Astro Bot Offers a Spark of Hope For a LocoRoco Revival

Astro Bot Offers a Spark of Hope For a LocoRoco Revival

As a long-time PlayStation enthusiast who has fondly remembered the days of my PSP and the delightful LocoRoco games, I can’t help but feel a renewed sense of excitement with Astro Bot’s latest update. The inclusion of LocoRoco in this marvelous 3D platformer is like stumbling upon an old friend at a reunion you didn’t even know you needed.


The Astro Bot game by PlayStation has turned into a remarkable achievement for the publisher, serving as an excellent chronicle of its past. Not only does it stand out as a delightful 3D platformer, but playing Astro Bot also feels like taking a trip through time, showcasing the legacy of PlayStation with heartfelt tributes and nods to the famous lineup of PlayStation consoles. To enhance this educational journey, the game features bonus levels where Astro Bot can command iconic franchises from the PlayStation series.

Among the standout unique stages, one particularly intriguing aspect is Astro Bot transforming into playable characters from the lesser-known series, LocoRoco. Originating on the PlayStation Portable, LocoRoco has gained recognition due to its distinctive gameplay. Considering it’s among a group of well-established PlayStation franchises like God of War, Uncharted, and Horizon that have also been granted special stages, the presence of LocoRoco seems significant. Most notably, this unexpected appearance offers a glimmer of hope that a fresh LocoRoco game might be released sooner than expected.

Astro Bot’s LocoRoco Section Makes A New Game Possible

Fans Won’t Have To Look Far To Find The LocoRoco Series

Compared to franchises featured in Astro Bot, LocoRoco is less well-known. Most of its main games were launched on the PlayStation Portable during the late 2000s, and it never had a flagship original game release on a home console. Fortunately, those interested in exploring the franchise won’t have to search extensively to find its most significant titles.

Both the initial “LocoRoco” and its subsequent version were remastered on the PlayStation 4 in 2017. These games can also be played on the PlayStation 5 as backward-compatible titles. In addition, a re-release of “LocoRoco Midnight Carnival,” a spinoff game that continues the story from “LocoRoco 2,” was made available for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2022. All three games are now part of the Premium tier of Sony’s PlayStation Plus service, making it effortless for newcomers to the series to access them.

LocoRoco Could See A Return With The PlayStation VR2

It might be advantageous for LocoRoco to consider incorporating compatibility with PlayStation VR2 in the future, given Sony’s challenges in selling its latest virtual reality headset and speculation about reduced support for PS VR2. Prior to completely writing off the platform as a lost cause, Sony should at least contemplate developing some innovative VR2 games, and LocoRoco could serve as an excellent starting point for such experiments.

Indeed, a flat mode might work best for marketing the game, but it’d be thrilling to incorporate Virtual Reality 2 (VR2) technology into a future LocoRoco title. Since this game revolves around tilting stages to move its jelly-like characters, the VR2’s head motion could let players tilt their heads to guide the characters through the environment. This would be an innovative showcase of the hardware, something Sony seems eager to see given the challenges VR2 is currently facing.

As a gaming enthusiast, it’s quite remarkable to see LocoRoco among the select few PlayStation franchises that have been granted special levels. Titles like God of War, Uncharted, and Horizon Zero Dawn are usually the ones I associate with such distinctions, so having my favorite quirky, musical puzzle-platformer on that list really stands out to me!

Team Asobi Is The Perfect Developer For A LocoRoco Revival

Since Team Asobi, the creators of Astro Bot, were once part of the original LocoRoco franchise’s developer, Japan Studio, they would be an ideal choice to revive LocoRoco. Their integration of LocoRoco elements into Astro Bot can be seen as a demonstration of their affection for the game, and it seems like a trial run for them to potentially become the new developers of LocoRoco. This special level could serve as a launchpad for Team Asobi to boldly reintroduce LocoRoco in a grand manner.

Beyond this, it’s worth noting that Team Asobi, who demonstrated exceptional skill with virtual reality in 2018’s “Astro Bot Rescue Mission,” could bring their VR2 visions to life. Over the years, they have impressively showcased PlayStation’s hardware, making them a strong candidate to convince audiences of the appeal of PlayStation VR2. Regardless of whether this happens or not, “LocoRoco” deserves a comeback, and its presence in Astro Bot could be just the beginning of bigger things.

Read More

2024-10-03 20:04