I could repeat my entire LocoRoco 2 review here if I wanted, LocoRoco is an absolutely amazing concept for a platformer and I am so happy that after playing the sequel for so long during my childhood I could eventually get my hands on the original and play it.

To my disappointment, on my first playthrough I discovered many things that I loved about the sequel originated in the sequel. Although that does make me appreciate the second game even more, any time I play the first I can only wish for some of those features here.

With all that said, it isn't to say I don't still greatly enjoy this title with its unique level design, catchy gibberish songs, and extremely charming art style. It creates an extremely good foundation for the sequel to build off of.

LocoRoco is another Sony Japan Studio game I do not like. It is cutesy, but I hated the controls. You use the L1 and R1 buttons (assuming you are playing using a PS4 controller on the Vita TV like I was) to tilt the stage. Hold both the L1 and R1 buttons to jump, and press "O" to split yourself into multiple smaller versions of yourself. You get bigger by eating berries.

I am sorry, but I will never like this control scheme. Let me tilt the stage with the D-pad or analog sticks and let me jump with the face buttons. After finishing the first world, I pulled the plug on my playthrough.

Now, for a rant on Japan Studio. I swear, people are capping for Japan Studio. After they "closed down" (they merged with Team Asobi, the Astro Bot devs), people all over the internet were suddenly fans of Japan Studio's titles. Where were you when they released many of those games? You only realize how important something is, once you have lost it. I am sure there were genuine fans of Japan Studio who were not happy, but it feels like I am seeing more and more fake fans online.

I have many Japan Studio titles on multiple systems and the only one I liked was Shadow of the Colossus, but they co-developed that game with Team Ico. I did not like Ico, Gravity Rush, or Ape Escape and Gravity Rush is a title I have grown to dislike more as time passes. Knack 2 is a meme, but not a good game. I have not played Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, Wild Arms, the Patapon trilogy, Gravity Rush 2, or Last Guadian (as of Feb 20, 2024), so I have no opinions on those. Astro's Playroom is a decent platformer, but that is more of a tech demo for the PS5. So far, Japan Studio has not won me over.

Who knows? Maybe when I get to those games I mentioned that I have not played, it might change my mind. As of now, Japan Studio is overhyped.

I played this because the Japanese is quite simple so it was decent practice, plus I never finished it as a kid.

This game is undeniably full of charm. The cute and colorful art style and the music make it a fun experience. However, it gets quite repetitive at times. The second is definitely better, but for the second to come, a first has to exist.

I'll get on the second one again sometime this year, been like a decade since I last played it.

This is a silly and creative game, but its controls hinder my ability to explore the depth of its silliness and creativity. The floatiness of the physics ends up making so many leaps unnecessarily difficult. To me, this is still a game that exemplifies an era of Sony experimentation, and for that I appreciate what's on display. There aren't many weird little games coming out like this from major publishers anymore. I just wish that this game hadn't been designed in such a frustrating way to explore!