LocoRoco[c] is a 2006 platform video game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable.

There are six varieties of LocoRoco in the game, identified by their color, appearance, and musical voice, but outside of the first "Yellow" one, the rest are unlocked as the player completes the level.

[3] The player can then opt which LocoRoco they want to use for a level, however, this selection has no fundamental gameplay effects and only changes the songs used.

[3] Throughout the levels are areas that require a minimum number of LocoRoco in order to cause them to sing and wake up one of the planet's odd residents, who will then reward the player with an item for their "Loco House".

Levels also contain "Pickories" which can be collected by the LocoRoco and are used as a form of currency to play two mini-games outside of the main game.

[5] While on a train during the second quarter of 2004,[6] Kouno had used a PDA to sketch a game that would involve multiple similar characters that would not be in direct control of the player.

At that time, the PlayStation Portable was nearing release, and Kouno felt the unit's shoulder buttons would be appropriate for the tilting controls.

[5] However, despite the simple controls, Kouno noted they included deep gameplay around those that would require players to master to gain all the collectibles in the game.

[12] Kouno spent one month with a four-person team to create a simple pre-prototype version of the game that demonstrated the rolling gameplay aspect.

[8] A complete prototype was created by an eight-person team over three months to establish the rest of the game's core mechanics, including the joining and splitting of the Loco Roco and the dynamic music.

[16] The soundtrack for LocoRoco is based on a fictional language created by Kouno to avoid alienating foreign players by using Japanese music.

[7] Kouno then sent the lyrics along with some of his preferred reggae, soul and R&B music to the composers, Nobuyuki Shimizu and Kemmei Adachi, to complete the soundtrack.

[6] While the soundtrack had many different themes, Kouno felt that the fictional LocoRoco language helped to unify the songs across the game.

[9] A special Halloween-themed demo was released for download on October 26, 2006,[20] It featured some exclusive graphics and objects, like Jack-o-lanterns, spirits, and more.

Charles Herold of the New York Times compared the graphics to Katamari Damacy, calling them "simple" and "pretty"[38] while Sam Kennedy of 1UP considered it akin to "playing out an adorable cartoon".

[33] The game, at times, was compared to a "slow-motion version of Sonic the Hedgehog" with the player controlling the LocoRoco as they move up and down hills and through loop-de-loops in the level.

[32][33] However, these reviewers also commented that the monotonous gameplay is not as significant an issue with a gaming system like the PSP that encourages shorter play sessions.

[42] Prior to its release in North America, 1UP blogger Alejandro Quan-Madrid equated the Moja characters in LocoRoco to blackface, and citing the game as an example of "institutionalized racism that needs calling out".

[45] Quan-Madrid called on Sony to make a simple color change to the Moja, similar to what Capcom had done for the character of Oilman in Mega Man Powered Up.

[49][50] The game was more successful in Europe and North America, prompting Sony to start development of additional titles.

"[55] The game was digitally released on October 29, 2009, for North American and European areas,[56] and on November 1, 2009, in Japan for the launch of the PSP Go.