By Ned Jordan

LocoRoco 2 is one of those games that's simple to pick up and play, but that is difficult to explain to someone who's never seen the game before. I'll try to give it my best shot, though. LocoRocos are tiny, happy, bouncy little blob-like things and you're job is to help them navigate their way through colorful and fantastical 2D levels while keeping them safe from the various baddies that wish them harm. Blob-like things don't have legs, so to move them back and forth you need to tilt the ground back and forth which you do by pressing the left or right triggers. Push the triggers both at once and you'll give the screen a little hop, allowing the LocoRocos to bounce over an obstacle or onto an enemy to squish it. There's one other trick at the LocoRoco's disposal; they can bunch together to form a single big LocoRoco blob. The single blob form has a number of advantages, not the least of which is that it makes travel easier since you don't have to try and manage a dozen or so individual rolling blobs. You'll want to spend most of the time with your LocoRocos collected into one, and break them apart when you need to squeeze them through a small gap or some similar type of situation.

The tilt-to-roll gameplay is surprisingly fun on its own and it's pretty cool to watch the LocoRocos go whipping around loops or flying over gaps, but there's more to the gameplay than simply rolling from Point A to Point B. If you manage to pluck and eat the fruit that grows in the LocoRoco world you'll gain an additional LocoRoco to add to your brood and there are a number of mini games that you'll encounter while rolling through a level such as note-matching music rhythm games. Some sequences take place underwater and you'll need to keep your LocoRocos diving and surfacing rather than rolling. There are also some enjoyable sequences in which your LocoRocos can man the shells of large creatures with special abilities such as the ability to smash their way through obstacles. Despite these gameplay additions, I'd hesitate to describe the gameplay as diverse, but the repetitive edge is dulled by creative and innovative level design. When you start a new level, curiosity as to what you'll find in the level is stronger than the anticipation of more rolling gameplay action. LocoRoco 2 is as much of an experience as it is a game.

There's a story behind the game, but it's hard to convey to you since it's basically nonsensical. Suffice it to say that the evil Mojas hate the LocoRocos and the LocoRocos need to defend themselves and their happy little world. Story is not as important as atmosphere in this game anyway, and that atmosphere is best described with words such as happy, cute, and bouncy. I can't really say that I seek out cute games and in general prefer those that skew darker, but LocoRoco 2 managed to suck me in - brightly colored worlds and catchy, happy music and all. The gameplay is pretty unique and has its own special challenge to it, but I think that its the imagination and creativity that went into the game that gives it its special appeal. Even if you don't normally go for cute games, LocoRoco 2 is worth checking out - even if you can only play it when no one else is watching.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 85%. Something so cute and so simple shouldn't be this fascinating.