Shaun Munro reviews LocoRoco Remastered…
SCE Japan Studio’s weird and wonderful 2006 PSP platformer LocoRoco has finally received the gorgeous 4K remaster treatment it’s long been deserving of, and though its light, casual gameplay won’t be for all tastes, the dementedly cute title has lost none of its charm over the last decade.
The gameplay loop is simple; you play as the titular gelatinous blob, which is tasked with reaching the end of each of the game’s 40 levels while munching on berries along the way which allow it to grow in size. With a press of the circle button, the LocoRoco can “uncouple” into up to 20 smaller LocoRoco (depending on how many berries you’ve consumed), all while attempting to hoover up collectibles scattered around the map, avoid pesky environmental hazards and, of course, battle the game’s antagonists known as the Moja.
LocoRoco is a straight-forward game blessed with an extremely peculiar control scheme, albeit one that makes the game feel quite like nothing else out there. Players must “steer” the LocoRoco by pressing L1 and R1 to tilt the screen in the corresponding direction, while pressing the two buttons together will also allow the blob to leap into the air. If that sounds fiddly, rest easy, because it becomes second nature after just a few levels, and goes hand-in-hand with the game’s overall elegant simplicity.
Indeed, this is no Super Meat Boy; it is instead an incredibly relaxing game that poses little in the way of difficulty – though the main enemies you’ll encounter throughout the game, the floating black Moja, are a legitimately skin-crawling concoction, if also an unsavory racial stereotype – and strongly encourages players to approach levels however they wish.
Don’t want to collect all 20 segments of the LocoRoco? No problem. Most players could easily sprint through the whole game in around 3-4 hours, and given the Sonic the Hedgehog-esque nature of many levels – especially the ice-covered ones, where you’ll slide all the way to the finish line – that’s a damn tempting methodology. Conversely, those who want to better their times, munch on every berry, devour every fly-like insect and snatch up every hidden Loco House piece will repeat that length many times over.
In addition to the completionist collect-a-thon, there is very mild added value by way of three unlockable mini-games as well as the ability to build your own Loco House, but they’re both ultimately pretty piecemeal features and don’t entice for more than a few minutes each.
The most common complaint upon the game’s original release is one that unsurprisingly still holds true; LocoRoco is ultimately rather on the samey side. Despite boasting a large number of levels to surge through, there are only a handful of different terrain types, and though the Ruth Goldberg-esque contraptions your LocoRoco is flung through during the levels do prove entertaining all the way to the end, a little more variety would’ve gone a long way.
Unlike many other similar platformers, there also isn’t much evolution of your protagonist throughout the game once you’ve picked up the basics. While you will acquire a new colour of LocoRoco in each of the five game worlds, it doesn’t really add much beyond a skin change and some new music.
Visually, LocoRoco looked splendid a decade ago, and the shiny remaster does it a great service, even if the fairly minimalist designs and palette-shaded textures aren’t exactly going to push anyone’s PS4 Pro to the limit. The only presentational disappointment throughout is the abundance of low-res FMV sequences, which much like the recent Parappa the Rapper remaster, have just lazily recycled the original source videos. At least, unlike Parappa’s upgrade, these legacy videos fully fill the screen without the need for a crude border.
LocoRoco‘s sound is as if not more important than its visuals, however, and Sony should be commended for adding support for the PS4’s controller speaker, by allowing the LocoRoco to intermittently sing through it mid-level. Granted, the Chipmunk-esque singing does get a little grating during extended play sessions and you’ll probably never want to hear the phrase “Moja! Moja!” again after finishing the game, but the cuteness wins out here more often than not.
LocoRoco remains charming and cleverly designed if a little familiar, especially if knocked out in a sitting or two, but given its nature as a PSP release originally, it bears repeating that the game will benefit from shorter chunks of play, especially with levels typically running 2-5 minutes long. It’s just a shame Sony didn’t give this remaster a PS Vita release, because it’d be perfect for it. Still, with its lack of difficulty and entrancing audio-visual package, LocoRoco Remastered is a delightful treat for kids while also bringing plenty to the table for adults, too.
Pros:
+ Terrific, charming visuals
+ Clever controls and platforming mechanics
+ It’s straight-forward and relaxing to play
+ Strong replay value for completionists
Cons:
– Lack of level variety
– Will be too easy for some tastes
– Low-res FMVs
Rating: 7/10
Reviewed for PS4.
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more video game rambling.
