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Loco Roco Review
Written by Robert Workman, GameDaily on Thursday, September 7, 2006
Amazing graphics and sound; lots of stuff to look for; it's crazy happy!
Gameplay doesn't evolve...not that it really needs to.
I love it when the market's floored by something small and uncomplicated. Don't get me wrong, I still love it when a game like God of War makes me grit my teeth and reminds me of my gamer skills. But when you have something so easily designed, with very little advertising backing it, come along and just wow any type of gamer out there, it's unbelievable. That's what happened a couple of years ago when Namco introduced the wacky Katamari Damacy, and it has happened once again with Sony of Japan's infectious Loco Roco.
The game defies typical game design and, in some cases, logic, but that's the best thing going for it. Roco is made up of 40+ levels in which you tilt the screen so a happy little blob (a Roco) can make its way from point A to point B, collecting fruit, growth flowers, and other goodies along the way. Once a growth flower is picked up, the Roco grows larger in size. It will encounter trouble, like spaces that are too small to get through and some enemies (the Moja) that wouldn't mind having it for lunch. Fortunately, the gameplay is simple enough to weed out such problems.
As far as getting through the smaller cracks, you can press the circle button, and your Roco breaks up into smaller pieces, sliding down tiny crevices until it gets to a point you can regather. From there, you simply hold down the circle button until you're back in one piece again. As for beating enemies, you just jump and bop them from below, but you'll want to watch out during your attacks. Hit one in the wrong place and one of your Rocos is gone. Run out and your game's over.
Like I said, you don't control the Roco outside of tilting the screen, breaking up and regathering, and performing a jump by pressing the L and R buttons together. But the gameplay is something of amazement. It's incredibly simple while also becoming very addicting within just a matter of seconds. You'll be tilting the screen and jumping for objects in no time flat, while also discovering walls that you can break through, switches to activate, and more.
The gameplay does enough on its own, but it's backed by some ingenious level design. There's various terrain here scattered throughout each world, like a darkened world loaded with sticker-like creatures, a snowy mountain where you can slide around on icy surfaces up and around corners, and even in the gullet of a few animals, ranging from a hungry penguin to a lazy whale. Each level is wide open for exploration, with new items to find, such as growth flowers and little Mui Mui's, little fellas that get you bonuses back at the Loco Roco house. (And they have the cutest little battle cry in the world- they jump around frantically and yell "LING LING!".)
With Loco Roco, the only bad news you'll uncover is the game only has a certain number of levels. However, the designers have made sure that they're not easily beaten. There's Mui Mui's, fruits, and growth flowers hidden throughout the level, and the more you find, the more secrets and parts you'll have access to. This helps the game's replayability significantly.
The game's music is a kooky selection of songs, almost sounding like something ripped out of Alvin and the Chipmunks at some points. There really isn't a dry song in the bunch, ranging from some funky beats that sound like they're from a 70's disco to a soothing French melody that sounds like restaurant music at the Eiffel Tower. The sound effects are equally good, with each of the Rocos providing individual squeals and songs that go with their personalities. For instance, say you run into a large object that requires a certain amount of Rocos. If you have enough, they'll break up and go right into song, soothing this beast and getting an item as a result.
And it's pretty cool how quickly you can identify with a specific Roco. You start off with a basic one, happy and orange, but as you continue your quest, new ones will join you. There's a female one with a soothing French voice; a happy 70's-like blob who has a thing for funk; and a hobo-like blob that's happy-go-lucky. As you proceed, they'll notify you of different things, like food, hidden items, and dangers. You can hear the panic in their voices as you approach one of the deadly Moja or a spike. Hit one of these dangers, and a "dead" Roco bounces around, hopeful to get recollected before it vanishes. If you lose a Roco, you hear their death cry, and it's almost heartbreaking.
I've mentioned the Loco Roco House a few times, so let me talk about it. As you go through the game, you're awarded certain house parts, which you can then take to a large dwelling. Here, you can build their house however you see fit. It doesn't really do much in terms of gameplay, but it allows you to show some devotion for these creatures, and the combinations you build with the Loco Editor are countless. Plus, you can share them with others and show off your building skills- or lack thereof.
For those who aren't architecturally sound, there's other bonus features as well. There are two mini-games you can play with your gathered points. Chuppa Chuppa is a golf-style game where you launch your Roco into a certain area to earn bonuses. But what I really enjoy is the Mui Mui Crane Challenge, where you use an arcade-style crane to collect new Rocos or skill points. It can be rather tricky, though- this isn't a very reliable crane. Still, it's fun. And the game allows others to download trial levels, so they can see what all the fuss is about. (Plus it'll explain that big, stupid grin on your face.)
Loco Roco's only real downfall is that the gameplay doesn't really change at all. Like I said, it's easy to get into, and numerous abilities are useful, ranging from your own break-up skills to the power of an anteater-like cannon. Aside from a few tricks within the level design, you don't do much past that. But then again, you don't really have to. What's here is very, very enjoyable.
Loco Roco is probably one of the more entertaining game experiences I've run into this year, a delightful little affair that deserves more than one play-through. The graphics and sound are in a league of their own, and the extras are plentiful, even though there isn't a full-scale versus mode with Roco versus Roco. Oh, well, these things are so happy, I can't see them fighting anyhow. Unless you're a scrooge, a curmudgeon, or a grumpy editor-in-chief, do not miss Loco Roco.
