LocoRoco 2 expands with many new modes

LocoRoco 2 is finally on its way to the U.S. in 2009 (Japan & Europe will get it this year) and along with it comes all the extremely cute and huggable, rollable orange blobs that you know and love, in addition to a slew of new modes, abilities and additions.

There is a ton of new content in the game (as revealed at TGS 08) that will appeal to hardcore gamers that were turned off by the casual play of the original game, although you of course will still navigate by tilting the screen left or right with the R&L shoulder buttons.

The biggest new addition to the game are new abilities that you’ll acquire throughout. An example of this is being able to grab objects with your teeth, allowing them to grab onto switches, levers, swings, etc. allowing for more varied gameplay and environments. Other new abilities include:

* The ability to go underwater
* The ability to cling to walls
* And a large number of LocoRoco can activate rockets, giant mechs and more.

The environments will even offer branching paths and will play to the new abilities. They also encourage exploration and replayability. Additionally, returning to previous environments with your new-found abilities will allow you to access previously inaccessible areas, ala Super Metroid.

Here is a description of the new mini-games/modes: (thanks to Joystiq for the list)

* Nyokki Nyon Yokki - Essentially “Whack a Mole” with LocoRoco characters. Grab a hammer and start bashing at Mujo to slow down the countdown and increase your score.
* Bui Bui Bwooooon - This ridiculously-named mode granted us the greatest smile of all. Inspired by the classic side-scroller shooters of yore, this has you controlling a ship with an attached LocoRoco. The blubbery ball must not get shot, and can grow in size as you feed it more fruit. The larger the blob, the more difficult it will be to defend it, but the more rewards will be available at the end of the level. It’s unexpected of the LocoRoco franchise, and we love it.
* Loco Stamp - More than 150 stamps and stickers can be collected in the single player adventure. These stickers in turn can be applied to empty canvases. Save them to Memory Stick and share your creativity with your friends.
* Loco Rider - This is the multiplayer component to LocoRoco 2. In this battle mode, players will use the analog stick to move around and will be able to charge up jumps. Bump into other characters, trying to knock them into various spikes and hazards through the level. Hurting other players will break them apart, allowing you to absorb their parts and grow larger. Fattest player wins.
* Mui Mui House - This is an ever-growing hub which hides many of the secrets of LocoRoco 2. It is, in some ways, the game’s interpretation of The Sims. Mui Mui will live in this house, and as you progress through the game, you will unlock new rooms and new furniture. Keep the Mui Mui happy, and you may be able to unlock some of the secrets found in the game. But watch out! Sometimes, enemies will attack the house and you’ll have to defend everyone. While it’s a rather non-interactive experience for the most part, it’s incredibly amusing to just watch the animations of all the Mui Mui living in this abode.

Last but not least, not only have the visuals been improved with more stuff going on-screen at once, but there are new characters as well, including a sassy female LocoRoco who will fight against a new horde of Bui Bui whose nuisance you must attempt to remove from each level.

There will be less levels in the sequel than the first, but more to do in each level. Additionally, as the above abilities suggest, the game will be packed with more hidden and optional content for those hardcore gamers who want to search for it, including hidden boss battles that some casual players may never even find! Thankfully there will be a map that will help you discover all the hidden secrets, and you can exchange the musical note currency for helpful tips.

Of course, the unique music is back and this time it’s also been improved, and as you get more LocoRoco the music will change with more texture and additional layers of voice to create a truly unique and fitting aural landscape.

So it looks like LocoRoco 2 is set to offer an improved video game experience that won’t alienate either the casual or the hardcore when it hits the U.S. next year and this year in Japan and Europe.

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