Sony Interactive Entertainment Franchises Codexery

LocoRoco

Tilt the planet to guide jelly-like creatures through colorful levels.

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LocoRoco is a 2D platform game where the player tilts the planet to guide gelatinous blobs through levels, rather than directly controlling the characters.[1][2] In 2006, the gaming press gave several awards to LocoRoco because of its vibrant visuals and lively music.[3] The PSP system's mascot is the Yellow LocoRoco that appears on the game's cover.[4]

Making and release

Tsutomu Kouno, who previously worked on Ico, first sketched the game idea on a PDA while on a train in the second quarter of 2004.[5] He wanted the game to be simple enough for children and international audiences, using a fictional language for the music instead of Japanese.[6][7] After that pre-prototype was well received, an eight-person team created a full prototype over three months, establishing core mechanics like joining and splitting.[8] A mobile version, LocoRoco Mobile, was pre-installed on Sony Ericsson SO703i devices in Japan on February 16, 2007.[9]

LocoRoco won two BAFTA Games Awards in 2006 for "Best Children's Game" and "Best Character".[10] After rotating the phone that held his sketch, Kouno came up with the planet-tilting mechanic and decided the PSP's shoulder buttons would work well for controlling it.[5][6] Kouno's proposal was turned down on two occasions early in 2005; then a four-person team built a pre-prototype that showed the rolling gameplay.[8] On May 15, 2009, Gamelion and Glu Mobile released the mobile game in western territories under the name LocoRoco Hi.[9]

At the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, LocoRoco received two prizes: "Children's Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition".[10]

What the cited sources add

The Gamasutra interview with Kouno states he wanted the game to use as few buttons as possible, eventually paring it down to just one.[11] Kouno explained that he wanted to break the mold of complicated PSP sequels and make a game that "really seemed at home on the PSP".[11] The CNN review notes that the LocoRoco sing along with every song, and each song breaks into harmony when the LocoRoco split into smaller ones.[1] The GameSpy review describes the LocoRoco as "shapeless blobs" that reproduce asexually when eating large orange berries.[2]

GameSpy's review also calls the game a "one-trick pony" with unchallenging, repetitive gameplay despite impressive visuals.[2] The CNN review states the single-player adventure takes about eight hours to complete and includes three unique minigames.[1]

References

  1. Saltzmann, "Rock 'n' roll with 'LocoRoco'", CNN, 2006-09-01. facts only, no text reused. cnn.com
  2. Tuttle, "LocoRoco Review", GameSpy, 2006-09-05. facts only, no text reused. psp.gamespy.com
  3. Wikipedia, "LocoRoco" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Boyes, "LocoRoco Mobile spotted in Japan", GameSpot, 2007-01-26 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "LocoRoco" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "PSP Icon Makes Its Rolling Return With LocoRoco 2", PR Newswire, 2009-02-10 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "LocoRoco" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nutt, "The Thoughtful Design of LocoRoco: Tsutomu Kouno Speaks", Gamasutra, 2009-03-02; Stern, "Making LocoRoco players smile", Joystiq, 2007-03-11; Alexander, "TGS07: Interview with Loco Roco's Tsutomu Kouno", Joystiq, 2009-03-02 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "LocoRoco" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nutt, "The Thoughtful Design of LocoRoco: Tsutomu Kouno Speaks", Gamasutra, 2009-03-02; Nutt, "The Thoughtful Design of LocoRoco: Tsutomu Kouno Speaks", Gamasutra, 2009-03-02; Nutt, "The Thoughtful Design of LocoRoco: Tsutomu Kouno Speaks", Gamasutra, 2009-03-02 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "LocoRoco" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nutt, "The Thoughtful Design of LocoRoco: Tsutomu Kouno Speaks", Gamasutra, 2009-03-02; Alexander, "TGS07: Interview with Loco Roco's Tsutomu Kouno", Joystiq, 2009-03-02; Alexander, "TGS07: Interview with Loco Roco's Tsutomu Kouno", Joystiq, 2009-03-02; Bramwell, "The LocoMotion", Eurogamer, 2006-06-05; Stern, "Making LocoRoco players smile", Joystiq, 2007-03-11; Bramwell, "The LocoMotion", Eurogamer, 2006-06-05 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "LocoRoco" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jordan, "Develop UK: LocoRoco's Kouno Talks Innovative Design", Gamasutra, 2007-07-27; Fear, "Going Loco", 2007-08-07; Sapieha, "Tsutomu Kouno", The Globe and Mail, 2006-09-15; Stern, "Making LocoRoco players smile", Joystiq, 2007-03-11; Jordan, "Develop UK: LocoRoco's Kouno Talks Innovative Design", Gamasutra, 2007-07-27; Jordan, "Develop UK: LocoRoco's Kouno Talks Innovative Design", Gamasutra, 2007-07-27; Stern, "Making LocoRoco players smile", Joystiq, 2007-03-11; Nix, "The Future of PSP -- SCE Japan", IGN, 2007-03-23; Bramwell, "The LocoM en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "LocoRoco" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "ロコロコモバイル LocoRoco Mobile", Sony Computer Entertainment Japan; "上質感あるデザインの Style-Upパネルと、アロマの香りの組み合わせが新しい『SO703i』の発売について", Sony Ericsson, February 16, 2007; Spencer, "LocoRoco Hi rolling out onto mobile", Pocket Gamer, 2009-01-27; "Glu Mobile's Q2 line-up", GamesIndustry, May 15, 2009; Spencer, "LocoRoco Hi rolls out onto mobile", Pocket Gamer, May 15, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "LocoRoco" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Games Nominations 2006", BAFTA, 2006; "AIAS Annual Awards - 10th Annual Awards", Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, 2006; Slagle, "Reviews: Best, Worst in Video Games 2006", 2006-12-13 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Nutt, "The Thoughtful Design of LocoRoco: Tsutomu Kouno Speaks", Gamasutra, 2009-03-02. facts only, no text reused. gamedeveloper.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article LocoRoco (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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