Loco Roco 2 Review

About 3 years ago, a game was released to the PSP. That game was called Loco Roco. It was a game, where you take control of the world, and guide its creatures, called Loco Roco, to safety. Now, its sequel comes out. It’s still a pretty new release; but yet, it’s priced at $20. How can this be? Is this a bad game? No. In fact, it’s a fantastic game.

Loco Roco 2 improves on everything from the original game. Well, I guess menu setup wasn’t liked by me, but that’s my only problem, when compared to the last game. It has more gameplay elements, more breeds of Loco Roco, a much more fleshed out story, told in wordless cutscenes, and, above all, great, nonsensical music. Let’s break it down.

The gamplay, I must say, is nothing special. I mean, over the first game, it adds a couple of new elements, like crawling into a creature’s shell, and rolling around in it, crushing rocks, or grabbing onto a long vine or tail, then tapping the L and R buttons repeatedly to unjam it from where it’s placed. But its main process remains; press L and R to respectively move left and right, and press the circle button to split and meld your Loco Roco together. It’s a very simple concept, but it ends up getting more and more difficult as time goes on. Partway through playing, I kept losing intrest, as the levels kept getting more and more repetitive, but, new minigames were being unlocked as I progressed. There’s an assortment to games, with prizes that benefit your Mui Mui house, which is a central headquarters for Mui Mui you rescue during each level.

The game looks as if it came out of a children’s book; the graphics seem smooth at most times, really creating the look that only this game can pull off. There’s a variety of colors, from dark levels, to bright, cheery levels, there is a level to match every mood.

The music in this game is great. The music is half of what I remember from the original game, as the Loco Roco specialise in singing songs. This returns, as well as a minigame within levels, to get something to happen. You have to press the circle button as the music note drifts over another in real time. The villians also have their own song, which is very cool, and evil at the same time.

Summing everything up, if you own a PSP, and want something different, buy this. It’s only $20, and you definally get more than you pay for, which is pretty nice. If you had to choose between this game and the original, choose this one; it’s much more fleshed out, and feels like more of a game than the first.

Score:
Gameplay: 7.5
Controls: 7
Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 9
Replay Value: 8
Average Score: 7.75

~Quinten Vaughan