LOCOROCO 2 Posted by Joe Anderson on Dec 2, 2008 09:04 (Dec 2, 2008 09:04) |
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LocoRoco seemed to be the game that finally made everyone realise that the PSP was a great little console, that with a bit of imagination could have great and unique titles developed for it. Until the release of LocoRoco the PSP was littered with games that quite simply didn’t have a really unique bone to their body and although this has since improved slightly, it is still nice to welcome back LocoRoco to the fold given that this was the game that really kicked things off.
LocoRoco 2 is every bit as fun as it’s predecessor, with the aim of the game still being to get your LocoRoco through the levels by tipping the world on it’s side and collecting as many of the 20 little creatures spread throughout the level, all while avoiding the Mojo and other obstacles which are there to try and eat away at your gains.
 Thankfully there is no lost of appeal either as the sequel is just as addictive and pleasing to the eye, there is still the quirkiness that made this game great in the first place, with it’s colourful graphics and very catchy music drawing you in the minute you load the game up. Don’t get me wrong though, there are plenty of improvements in the sequel to set it apart from the original, you still collect the various fruits and tokens spread throughout the levels, however this time there are a lot more obstacles and strange machines that will send you flying into the air. As before you can also break your LocoRoco up into smaller parts, so depending on how many creatures you have collected, they will all appear on the screen, allowing for you to fit them through the small cracks in the ground that would otherwise be impossible to get through in your larger state, then when at the bottom, simply holding down the O button will put you back together again.
Many of the settings from the previous game make a return and they have been greatly improved, throughout your travels you will come across the familiar places such as the forest and ice worlds, which are packed with great features such as vines which allow you to swing onto platforms, waterfalls and floating penguins, who allow you to jump on their stomach to reach higher levels. There are many different contraptions to get you through the levels and all of these are sure to make you smile as you see how innovate they are.
One of the new additions to LocoRoco 2 is that you now must collect musical notes, this is done by in various ways such as smashing the black clouds which litter the levels, here all you need to do is roll under them and jump, this then bashes them off the screen and once you have cleared them you will be rewarded with the notes. You can also earn notes by playing the new mini-game which can be found throughout the levels, should you have the required number of LocoRoco the game will then activate, to beat it you must hit the O button in time with the music, this will then light up the musical notes on the screen and should you manage to do this correctly you will be rewarded.
 The way you access levels has also been improved, instead of the side scrolling menu from the previous game, the levels are now placed on a globe, to access these you simply scroll around and then select the one you wish to play. The levels are all incredibly unique and each of them offers a great challenge, they are diverse too so you will never feel like you are playing the same level twice.
Once you complete a set amount of levels you will gain access to some mini-games, these cost to play but reward you should you be successful. A great example of one of the mini-games is the Nyokki NyoNyokki game which assigns a button to each hole, all you need to do then is press the correct button as the Nyokki pop their heads out of the holes to bash them on the head. There are quite of few of these mini-games throughout the game and they are good fun to play as well as being rewarding.
Finally throughout the game you will free MuiMui and collect different parts, this then enables you to make use of another feature which returns from the original, the building element. This time around you to build a home for the freed MuiMui, allowing you to give them furniture, rooms and new defences to stop others attacking. This part of the game is quite cute but just like the rest, also hard to stop playing.
LocoRoco 2, like the original is a joy to play, it’s colourful and cute graphics drag you in and its addictive gameplay keeps you playing. This is without doubt one of the PSP games of the year and deservedly so. If you own a PSP then you must own this game there is no question about that.
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