Mini Review: LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival (PSP) - A Frustrating Yet Jubilant Jamboree

LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival, a spin-off entry in the series from Japan Studio, released on the PSP in 2009 to mixed reviews. So it comes as a pleasant surprise to see it revitalised for PS5 and PS4 in the form of an enhanced emulation, with up-rendering, rewind, quick-save, Trophies (including a Platinum) and custom video filters.

For those that aren't familiar, LocoRoco is a bizarre puzzle platformer where you're tasked with manoeuvring the colourful titular blobs by tilting the environment to bounce, roll, and jump them to their destination, avoiding various hazards along the way. The series is well-known for being a bright, upbeat, and playful experience, but Midnight Carnival takes a slightly darker approach, with 16 new Halloween-themed levels, a tougher difficulty, and a handful of quirky mini-games to boot. However, this content is short-lived and can be cleared in less than three hours, with little incentive to return due to the unavailable multiplayer and leaderboards from the original release.

Controlling your blobby buddies can be very cumbersome; instead of moving them directly you'll instead be using L1 and R1 to tilt the stage left and right. Pressing both bumpers at the same time will cause Mr. Blobby's offspring to jump, and holding circle will allow them to merge or split apart for access to smaller passages. Navigating the various environments on offer can be very hazardous and frustrating, especially when a lot of obstacles and enemies result in insta-death and a level restart — pitfalls, spike traps, flying enemies, and more.

Where Midnight Carnival really thrives is in its gorgeous visuals, environmental design, and music. There's a vast array of challenging locations to navigate; from underwater paradises where you swim with fish, snowy expanses where you slide on ice with penguins, and dense jungles where you swing from vines with monkeys, it's always a joy to play. Accompanied by the cheerfully funky tunes, there's no denying this is an enjoyable experience from start to finish.

LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival, although short-lived, is a jubilant jaunt that'll have you smiling from ear to ear as much as it'll have you gritting your teeth in frustration at the amped-up difficulty and cumbersome controls. If you fancy a few hours bouncing around a bizarre nighttime festival and a simple Platinum Trophy, jump on in. However, we'd recommend the superior LocoRoco 1 and 2 Remasters over this.