#Loco Roco

[watersgym]

The Sims Console Bundles

[slaket-and-sprash]

I fucking love Astro Bot but the difference between the VIP Bot levels is staggering

"these levels are homages to PlayStation's most popular franchises of the PS4/PS5 generation" vs "please Sony PLEASE PLEASE PLEEASE let us work on a new Ape Escape or Loco Roco! Here's a proof of concept! We'll do anything! We'll suck your toes and bark like a dog! Woof Woof just let us make Ape Escape 4 and/or Loco Roco 4!"

[groovyempire]

The colors are infinite

Sky x LocoRoco crossover!

[berrycontrary]

Was held hostage and forced to draw Loco Roco by my two friends /j (I willingly drew this despite not playing the games)

[Reblogs are appreciated!]

[ultimatenutshackfangirl]

Starting off the Summer with this watercolor masterpiece.

[whoisryosuke]

[kyndaris]

I Am Astro Bot!

There is something whimsical and carefree about the latest title from Team Asobi. While the PlayStation 5 came equipped with Astro's Playroom (primarily as a bid to showcase the powers of the console and the DualSense controller, Astro Bot takes one back to the good old days of wonder with its charm, vibrant palette and how fun it is to play. Is it any wonder it has wowed audiences of all ages despite the controversy surrounding the shuttering of Concord only a few weeks prior?

Some, of course, might feel like it's a cash grab and celebration of all things PlayStation (which it is), but this latest mascot platformer brings something we need in this day and age (especially after the recent US election).

Levity.

I've never felt as much joy as I did with Astro Bot (the challenge levels notwithstanding). From the early hours of the bots cruising through space in their PlayStation spaceship to all the bosses of each galaxy where each part of the PlayStation 5 has been hidden due to some green Martian-esque bad guys. What's more, it brings to bear the power of the PlayStation 5 without focusing on realism. The cartoony art style, in fact, makes the game pop in a way so many others games fail to do so.

And yet, it doesn't skimp on the capabilities brought about by the PlayStation 5 with its love of filling each stage with various knick-knacks to show off the particle effects. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a better game on the PlayStation 5, with the possible exception of Rachet and Clank: Rift Apart.

It just goes to show realistic graphics are not the way to go. Rather, the ones which hold up the best are the ones that pick something stylistic. Certainly, Astro Bot will be far more memorable than another bland washed-out open-world game.

More than that, Astro Bot is a game that never overstays its welcome. While I suffered from much fatigue with the likes of Tears of the Kingdom, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Horizon: Forbidden West and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Astro Bot was much more compact. Each stage, or planet, could be completed in just a few short minutes - thus making them infinitely replayable. Deaths, too, weren't too harshly punished.

But I digress from my effusive praise.

In every sense of the word, Astro Bot is a celebration.

Of the long storied history of PlayStation, yes, but also of gaming in general.

What I liked most was how our protagonist would take on the roles of other PlayStation powerhouses. The love and care dedicated to those levels brought a smile to my face as I played through them - from the God of War inspired one to Uncharted. Heck, even Loco Roco with its very unique way of traversal!

Even without the PlayStation powerhouses, Astro Bot also had special powerups that could be used for specific stages. These included the frog boxing gloves, the dog rush, chicken booster, metal ball upgrade, the monkey, and even a magnet! I loved how each were utilised within the levels they were located in, and especially in how they could be used to tackle the galaxy bosses.

Not to mention the music!

I loved how each themed stage had specific music tied to it - from the ghostly haunted ones to the ice stages to even the underground mushroom ones! I mean, who doesn't love a dancing fungi in the background? Heck, even the main title's song managed to sneak its way into my head!

From a story perspective, there isn't much to write home about. Astro and friends are attacked by a green alien. The PlayStation mothership crash lands into a desert planet, its core parts scattered. It is up to Astro to collect them all and rescue the other bots (all 300 of them). He does this by heading to five different galaxies and defeating the big hulking bosses at the end of them. Once that's done, he and a special hero from the PlayStation roster head to one last planet to round up the missing part before taking it back to the crash land site.

In the end, Astro and his friends battle against the aliens to win back the CPU.

They win, of course, but not without some sacrifice. Yet, though the game ends on a sad note, Astro is thrown back from the void he vanished into, broken. Like the ship itself, they are brought back to life with the help of the other bots.

So ends the game, with a playable section of the credits!

What's not to love?

And if you're asking me why I'm referring to Astro as 'they,' well, I really should be referring to the bot as it. After all, Astro is a robot. To give Astro a gender would be the HEIGHT of wokeness. And since I read on an online post that the REASON why Astro Bot was such a good game was because it wasn't woke, Astro must remain an 'it.' Or they/ them.

Of course, should Astro choose to go by male pronouns, who am I to argue? It certainly doesn't affect me, or deter me from enjoying a very good game (maybe one of these days, I'll go over how anti-woke politics on the internet has truly enraged me one of these days, but this post isn't it. I just want to enjoy my video games without people trying to pull it down because they feel like having a woman main character or a trans side character is somehow 'shoving the woke agenda down their throats').

In short, Astro Bot was a joy to play through. I liked how it encapsulated what made gaming so fun in the past, and bringing it to the present. This was just a silly little robot running around colourful worlds and tackling enemies with aplomb. And while I don't think the gaming landscape needs to be saturated with such titles, it was a welcome relief to the grittier realism that has infected a lot of modern gaming. Here's to many more adventures with Astro (with perhaps a return for some beloved older titles).

[4dmc]

why am i so bad at games i love

and good at games that don't make a lick of sense

[persephinae]

this game has more joy packed in 1 solitary pixel than most people have in their entire bodies

i cried when i first played this level

[jammes88]

Locoland

Characters included, color by color

Daitten (Oc / Orange)

Kulche (Yellow)

Coccorecho (Pink butterfly)

No characters or watermark

[daily-red-character]

Red Character of the Day

day 111

Pekerone

From: Loco Roco

Req: @clicktuck-suskriberz

[ultimatenutshackfangirl]

My latest crime: Giving my favorite character a nice dream.

Then again, said character is a villain, so...

duality of man

[groovyempire]

Viole gets Bon to put on his old outfit so he looks less like a space faring evil warlord (which he very much is)

[ultimatenutshackfangirl]

Finished too late to post on Valentine's Day, posted just in time for LocoRoco's anniversary.

[groovyempire]

Me, describing soundtrack: So, Etoulle Puccoratte! embodies everything I love about LocoRoco. It’s catchy, bouncy and just fills you with positive energy. It combines the unique styles and personalities of all the characters to create a great symphony that makes you feel the love put into making the game series. That’s why it’s number two in my top list