Review: Locoroco Midnight Carnival (PSP)
The latest LocoRoco game goes all Halloween on us. Related stories (more)Loco Roco Midnight Carnival Out Tomorrow
Loco Roco Midnight Carnival
Article written by nofi in Featured Stories, PS3 News, PS3 Reviews, on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 13:00.
The best games sneak up on you like Christmas, and the Gamescom reveal of the new Locoroco game couldn’t have been better timed – it’s only been a matter of a few short months since we first heard about the new adventures of Kulche and friends – and it’s out tomorrow. Branded to coincide with Halloween, Midnight Carnival is actually much more than a spooky subset of levels, the sixteen main sections of the World Map actually span a few different themes and each brings with it its own sense of character – the Winter levels have huge friction-free icy half pipes, for example.
Sixteen levels might not seem like a huge amount, and to be fair a lot of them are actually quite short, but this time around a fair bit of work has been done upping the difficulty level and translating the addictive, intuitive two button controls into more of a platformer than anything we’ve seen before in the Locoroco world – jumpable chasms that cause death being a particular shock early in the game. If this is your first time with the controls, the L and R triggers are used to ‘tip’ the level, and tapping both together ‘flicks’ it, essentially causing your Locoroco to jump.
A number of new control features have been added to Midnight Carnival – you can now chain flicks to create massive boost jumps, which not only get your Locoroco’s higher and higher but actually contribute towards a decent score. In addition, you can now bounce off vertical walls and objects like Mario, again, just using the two controls. In a first for the PSPgo, apart from the minigames the entire thing (including the menus) can be controlled with the sliding screen down, which is particularly cool and works better than I’d imagined it to do, with the flick command acting like the X button if needed.
Each of the levels can also be attempted in multiplayer – Midnight Carnival supports four player ad-hoc multiplayer so make sure you test out the game with friends nearby as the local interaction between players is a really nice touch, especially when you’re playing cooperatively. Other network features include the ability to share replays of levels you’re rightly proud of, and there’s online infrastructure rankings for both Score and Time attacks, giving the game almost endless replayability if you’re competitively natured.
Replays are only allowed once you’d purchased the Replay Player in the BuiBui Shop, a little diversion sat at the far left of the World Map. In here you can buy various items for your LocoRoco and lots of different things for the game itself, with successful playing of the main game unlocking additional items such as a camera (so you can take screenshots) and a practice level, great for honing your flick chain skills before opting to take on the world at a Time attack. There’s also a couple of minigames – BuiBui Crane is the fairground crane game, and LocoBall is a simple pachinko simulator.
Midnight Carnival is a completist’s dream – each level of the World Map shows you which MuiMui you’ve found, your current best record, the time to beat and which medals you’ve picked up – and whilst it’s true that sixteen levels is much less than the other ‘proper’ Locoroco games in my opinion there’s just as much here to enjoy than ever before, especially given the £11.99 price bracket. It’s practically faultless, packed with charm and character and an absolute joy to play, especially on a shiny new PSPgo (although obviously the game works on any PSP).
Pros:
- It’s more LocoRoco – one of my favourite series on the PSP.
- Built for the PSPgo – it’s entirely playable (minigames aside) with just the triggers.
- Well priced, and far bigger than the press releases would have you believe.
- The new super bounce move is a brilliant idea.
- Multiplayer is a nice addition.
Cons:
- It’s tough – harder than previous titles right from the off.
- It’s a little bit too ‘platformy’ for me in places.
Verdict:
LocoRoco Midnight Carnival is a fantastic addition to the ever increasing PSP library. It’s smart, well balanced, packed with content and a penny under twelve quid is actually pretty good value. Fans should consider this a no-brainer, newcomers might need a little longer to adjust to the controls but the two button mechanic is stronger and more refined than ever. I’m in love with the series, and thus probably as biased towards this game as a person can objectively be, but this is surely a wicked little game in anyone’s eyes: 9/10
Comments
Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.
waddo_89 | 28/10/2009 13:12
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423 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
If only I hadn’t ripped the joystick off my PSP-3000 before realising they aren’t replacable (*sigh*) and then ruined the finish trying to super glue it back on (*more sighs*) I might have picked this up.
tjgb | 28/10/2009 13:18
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276 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
Don’t you play Locoroco with just the triggers? If ever there’s a game for your poor PSP-3000, I would have thought that this is the one.
tjgb | 28/10/2009 13:19
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276 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
Oh… “minigames aside”
Shame.
waddo_89 | 28/10/2009 13:21
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423 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Hmm the stick is usable, just makes vice city stories a heck of a lot more tricky and aggrevating, and it’s quite abrasive! Bought a pack of replacement sticks from GAME in Vigo, Spain. Went at it with pliers, the rest is upsetting. :L
nofi | 28/10/2009 13:22
Wants a custom tag.
3870 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
@tjgb – I only quickly checked the minigames, hang on…
nofi | 28/10/2009 13:24
Wants a custom tag.
3870 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
@tjgb – LOL, the minigames work with just the triggers too. Damn!
paxpacis | 28/10/2009 13:20
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524 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
Well I do not know how handy you are with an soldering iron..
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Gaming/PSP/Accessories/Other/auction-239295817.htm
waddo_89 | 28/10/2009 13:28
Member
423 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Thanks for this! For the full cosmetic makover I need to carefully select an eBayer with whom I’d be happy to part with about 8p for a whole new shell
Getting drastically off topic here haha, thanks tjgb and nofi for the mini game help!
Divine | 28/10/2009 13:12
Member
598 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
Nice. Wonder if the Ad-Hoc Co-Op can tear the GF & I away from PJM: Deluxe’s offering, hmmm.
nofi | 28/10/2009 13:13
Wants a custom tag.
3870 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
It’s the perfect side-game to PJM, I think.
Crazy_Del | 28/10/2009 15:06
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397 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
Nice I think I will pick this up
and will give it a bash at work lol.
ER-nut | 28/10/2009 15:26
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238 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2009
Will there be a competition to win this game?
nofi | 28/10/2009 16:13
Wants a custom tag.
3870 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
No, don’t think so.
mynameisblair | 28/10/2009 17:55
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3668 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
Oh thats nice.
Love LocoRoco, its just so much fun!
And a pretty good price for the length, eh?
nofi | 28/10/2009 19:49
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3870 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
Yep, it’s great. The online leaderboards aren’t up yet sadly, but I’m ready for some score battles!
zb100 | 28/10/2009 19:45
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500 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
Yay! Loco!
coltsrule18 | 28/10/2009 21:44
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45 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2009
again i dont have a psp. i wish i had one now
a inferior race | 29/10/2009 02:23
I'm special
1415 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
Just a couple of question. Firstly, how big is the game in terms of memory? Secondly, does being able to fall to your death change the feel of the game from previous titles.
nofi | 29/10/2009 06:39
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It’s about 180MB, and yes, a bit. The game is tough, and the platformy bits are really tricky at first.
BadBoyBoogie | 29/10/2009 11:10
Let There Be Rock
2516 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Loved the first game, so I’ll definitely be getting this, especially after reading this review.