TGS07: LocoRoco Cocoreccho hands-on

LocoRoco Cocoreccho will arrive on the PlayStation Store this week, and we were able to get some time with it at Sony's pre-TGS media event. We're sad to say that this brand new PS3 sequel loses one of the most important aspects of the original: simplicity. LocoRoco on the PSP charmed gamers with its simple and intuitive play mechanic that could be understood from the moment one picks up the system.

One cannot say the same for Cocoreccho, the supposed "screensaver" game for PS3. There are too many different control mechanisms at play, creating a generally disparate experience. For example, the ability to tilt the world is surprisingly inconsistent: it can only occur during specific parts of each level. Players will have to rock the controller, pump it up and down, sway it left and right throughout each level -- in addition to having to move the analog stick to control the floating butterflies that motivate the LocoRocos to move along. The lengthy tutorial that's included with our demo worries us that the game is much too complicated for its own good.

Obviously, we need to spend more time with the title to fully understand the nuances of the "game" -- perhaps when slowly introduced to the experience, it becomes much more endearing. But in the very little we've seen, we were dismayed by the surprising complexity of this LocoRoco follow-up.