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| LocoRoco Midnight Carnival |
| Front Cover | Game Details | |||||||||||
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| Description |
| LocoRoco Midnight Carnival is a fine example of what a handheld game should be: Short, sweet and addictive. The simplistic design of controlling the in-game action with nothing more than the shoulder buttons allows gamers to play in short bursts without having to figure out where they left off when they last put their PSP to sleep. Midnight Carnival is the type of game that players can also pass off to a friend for easy pickup and play. The levels are short and many can be beaten in roughly two to four minutes. At about 16 levels, plus a few bonus stages and minigames, it initially sounds as if any skilled gamer can tilt, bounce and tumble their way to the end in little more than an hour but that belies the game's depth. Perhaps it was due to my lack of experience with the previous titles but I found the early stages to be remarkably easy. All I had to do was chain a handful of jumps together and hit the shoulder buttons here and there to tilt the world so that my little round balls of goo could progress to the exit. Then the game sucker punched me with a difficulty curve that shot dramatically up about six levels in. Despite its cute exterior, Midnight Carnival is an incredibly challenging experience. The good news is that it rarely felt as if the game was cheating; sure, it likes to taunt players a bit by laughing at them then kicking them while they're down, but I found the punishment to be enjoyable, enough so that I kept going back for more. It harkens back to classic platformers of yesteryear in terms of difficulty but it also has that addictiveness that brings you back for more. Even as I was frustrated by the challenge, I still somehow end up enjoying every minute of it. |