LocoRoco
Encyclopedia
is a platform
video game released worldwide in 2006
for the PlayStation Portable
(PSP) handheld game console
, and developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment
. The game was developed by Tsutomu Kouno
, striving to create a game that was different than other titles being released for the PSP at the time. After demonstrating a prototype of the core gameplay to his management, Kouno was able to complete development over a course of one and a half years. In LocoRoco, the player must tilt the environment by using the shoulder buttons on the PSP in order to maneuver the LocoRoco, multi-colored jelly
-like characters, through each level, being aided by other odd residents while avoiding hazards and the deadly Moja Troop, to reach an end goal.
Along the way, the LocoRoco can grow in size by eating special berries, and then can be split and rejoined to pass the LocoRoco through narrow spaces. The game's bright and colorful visuals and dynamic music soundtrack were hallmarks of the game, earning it several awards from the gaming press in 2006. While the game did not sell high volumes, its success led to the development of four other LocoRoco titles - two sequels for the PSP (PlayStation Portable)/PSP Go, a spin-off for the PlayStation 3
and a "mobile" version (called "LocoRoco Mobile" and "LocoRoco Hi", depending on the market) for cellular (mobile) telephones.
LocoRoco is divided into 5 worlds each consisting of 8 levels. In each level, the goal is to reach the end point of the level, with the player scored on the number of LocoRoco found, the time to complete the level, and other factors. There are six varieties of LocoRoco in the game, identified by their color, appearance, and musical voice, but outside of the first "Yellow" one, the rest are unlocked as the player completes the level. The player can then opt which LocoRoco they want to use for a level, however, this selection has no fundamental gameplay effects and only changes the songs used. LocoRoco act as blobs of gelatin
, deforming from their normally round shape when demanded by the environment. Certain beings in the world can change the default shape of the LocoRoco into other forms, such as squares or triangles, which lasts until they wash off in water or they encounter another similar being.
The player starts with a single LocoRoco. When this LocoRoco eats a berry, it grows by one, up to a maximum size of twenty. The single large LocoRoco may be split into individual beings by tapping a face button or through specific points on the level, while individual LocoRoco can merge back into a single being by holding down a face button. Manipulation of the LocoRoco in this manner may be necessary to guide them to the finish; while the single large LocoRoco is easier to control, small passages can only be navigated by individual LocoRoco. The player can lose LocoRoco if they are touched by harmful objects or they run into the Moja, and the player will have to restart the level if they lose all their LocoRoco. With the exception of making them jump, the player does not otherwise directly control the LocoRoco, but instead controls the planet itself, tilting the planet using the shoulder buttons. This causes the LocoRoco to roll in the direction of tilt, as well as causing certain mechanical objects such as platforms to also tilt. The player can also cause the LocoRoco to jump by holding and releasing both shoulder buttons; this not only allows the LocoRoco a way to cross gaps, but to burst through walls as well as harm the Moja without taking damage. As the player collects more Loco Roco in a level, the music gains more voices
, each Loco Roco singing a part in the overall song.
Throughout the levels are areas that require a minimum number of LocoRoco in order to cause them to sing and wake up one of the planet's odd residents, who will then reward the player with an item for their "Loco House". There are also hidden Mui Mui throughout the levels to be found. Levels also contain "Pickories" which can be collected by the LocoRoco and are used as a form of currency to play two mini-games outside of the main game. The mini-games are "Mui Mui Crane", a variation of a crane game
, and "Chuppa Chuppa" that use Chuppa, bird-like launchers for the LocoRoco, to navigate a long course. Both mini-games grant additional Loco House parts and Pickories as prizes. The player can use the accumulated Loco House parts to create a course that the Loco Roco will automatically navigate, with additional parts that can be collected by directing the course appropriately. A Loco Editor is also an unlockable feature in the game, creating an interactive course with a start and finish using the Loco House parts. LocoRoco has lots of other characters and enemies that have strange names.
LocoRoco was envisioned by Tsutomu Kouno, who had previously work on development of Ico
. While on a train during the second quarter of 2004, Kouno had used a PDA
to sketch a game that would involve multiple similar characters that would not be in direct control of the player. He realized the planet-tilting aspect after seeing how rotating the phone with the sketch around would lead to a compelling game. At that time, the PlayStation Portable
was nearing release, and Kouno felt the unit's shoulder buttons would be appropriate for the tilting controls. Kouno also opted to develop for the PSP to break the mold of other, more complicated sequels from PlayStation 2
games that were being developed for the unit and instead create something that "really seemed at home on the PSP". Kouno also wanted "every aspect of the game [...] to be unique", and led to his choices for graphics and music in the game.
Three concepts were part of Kouno's vision for the game, "easy to play, fun and to have dramatic visuals". Kouno sought not only to make the game accessible to younger players, but also to a wider, international audience. While his team experimented with different control schemes for the game, they recognized that the simple tilting controls would be easily learned by children as well as those outside of Japan. This approach also led to the use of a new "language" for the music, instead of relying on Japanese works which would not be understood by the international audience. However, despite the simple controls, Kouno noted they included deep gameplay around those that would require players to master to gain all the collectibles in the game.
Kouno opted to keep the game in 2D
instead of the more popular 3D
to maintain the simplicity of the game. The Loco Roco team had experimented with different designs for the characters and world, including claymation, papercraft, and detailed textures, but settled on the resulting patterns not only to convey a "bright, cheerful" world, but as well as to keep budget costs down, no longer having a need to seek artists for textures. Kouno drew upon his interest in the natural world to design the other characters in the game; for example, one character was based on the appearance of his pet tropical fish. Kouno found that using 2D graphics allowed him to constantly present the faces of the LocoRoco and other beings within the game, and used that to convey a constant sense of emotion from all the characters. Maya
was used to construct the levels and place hazards and obstacles. The graphics themselves were based on using and animating Bezier curve
s, a feature of the PSP's software capabilities.
Kouno had attempted to present the idea at pitch meetings twice in the early part of 2005 but was turned away. While management was able to understand the mechanic of tilting the world, they could not understand Kouno's vision of applying artificial intelligence
to the LocoRoco or other creatures in the game. On the second rejection, the management staff suggested that Kouno return with something more concrete to explain his ideas. Kouno spent one month with a four-person team to create a simple pre-prototype version of the game that demonstrated the rolling gameplay aspect. The pre-prototype version was well-received and Kouno was given further resources to develop the full game. A complete prototype was created by an eight-person team over three months to establish the rest of the game's core mechanics, including the joining and splitting of the Loco Roco and the dynamic music. The remainder of the game was completed in the following 11 months by the full 16-person staff at Sony Computer Entertainment Japan.
, then altering the words slightly to make them sound cool in Japanese as to mask their origins. Kouno then sent the lyrics along with some of his preferred reggae
, soul
and R&B
music to the composers, Nobuyuki Shimizu and Kemmei Adachi, to complete the soundtrack. Kouno requested that the composers use as little electronic-sounding instruments as possible to give the music a feeling of "live sound". The team ultimately created about 60 songs to be used in the game. While the soundtrack had many different themes, Kouno felt that the fictional LocoRoco language helped to unify the songs across the game.
The LocoRoco Original Soundtrack: LocoRoco No Uta was published by Columbia Records
and released in October 2006 in Japan. The album contains 42 tracks from the game.
of LocoRoco was released on the game's Japanese website and was the first Sony-sanctioned user-downloadable game for the PSP. A demo localized for western countries was released in June 2006, shortly before the game's full European release. It includes one level that will take the player around 5–15 minutes to complete, depending on the number of secret areas the player encounters.
, calling them "simple" and "pretty" while Sam Kennedy of 1UP
considered it akin to "playing out an adorable cartoon". The unique environments of each level were also credited to help the game's charm, with Kristan Reed of Eurogamer
believing that the game presents a "look and feel unlike anything we've seen before" and that shows "a truly brilliant realisation of how to take 2D gaming into uncharted territory." The music of the game was considered to be "quirky and catchy", with Will Tuttle of GameSpy
saying that "there's a good chance that you'll be humming some of the tunes all day". The game, at times, was compared to a "slow-motion version of Sonic the Hedgehog" with the player controlling the LocoRoco as they move up and down hills and through loop-de-loops in the level. This gameplay allows the game to be easily accessible to players, with IGN
's Juan Castro noting that the controls are "not simplistic so much as it's refreshingly elegant", and Kennedy commenting that while LocoRoco is not perfect, it was "perfect for the PSP". As noted by Neil McGreevy of the BBC
, LocoRoco "is the best game Nintendo never made."
A common complaint for the game reviewers was the repetitive nature of the game, as no new gameplay mechanics are introduced after the player learns to roll and jump, and that the levels are "far from challenging". However, these reviewers also commented that the monotonous gameplay is not as significant an issue with a gaming system like the PSP that encourages shorter play sessions. Reviewers also commented on the length of the game, considering it short with a only a few extras that would add some additional enjoyment after completing the main game.
The game has won two awards at the 2006 BAFTA Games Awards for "Best Children's Game" and "Best Character", and was nominated for six additional awards, "Best Audio", "Best Original Score", "Best Innovation", "Artistic Achievement", "Best Gameplay" and "Best Causal and Social Game". LocoRoco also won two awards at the 10th Annual Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Awards for "Children's Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Competition", in addition to being nominated for "Outstanding Innovation" and "Handheld Game of the Year". The Associated Press
named LocoRoco its handheld game of the year for 2006.
Prior to its release in North America, 1UP blogger Alejandro Quan-Madrid equated the Moja characters in LocoRoco to blackface
, and citing the game as an example of "institutionalized racism that needs calling out". Quad-Madrid and 1UP reporter Jemery Parish noted that the Japanese culture does not have the same racial population as western countries like the United States
, and as such, blackface or other similar representations of black persons
are taken for granted in that country, and localization
usually handles such issues. Quad-Madrid called on Sony to make a simple color change to the Moja, similar to what Capcom
had done for the character of Oilman in Mega Man Powered Up
. Developers for the game, including Kouno, noted that the Moja character design was based on the hairstyle of Keigo Tsuchiya, the game's artist, at the time of development, and did not mean to imply any racist tones. The accusation of racism came days before a similar charge against Sony for an advertisement for the white-colored PSP, portraying a white woman subjugating a black woman.
The Yellow LocoRoco, as seen on the game's cover, has become a mascot for the PSP system.
Sales of LocoRoco were not strong in Japan, with just more than 30,000 copies sold the first week, and about 170,000 in total sales for the year. The game was more successful in Europe and North America, prompting Sony to start development of additional titles.
, a wireless service in Japan in 2007. The mobile game has since been ported for western countries by Gamelion
, however it has been renamed LocoRoco Hi.
is a LocoRoco program for the PlayStation 3
, released in September 2007 as a downloadable title through the PlayStation Store
. It is described by Sony as an "interactive screensaver," rather than a game. Instead of tilting the world, the game instead puts the player in control of a butterfly that will draw LocoRoco to it, guiding them to sleeping LocoRoco to wake them up and collect enough LocoRoco to progress to other parts of the single stage.
LocoRoco 2
, a sequel to the original LocoRoco, was officially announced at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show
though Phil Harrison
, Sony's worldwide studios chief, revealed the game to be in development during an interview at the 2007 D.I.C.E. Summit
. The game was released worldwide between late 2008 and early 2009.
A third PSP LocoRoco game, LocoRoco Midnight Carnival
, is a Halloween
-themed spin-off title which features an enhanced bounce skill called "Boing!" The game was digitally released on October 29, 2009 for North American and European areas, and on November 1, 2009 in Japan for the console's launch.
There are also LocoRoco costumes for LittleBigPlanet
.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game released worldwide in 2006
2006 in video gaming
-Events:* January 26, 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.* January 26, 2006 -- Konami Corp...
for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
(PSP) handheld game console
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
, and developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
. The game was developed by Tsutomu Kouno
Tsutomu Kouno
is a Japanese game designer. He was born in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture and graduated from College of Engineering of Nihon University.He is best known as designer of video game LocoRoco, but he also contributed to Ico level design.-External links:...
, striving to create a game that was different than other titles being released for the PSP at the time. After demonstrating a prototype of the core gameplay to his management, Kouno was able to complete development over a course of one and a half years. In LocoRoco, the player must tilt the environment by using the shoulder buttons on the PSP in order to maneuver the LocoRoco, multi-colored jelly
Gelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
-like characters, through each level, being aided by other odd residents while avoiding hazards and the deadly Moja Troop, to reach an end goal.
Along the way, the LocoRoco can grow in size by eating special berries, and then can be split and rejoined to pass the LocoRoco through narrow spaces. The game's bright and colorful visuals and dynamic music soundtrack were hallmarks of the game, earning it several awards from the gaming press in 2006. While the game did not sell high volumes, its success led to the development of four other LocoRoco titles - two sequels for the PSP (PlayStation Portable)/PSP Go, a spin-off for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and a "mobile" version (called "LocoRoco Mobile" and "LocoRoco Hi", depending on the market) for cellular (mobile) telephones.
Plot
Living peacefully on a faraway planet, the LocoRoco and their friends, the Mui Mui, help grow vegetation and look after nature, making the planet a pleasant place to be, playing and singing the days away. When the Moja Troop comes to the planet to take it over, the LocoRoco do not know how to fight against these invaders from outer space. As such, the player assumes the role of "the planet" that is capable of guiding the LocoRoco around to defeat the Moja Troop and rescue the remaining LocoRoco, returning the planet to its peaceful ways.Gameplay
Gelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
, deforming from their normally round shape when demanded by the environment. Certain beings in the world can change the default shape of the LocoRoco into other forms, such as squares or triangles, which lasts until they wash off in water or they encounter another similar being.
The player starts with a single LocoRoco. When this LocoRoco eats a berry, it grows by one, up to a maximum size of twenty. The single large LocoRoco may be split into individual beings by tapping a face button or through specific points on the level, while individual LocoRoco can merge back into a single being by holding down a face button. Manipulation of the LocoRoco in this manner may be necessary to guide them to the finish; while the single large LocoRoco is easier to control, small passages can only be navigated by individual LocoRoco. The player can lose LocoRoco if they are touched by harmful objects or they run into the Moja, and the player will have to restart the level if they lose all their LocoRoco. With the exception of making them jump, the player does not otherwise directly control the LocoRoco, but instead controls the planet itself, tilting the planet using the shoulder buttons. This causes the LocoRoco to roll in the direction of tilt, as well as causing certain mechanical objects such as platforms to also tilt. The player can also cause the LocoRoco to jump by holding and releasing both shoulder buttons; this not only allows the LocoRoco a way to cross gaps, but to burst through walls as well as harm the Moja without taking damage. As the player collects more Loco Roco in a level, the music gains more voices
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
, each Loco Roco singing a part in the overall song.
Throughout the levels are areas that require a minimum number of LocoRoco in order to cause them to sing and wake up one of the planet's odd residents, who will then reward the player with an item for their "Loco House". There are also hidden Mui Mui throughout the levels to be found. Levels also contain "Pickories" which can be collected by the LocoRoco and are used as a form of currency to play two mini-games outside of the main game. The mini-games are "Mui Mui Crane", a variation of a crane game
Claw vending machine
A claw crane is a type of arcade game known as a merchandiser, commonly found in video arcades, supermarkets, restaurants, movie theaters, and bowling alleys...
, and "Chuppa Chuppa" that use Chuppa, bird-like launchers for the LocoRoco, to navigate a long course. Both mini-games grant additional Loco House parts and Pickories as prizes. The player can use the accumulated Loco House parts to create a course that the Loco Roco will automatically navigate, with additional parts that can be collected by directing the course appropriately. A Loco Editor is also an unlockable feature in the game, creating an interactive course with a start and finish using the Loco House parts. LocoRoco has lots of other characters and enemies that have strange names.
Development
Ico
is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took...
. While on a train during the second quarter of 2004, Kouno had used a PDA
PDA
A PDA is most commonly a Personal digital assistant, also known as a Personal data assistant, a mobile electronic device.PDA may also refer to:In science, medicine and technology:...
to sketch a game that would involve multiple similar characters that would not be in direct control of the player. He realized the planet-tilting aspect after seeing how rotating the phone with the sketch around would lead to a compelling game. At that time, the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
was nearing release, and Kouno felt the unit's shoulder buttons would be appropriate for the tilting controls. Kouno also opted to develop for the PSP to break the mold of other, more complicated sequels from PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
games that were being developed for the unit and instead create something that "really seemed at home on the PSP". Kouno also wanted "every aspect of the game [...] to be unique", and led to his choices for graphics and music in the game.
Three concepts were part of Kouno's vision for the game, "easy to play, fun and to have dramatic visuals". Kouno sought not only to make the game accessible to younger players, but also to a wider, international audience. While his team experimented with different control schemes for the game, they recognized that the simple tilting controls would be easily learned by children as well as those outside of Japan. This approach also led to the use of a new "language" for the music, instead of relying on Japanese works which would not be understood by the international audience. However, despite the simple controls, Kouno noted they included deep gameplay around those that would require players to master to gain all the collectibles in the game.
Kouno opted to keep the game in 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
instead of the more popular 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
to maintain the simplicity of the game. The Loco Roco team had experimented with different designs for the characters and world, including claymation, papercraft, and detailed textures, but settled on the resulting patterns not only to convey a "bright, cheerful" world, but as well as to keep budget costs down, no longer having a need to seek artists for textures. Kouno drew upon his interest in the natural world to design the other characters in the game; for example, one character was based on the appearance of his pet tropical fish. Kouno found that using 2D graphics allowed him to constantly present the faces of the LocoRoco and other beings within the game, and used that to convey a constant sense of emotion from all the characters. Maya
Maya (software)
Autodesk Maya , commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation and currently owned and developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video...
was used to construct the levels and place hazards and obstacles. The graphics themselves were based on using and animating Bezier curve
Bézier curve
A Bézier curve is a parametric curve frequently used in computer graphics and related fields. Generalizations of Bézier curves to higher dimensions are called Bézier surfaces, of which the Bézier triangle is a special case....
s, a feature of the PSP's software capabilities.
Kouno had attempted to present the idea at pitch meetings twice in the early part of 2005 but was turned away. While management was able to understand the mechanic of tilting the world, they could not understand Kouno's vision of applying artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
to the LocoRoco or other creatures in the game. On the second rejection, the management staff suggested that Kouno return with something more concrete to explain his ideas. Kouno spent one month with a four-person team to create a simple pre-prototype version of the game that demonstrated the rolling gameplay aspect. The pre-prototype version was well-received and Kouno was given further resources to develop the full game. A complete prototype was created by an eight-person team over three months to establish the rest of the game's core mechanics, including the joining and splitting of the Loco Roco and the dynamic music. The remainder of the game was completed in the following 11 months by the full 16-person staff at Sony Computer Entertainment Japan.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for Loco Roco is based on a fictional language created by Kouno to avoid alienating foreign players by using Japanese music. Kouno created the language by compiling a list of interesting words in katakanaKatakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
, then altering the words slightly to make them sound cool in Japanese as to mask their origins. Kouno then sent the lyrics along with some of his preferred reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music to the composers, Nobuyuki Shimizu and Kemmei Adachi, to complete the soundtrack. Kouno requested that the composers use as little electronic-sounding instruments as possible to give the music a feeling of "live sound". The team ultimately created about 60 songs to be used in the game. While the soundtrack had many different themes, Kouno felt that the fictional LocoRoco language helped to unify the songs across the game.
The LocoRoco Original Soundtrack: LocoRoco No Uta was published by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and released in October 2006 in Japan. The album contains 42 tracks from the game.
Standard Demo
Following the release of Firmwaredfg 2.7 on April 25, 2006, a downloadable demoGame demo
A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game before deciding whether to buy the full version....
of LocoRoco was released on the game's Japanese website and was the first Sony-sanctioned user-downloadable game for the PSP. A demo localized for western countries was released in June 2006, shortly before the game's full European release. It includes one level that will take the player around 5–15 minutes to complete, depending on the number of secret areas the player encounters.
Halloween Demo
A special Halloween-themed demo was released for download on October 26, 2006, It featured some exclusive graphics and objects, like Jack-o-lanterns, spirits, and more. Few puzzles were implemented.Christmas Demo
A Christmas-themed demo was released for download on December 11, 2006. It featured some exclusive graphics like Santa's sleigh and more. A unique LocoRoco song is implemented.Reception
LocoRoco has received mostly positive reviews from critics. The game was consistently praised for its bright and bold graphics. Charles Harold of the New York Times compared the graphics to Katamari DamacyKatamari Damacy
Katamari Damacy is a third-person puzzle-action video game that is published and developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was first released in Japan, and then later in South Korea and North America...
, calling them "simple" and "pretty" while Sam Kennedy of 1UP
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
considered it akin to "playing out an adorable cartoon". The unique environments of each level were also credited to help the game's charm, with Kristan Reed of Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
believing that the game presents a "look and feel unlike anything we've seen before" and that shows "a truly brilliant realisation of how to take 2D gaming into uncharted territory." The music of the game was considered to be "quirky and catchy", with Will Tuttle of GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
saying that "there's a good chance that you'll be humming some of the tunes all day". The game, at times, was compared to a "slow-motion version of Sonic the Hedgehog" with the player controlling the LocoRoco as they move up and down hills and through loop-de-loops in the level. This gameplay allows the game to be easily accessible to players, with IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Juan Castro noting that the controls are "not simplistic so much as it's refreshingly elegant", and Kennedy commenting that while LocoRoco is not perfect, it was "perfect for the PSP". As noted by Neil McGreevy of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, LocoRoco "is the best game Nintendo never made."
A common complaint for the game reviewers was the repetitive nature of the game, as no new gameplay mechanics are introduced after the player learns to roll and jump, and that the levels are "far from challenging". However, these reviewers also commented that the monotonous gameplay is not as significant an issue with a gaming system like the PSP that encourages shorter play sessions. Reviewers also commented on the length of the game, considering it short with a only a few extras that would add some additional enjoyment after completing the main game.
The game has won two awards at the 2006 BAFTA Games Awards for "Best Children's Game" and "Best Character", and was nominated for six additional awards, "Best Audio", "Best Original Score", "Best Innovation", "Artistic Achievement", "Best Gameplay" and "Best Causal and Social Game". LocoRoco also won two awards at the 10th Annual Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Awards for "Children's Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Competition", in addition to being nominated for "Outstanding Innovation" and "Handheld Game of the Year". The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
named LocoRoco its handheld game of the year for 2006.
Prior to its release in North America, 1UP blogger Alejandro Quan-Madrid equated the Moja characters in LocoRoco to blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
, and citing the game as an example of "institutionalized racism that needs calling out". Quad-Madrid and 1UP reporter Jemery Parish noted that the Japanese culture does not have the same racial population as western countries like the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and as such, blackface or other similar representations of black persons
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
are taken for granted in that country, and localization
Localization
Localization or localisation, and represented as a numeronym as L10n, may refer to:* Language localization, the process of translating a product into different languages or adapting a product for a specific country or region...
usually handles such issues. Quad-Madrid called on Sony to make a simple color change to the Moja, similar to what Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
had done for the character of Oilman in Mega Man Powered Up
Mega Man (video game)
Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first game in the original Mega Man series and the entire Mega Man franchise...
. Developers for the game, including Kouno, noted that the Moja character design was based on the hairstyle of Keigo Tsuchiya, the game's artist, at the time of development, and did not mean to imply any racist tones. The accusation of racism came days before a similar charge against Sony for an advertisement for the white-colored PSP, portraying a white woman subjugating a black woman.
The Yellow LocoRoco, as seen on the game's cover, has become a mascot for the PSP system.
Sales of LocoRoco were not strong in Japan, with just more than 30,000 copies sold the first week, and about 170,000 in total sales for the year. The game was more successful in Europe and North America, prompting Sony to start development of additional titles.
Mobile version
A mobile version of LocoRoco, LocoRoco Mobile, was created for distribution via i-modeI-mode
NTT DoCoMo's i-mode is a mobile internet service popular in Japan. Unlike Wireless Application Protocol, i-mode encompasses a wider variety of internet standards, including web access, e-mail and the packet-switched network that delivers the data...
, a wireless service in Japan in 2007. The mobile game has since been ported for western countries by Gamelion
Gamelion
Gamelion signifies:*a month in the ancient Greek calendar*Gamelion Studios, video game producers...
, however it has been renamed LocoRoco Hi.
Sequels and spin-offs
LocoRoco Cocoreccho!LocoRoco Cocoreccho!
LocoRoco Cocoreccho! is a video game in the LocoRoco series released on the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 on September 21, 2007. Described as an "interactive screensaver", LocoRoco Cocoreccho! features an autonomous two-dimensional environment in which the world and characters play even...
is a LocoRoco program for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, released in September 2007 as a downloadable title through the PlayStation Store
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
. It is described by Sony as an "interactive screensaver," rather than a game. Instead of tilting the world, the game instead puts the player in control of a butterfly that will draw LocoRoco to it, guiding them to sleeping LocoRoco to wake them up and collect enough LocoRoco to progress to other parts of the single stage.
LocoRoco 2
LocoRoco 2
LocoRoco 2 is a platformer developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the sequel to 2006's LocoRoco and was released for the PSP handheld game console...
, a sequel to the original LocoRoco, was officially announced at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
though Phil Harrison
Phil Harrison
Phil Harrison is the former British corporate executive and a representative director of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. and Executive Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe . At E3 in 2005 he showcased the first public realtime demonstrations of PlayStation 3 development hardware...
, Sony's worldwide studios chief, revealed the game to be in development during an interview at the 2007 D.I.C.E. Summit
D.I.C.E. Summit
D.I.C.E. Summit is an annual multi-day gathering of video game executives held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Established in 2002 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the conference is host to the annual Entertainment Software Association's Interactive Achievement Awards...
. The game was released worldwide between late 2008 and early 2009.
A third PSP LocoRoco game, LocoRoco Midnight Carnival
LocoRoco Midnight Carnival
LocoRoco Midnight Carnival is the last game in the LocoRoco series for the PlayStation Portable that was released on October 29, 2009 for Halloween as a PlayStation Network exclusive. The game is a spin-off that continues the story of LocoRoco 2 and features a new move called "Boing!"...
, is a Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
-themed spin-off title which features an enhanced bounce skill called "Boing!" The game was digitally released on October 29, 2009 for North American and European areas, and on November 1, 2009 in Japan for the console's launch.
There are also LocoRoco costumes for LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...
.
External links
- Official LocoRoco website (Japanese, requires Flash)
- Official LocoRoco website (English, requires Flash)
- Official LocoRoco Hi website