Game review: LocoRoco Midnight Carnival - Sony PSP

Everything in the game is so cheerful, colourful and warm that you would need to be some kind of emotionless machine not to have a smile on your face while playing it.

All the good things from the first two instalments of LocoRoco have been retained in this third release in the series, squeezing another magical adventure out of the lovable little space-hoppery characters.

In case you didn’t play the earlier LocoRoco titles or have only just got yourself a PSP, LocoRoco is a puzzle-platform game with a sickeningly sweet but adorable charm to it.

The LocoRoco in the title refers to the delightful dumpling-like folk who are the stars of the game. These cute little things are the Sony handheld’s most iconic characters, just like Sega has Sonic and Nintendo has Mario.

For the game’s art style think Japanese-inspired weirdness with copious splashes of rainbow coloured paint.

The sounds and music are every bit as endearing and infectious as the visual design. You may try to resist being pulled into the LocoRoco’s wacky world but there really is no way to fight it.

LocoRoco contains many quirky and inventive features, most notably the controls.

In these games you don’t so much control your character as you do its environment.

The LocoRoco folk might rock your gaming world, but in return you tilt theirs.

Using the PSP’s shoulder buttons you slant the landscape to dictate the LocoRoco’s movement. Press the R button to slope the level right, hit the L button is tilt it left. The LocoRoco then roll in your chosen direction.

Sometimes you need to make your LocoRoco jump and this is done by holding and then releasing both shoulder buttons together.

About the only thing LocoRoco has in common with other platform games is the main aim on each stage, which is to guide your character safely to the end as fast as possible. Along the way there are friends to locate and currency (pickories) to collect for buying useful items. There are many obstacles to overcome as well as traps and enemies to avoid.

The very silly and thin plot in this new game focuses on the naughty BuiBui characters snatching the LocoRoco while they sleep and transporting them to a spooky night-time carnival. The LocoRoco will win their freedom if you can help them navigate through 16 challenging levels.

This sets the scene for lots of the LocoRoco series’ trademark surreal bouncing and tilting fun.

Newcomers to the titles will love how easy it is to pick up and start playing. LocoRoco devotees will immediately recognise the game’s key features though there are some differences in this latest outing.

One of the main additions is the new ‘boing’ high bounce movement. With this you can create combos of jumps in order to reach hard-to-reach places and bounce off tall walls. As you spring about the place, a beautiful trail of colour cascades from your LocoRoco.

Midnight Carnival is more challenging than previous LocoRoco games.

Through its dreamlike appearance and simple controls the game gives off a false impression of being easy, and maybe even childish. But don’t be deceived by those playful LocoRoco – they may look all sweet and innocent but this game is deceptively difficult.

The third LocoRoco game is tougher and less forgiving on level design than its predecessors. There is a lot more platform jumping than before. In the previous game you might have got a soft landing from falling into a chasm, but here it generally means instant death.

After several failed attempts at getting through only the third stage I found myself getting slightly frustrated for the first time ever playing LocoRoco. Luckily the game is so friendly that this aggravation didn’t turn into full-blown annoyance and I carried on with my quest to pass the level.

The structure of the game also feels slightly different to previous adventures. Here the levels seem to be shorter and more focused on racing against the clock than before. The overall pace of the game feels quicker.

As well as the carnival stages there are lots of other features to discover in this game, including the introduction of online play which allows you to compete against up to three friends.

Leaderboards, replay videos, mini games and a shop all provide extra dimensions to the game.

LocoRoco Midnight Carnival has been released as a downloadable-only title on the PlayStation Network. It’s been given a mid-range price point of £11.99.

It would be slightly harsh to say it’s only an expansion or spin-off from the previous games, but equally it’s not a fully-fledged second sequel. It’s more like LocoRoco 2.5 instead of LocoRoco 3.

Using the price-to-fun ratio LocoRoco offers excellent value and the decision whether to buy it should be a no-brainer for any PSP gamers.

While there are noticeable changes in this version, Midnight Carnival still retains all the wonder and sweetness from the first two titles in the series. Welcome these odd little creatures into your gaming world and let the good times roll – and bounce, and tilt, and …

Verdict: 8 out of 10 – As endearing and cute as the first two instalments. The gameplay changes don’t take the series forward at all but equally don’t detract from the overall enjoyment. A worthwhile addition to the LocoRoco family.