LocoRoco Hi

Move over PSP it’s now the era of the mobile phone to take over the gaming world. Now, this seems like a nearly impossible thing to say, but to be honest, LocoRoco Hi is fantastically emulated for the mobile version.

OK, LocoRoco Hi isn’t exactly in the same league as more familiar titles which you’ll find on the PSP but it’s a decent and enjoyable game no-less! Rotating the handset is how you move the screen and indeed the rather rotund character LocoRoco (who resembles a ‘Space Hopper’) around.

This is a really abstract game which is designed to give you a bit of a puzzle solving fun and action-packed adventure in one. The closest thing I can relate this game to is if Sonic the Hedgehog was crossed with Iggle Piggle from In the Night Garden. You get to eat fruit which helps LocoRoco grow bigger which helps for some tasks, and hinders in others. When you find you’ve grown too big to squeeze into the thin meandering corridors which link you between the areas, you’ll have to split yourself out into smaller LocoRoco’s and help them all get from A to B safely and try not to get them lost accidentally. Then when you’re safely through, you can fuse together all the mini-LocoRoco’s to make him big again.

In this game you are challenged with a quest to find the Sun which was kidnapped by the evil Moja Troop. It’s not all easy and child’s play however, it will certainly give you an opportunity to test your skills and reactions as well as try to overcome some challenging mini-games in each level. Rather than purely pressing buttons to do something, it involves a lot more interaction which I believe makes this game far more addictive and engaging as a whole.

As addictive and as fun as this game is, I would definitely say this more geared towards the younger audiences, but it does offer some rewarding challenges for the more mature player too. Making use of rather inconspicuous trampolines to jump and bounce higher and collect some otherwise impossible to reach fruit and gather other collectable items for your trouble. Again this is an easy to accomplish game, but difficult to complete successfully. You are not only challenged to find all the objects but also beat the clock. You are told at the end of every stage how well you did, in terms of how many LocoRoco’s you created by eating fruit, how many treasures and objects you found out of a possible maximum. This means that when playing the game again you will have only your best score to beat – which adds to the addictiveness of the game.

Overall, I’d say this is a really enjoyable and quirky game for everyone to enjoy. No doubt you’ll look a little odd shaking your mobile around and tilting it as you play to the onlookers, but this could be what helps get people to know about this game – and this can only be a good thing in the end.

Rating 92%

Positives

Refreshing and unique look

Great gameplay

Good for guys and girls and not just for younger players

Full of little puzzles to keep you entertained for ages

Negatives

You may only like to play this game when no-one’s looking at you

Music could be a little better

Controls are innovative but depends on how good you are at judging the movement as you fall through the air