LocoRoco has now had two outings on the PSP, both of which were an absolute joy to play and now just in time for Halloween we are to receive the latest game in the series, LocoRoco Midnight Carnival. For those who have never played LocoRoco and surely that can’t be many, you control your character using the shoulder buttons of the PSP, in fact those with a PSPGo will be pleased to know that since these are the only controls, you can even play the game with the screen slid down.

 

 

 

Controlling your LocoRoco really is simple, pressing right will tilt the world in that direction, causing your LocoRoco to roll that way, obviously pressing left will have the opposite effect. Should you press both shoulder buttons together your Locoroco will jump, although Midnight Carnival adds to your arsenal of moves by introducing Boing. What the Boing move does is allow you to basically create a combo of jumps, allowing you to reach higher places by bouncing off walls etc. The more Boing you put together, the more points you will earn and to add to this you are also followed by a rainbow of colours which increases the more you jump and fills the screen like eye pleasing candy.

 

LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival may only have sixteen levels, however that doesn’t detract from the quality of the game. For one these levels are a lot more challenging than previous games, meaning that you may find yourself wondering where all the hours went even though you may have only progressed past one level. One of the main difference in the levels is that you do spend a lot of the time off the ground trying to guide your LocoRoco between platforms, rather than letting him fall into the bottomless pits in between them which will result in an instant game over message taking over the screen, therefore you need to be quick and alert to avoid these pitfalls.

 

One of the main focuses of the game is basically to race against the clock to finish the level, therefore once you get to the end you will be marked on your time, how many LocoRocos you finished with and how many MuiMui you managed to save. Should you not reach the target time you will lose points, and what do points make? Prizes.

 

One of the prizes for a high score is of course the right to boast, this is possible as each level has an online leaderboard, which obviously adds a lot more incentive to keep play for those competitive types amongst you.

 

 

Another prize as it were comes in the form of the BuiBui store, here you can buy new items for your LocoRoco to wear during levels and you can also unlock other bonuses such as the practice area which allows you to test new moves in the BuiBui secret training ground and the Replay Player. The more you unlock in the main game, the more you will unlock to buy in the shop and there really are some neat items in there other than the ones already mentioned. As well as the shop there are also some mini-games to unlock, which include games such as BuiBui Crane, a neat little game which sees you trying to grab designated LocoRocos for points.

 

Another new feature is that for the first time each level can be completed in multiplayer mode, allowing for up to four players via ad-hoc, which is great if you have friends with a PSP and a copy of the game. Finally you can even share your replays with others, passing on your no doubt flawless techniques to someone not so perfect.

 

LocoRoco Midnight Carnival is a wonderful title and a great addition to the PSP line up. This series can do no wrong and just seems to get better each time. Highly Recommended.