LocoRoco

Lore & Background

LocoRoco was envisioned by Tsutomu Kouno, who previously worked on Ico. While on a train in the second quarter of 2004, he sketched a game involving multiple similar characters not under direct player control, and realized the planet-tilting aspect after rotating his PDA. He chose the PSP for its shoulder buttons, which suited the tilting controls, and aimed to break the mold of complex sequels being developed for the system. Kouno wanted every aspect of the game to be unique, leading to its distinctive graphics and music. The game was kept in 2D to maintain simplicity, and the team experimented with claymation and papercraft before settling on bright patterns that conveyed a cheerful world while keeping budget costs down. Kouno drew on his interest in nature to design characters, such as one based on his pet tropical fish. The graphics used Bézier curves, a feature of the PSP's software capabilities.

Reader's Guide

LocoRoco's significance lies in its innovative control scheme and accessible design. The player tilts the environment using the PSP's shoulder buttons to maneuver the LocoRoco, multi-colored jelly-like characters, through levels while avoiding the Moja Troop. The game features a dynamic music system where collecting more LocoRoco adds voices to the soundtrack. Despite not selling high volumes, its success led to three other LocoRoco titles: two PSP sequels (LocoRoco 2 and LocoRoco Midnight Carnival) and a PlayStation 3 spin-off (LocoRoco Cocoreccho!). A remastered version was released for PlayStation 4 in 2017. The game's bright visuals and dynamic music earned it several awards from the gaming press in 2006. Kouno's vision included making the game easy to play, fun, and dramatically visual, accessible to younger players and an international audience. The simple tilting controls were easily learned, but deep gameplay required mastery to collect all items.

Did You Know?

• The game's prototype was demonstrated to management after a one-month effort by a four-person team.
• The LocoRoco can grow up to a maximum size of twenty by eating special berries.
• A remastered version of the game was released for PlayStation 4 in 2017.