself a copy of 'The Punisher'."

    LOL, very well put.

  • kangarootoo #52 6 years ago

    "Let's just hope the creator of this game doesn't get cocky, and become a hippy"

    Hehe, thats always what happens isn't it. Someone gets a bit of self confidence, a trendy pair of trainers and a Pussycat Dolls ringtone on their phone, next they starting talking back to their parents, before you know it they've become a hippy. Its a slippery slope to free love that starts with the respect of your audience :)

  • shirubagan #53 6 years ago

    Ace demo... made me cry with laughter. :)

  • pjmaybe #54 6 years ago

    Smelly - It is a lot like gish, but cuter. And has more press. And we NEED GISH ON THE PSP

    Peej

  • Kay #55 6 years ago

    Stupid, crappy firmware update...

    K

  • SuperMario #56 6 years ago

    Iv downloaded it and im pretty confused. This game is the product of 20 mad japanies men a room with nothing but crayons and paper. The music is funny though

  • SuperMario #57 6 years ago

    This is the result of 20 japaniese men locked in a room with nothing but a computer and crayons

  • brombeer #58 6 years ago

    What's all this ruckus about? It's a silly game. Reminds me of dropping off my kids at kindergarten. They sing the same way.

  • Ceatlan #59 6 years ago

    Downloaded the demo, played it for 10 minutes, thought 'Is this it ?'.

    Definitely not the stunning achievement a lot of people seem to be making it out to be, too tricky and frustrating at times for me. (Music is very catchy though, my wife liked it).

  • TVeyes #60 6 years ago

    I have no idea what the past few comments are on about but this demo is one precious little gem. I know people have different tastes but come on. If you do not enjoy or see the fun in this demo there must be something slightly wrong with you, or you are dedicated to another handheld platform : ) Can't wait for 40 levels of this.

    Get a DS and a PSP and throw away the shackles of console bias.

    // cuddles Advance Wars DS

  • Roddy100 #61 6 years ago

    Couldn't agree more :o)