TGS07: Interview with Loco Roco's Tsutomu Kouno
We had the opportunity to catch up with the father of Loco Roco, Tsutomu Kouno, and ask him a few questions about his newly released sequel, Loco Roco Cocoreccho. The interview was conducted along with Spencer Yip from Siliconera. We ask him what his inspirations were, why he decided to develop an "interactive screensaver" and whether there will be any downloadable content in the future. Find the full interview after the break.
What was your inspiration for the Loco Roco franchise?
I carry a PDA around with me wherever I go and I draw out any ideas that I have. Several years ago I found myself drawing Loco Rocos on the train in various forms. Around that time the PSP had first been announced so I started to think how I could turn my little characters into a game. I thought to myself: "there must be a way to have the shoulder buttons of the PSP control the movement."
How did the game's music come about?
Personally, I like reggae, soul and R&B music and always felt that not enough games utilised different genres. Because of this I put music that I like into the game. I burned a lot of my personal music collection to a disc and sent it to my composer. He did the rest.
As for the lyrics, I tried to get all the languages I could find and wrote down interesting words in katakana. Then I changed these into words that Japanese people would find cool, so that people could not recognise individual words of any particular language. I had invented my own language.
Is there any word on Loco Roco 2 for PSP?
Hmmm. Can I say anything? I don't know. All I can really say is that in the future "the Loco Rocos will be even more amazing". I have a lot of ideas that I really can't talk about.
What made you change the gameplay so much for the PS3 version?
I wanted to play to the console's strength - processing power. I wanted hundreds of Loco Rocos on screen at once. The new control scheme works better for that.
Why not release it on Blu-Ray?
Do you really want it on Blu-Ray? It's too small. Perfect as a downloadable.
How do you feel about it being called an interactive screensaver?
That was my idea. I wanted the game to be as fun to watch as it is to play. I didn't want the game to stop when you put down the controller for a while. There are no bad guys in the Loco Roco's main route because of this. There are also three mini games hidden around.
How do you find them?
You won't find them the first time. After you beat it once it will open more areas, where the games are hidden. There's a certain place in those areas which will take you to it, like a launch pad or giant bird.
Can you jump straight into the mini games from the main menu?
No, you can't.
Why?
The mini games are part of the full game. They are the only way of getting all 200 Loco Rocos in the level
Is there only one level available?
Yes.
Are there any plans to release more as downloadable content?
We currently have no plans to do that.
Will there be any Loco Roco trophies for Home?
I don't know at the moment - that will be announced as the functionality of Home is announced.
Will there be any user generated content availability in any future versions of the game?
That idea hasn't been abandoned yet.
