LocoRoco 2
Team Japan / Sony
Anthony:
Typically, I review video games. That’s why I’m somewhat puzzled that I’m here reviewing a happiness simulator called LocoRoco 2. Basically, LocoRoco 2 is an interactive audiovisual representation of the emotion “happiness” in PSP form. It, in turn, conveys happiness to you.
But seriously, I picked up LocoRoco 2 knowing nothing about it. I just knew they were well-reviewed games and the bargain price of $20 made it a no-brainer. We spent the first several minutes of the game laughing, having not realized what an absurdly happy and silly game this is.
While it appears a common complaint of the original LocoRoco was a lack of variety (roll, jump, roll, win,) LocoRoco 2 mixes things up quite a bit. Underwater levels, riding in boulders, leaping from vines, pinballing about, defending the fort, blasting an airship out of the sky... they give you a pretty solid variety in gameplay for the 5-10 hour main game.
And honestly, it’s quite fun. Looking for secret passages, trying to find one more LocoRoco so you can sing a song, safely navigating through areas, and even just watching the game as it sends your LocoRocos through gusts of wind and sorting machines is enjoyable. I even found myself thinking the game how beautifully the game controlled underwater. The physics behind attacking certain enemies is occasionally tough to deal with, but you’re rarely actually punished for losing a LocoRoco.
Minigames are a cute diversion but a mixed bag. One’s completely luck based, one’s difficulty level is very high, and in general there’s no real indication of what rewards you’ll get. Building the MuiMui House is adorable, but similarly, there’s precious little direction on where you actually find the materials needed.
The graphics are just great. There isn’t a show in Nickelodeon’s history that was as colorful as this, and the smooth animations really do make it feel like an interactive cartoon. Despite seven types of LocoRoco of different colors, you’ll never lose yourself in the pretty scenery. The music is absurdly catchy, and should be played out a loudspeaker towards anyone who’s about to jump off a building or bridge. Just tell them, see, the world can’t be such a bad place when this exists!
While the likelihood of convincing a tough-guy gamer who loves Madden games and Halo to pick this up may be slim, this is the kind of game that I feel should have pretty much universal appeal to anyone who can tolerate a platformer. It’s simple enough that it won’t make anyone throw the game down in frustration, but has enough depth and variety to keep a gamer coming back if he/she so chooses. That’s well more than I can say for the average $20 new game, and most games aren’t happiness simulators.
This is a very enjoyable game that manages to keep things fresh, not wear out its welcome, and simultaneously offers plenty of smile-inducing gameplay for the price.
But seriously, I picked up LocoRoco 2 knowing nothing about it. I just knew they were well-reviewed games and the bargain price of $20 made it a no-brainer. We spent the first several minutes of the game laughing, having not realized what an absurdly happy and silly game this is.
While it appears a common complaint of the original LocoRoco was a lack of variety (roll, jump, roll, win,) LocoRoco 2 mixes things up quite a bit. Underwater levels, riding in boulders, leaping from vines, pinballing about, defending the fort, blasting an airship out of the sky... they give you a pretty solid variety in gameplay for the 5-10 hour main game.
And honestly, it’s quite fun. Looking for secret passages, trying to find one more LocoRoco so you can sing a song, safely navigating through areas, and even just watching the game as it sends your LocoRocos through gusts of wind and sorting machines is enjoyable. I even found myself thinking the game how beautifully the game controlled underwater. The physics behind attacking certain enemies is occasionally tough to deal with, but you’re rarely actually punished for losing a LocoRoco.
Minigames are a cute diversion but a mixed bag. One’s completely luck based, one’s difficulty level is very high, and in general there’s no real indication of what rewards you’ll get. Building the MuiMui House is adorable, but similarly, there’s precious little direction on where you actually find the materials needed.
The graphics are just great. There isn’t a show in Nickelodeon’s history that was as colorful as this, and the smooth animations really do make it feel like an interactive cartoon. Despite seven types of LocoRoco of different colors, you’ll never lose yourself in the pretty scenery. The music is absurdly catchy, and should be played out a loudspeaker towards anyone who’s about to jump off a building or bridge. Just tell them, see, the world can’t be such a bad place when this exists!
While the likelihood of convincing a tough-guy gamer who loves Madden games and Halo to pick this up may be slim, this is the kind of game that I feel should have pretty much universal appeal to anyone who can tolerate a platformer. It’s simple enough that it won’t make anyone throw the game down in frustration, but has enough depth and variety to keep a gamer coming back if he/she so chooses. That’s well more than I can say for the average $20 new game, and most games aren’t happiness simulators.
This is a very enjoyable game that manages to keep things fresh, not wear out its welcome, and simultaneously offers plenty of smile-inducing gameplay for the price.
Lauren:
Happiness simulator indeed. LocoRoco 2 almost defies description with its surreal and silly nature. I didn't know what to expect going into it - perhaps just a colourful platformer - but I ended up with a game that made me laugh so hard at its absurd cuteness that I got tears in my eyes. I'm sure my reaction would have been similar if I had played and reviewed LocoRoco 1 first, but I didn't, so here we go.
The basic idea of LocoRoco 2 is that you're a cute blob rolling around a 2-D world, using L and R to tilt the screen in order to maneuver said blob. You will rarely encounter any threats, but when you do, the solution is to simply bounce your happy blob-guy into them. Meanwhile, adorable music plays in the background, which sounds like Japanese, but is actually gibberish sung by kids. Sound weird? It is. But it's also amazingly adorable and funny.
The no-outlines, colourful style of LocoRoco 2 is very appealing to the eye. The animation runs remarkably smoothly, making the game look like a cartoon. Sure, it's cutesy, but that's what the entire game is like. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's very pretty and smooth.
The music of the game is probably a love-or-hate situation. As I mentioned, the songs are sung in gibberish, and they all have a very happy tone. You'll either think it's hilariously adorable or perhaps horrifying. It's the former for me, thankfully. For better or worse, the songs won't leave your head anytime soon. Anthony described the music best with his "person jumping off a bridge" comment.
LocoRoco 2 has a main map through which you can select available levels. It's mostly streamlined, but there are some interesting mini-games and other diversions to play alongside the main game. The levels are mostly easy, though they do offer challenges for the completionists out there. There are also a few boss battles throughout the game, some of which can be fairly challenging.
Even so, LocoRoco 2 isn't a particularly long game. As is the norm for handheld platformers, you probably won't spend more than 10 hours on the main game itself. Still, with the bonus content and challenges to explore, it's definitely worth the small price tag.
LocoRoco 2 is definitely a solid game, if not a little bit simplistic. But if a colourful, adorable, silly platformer sounds fine to you, then look no further than this wacky title.
The basic idea of LocoRoco 2 is that you're a cute blob rolling around a 2-D world, using L and R to tilt the screen in order to maneuver said blob. You will rarely encounter any threats, but when you do, the solution is to simply bounce your happy blob-guy into them. Meanwhile, adorable music plays in the background, which sounds like Japanese, but is actually gibberish sung by kids. Sound weird? It is. But it's also amazingly adorable and funny.
The no-outlines, colourful style of LocoRoco 2 is very appealing to the eye. The animation runs remarkably smoothly, making the game look like a cartoon. Sure, it's cutesy, but that's what the entire game is like. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's very pretty and smooth.
The music of the game is probably a love-or-hate situation. As I mentioned, the songs are sung in gibberish, and they all have a very happy tone. You'll either think it's hilariously adorable or perhaps horrifying. It's the former for me, thankfully. For better or worse, the songs won't leave your head anytime soon. Anthony described the music best with his "person jumping off a bridge" comment.
LocoRoco 2 has a main map through which you can select available levels. It's mostly streamlined, but there are some interesting mini-games and other diversions to play alongside the main game. The levels are mostly easy, though they do offer challenges for the completionists out there. There are also a few boss battles throughout the game, some of which can be fairly challenging.
Even so, LocoRoco 2 isn't a particularly long game. As is the norm for handheld platformers, you probably won't spend more than 10 hours on the main game itself. Still, with the bonus content and challenges to explore, it's definitely worth the small price tag.
LocoRoco 2 is definitely a solid game, if not a little bit simplistic. But if a colourful, adorable, silly platformer sounds fine to you, then look no further than this wacky title.
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