LocoRoco is quirky, cute, and an overall great game, but it can be difficult at times.
Graphics: 8
LocoRoco's graphical style oozes with cuteness on a level I have never experienced in my lifetime. It's bright, colorful worlds are vibrant and look great, and the LocoRoco itself looks like a smiley-faced blob. The enemies and other characters look equally good.
Sound: 8
The music in this game is, in a few words, extremely catchy. It's a mix of both J-Pop-ish music and more nature-themed music. The sound effects are all kiddie-sounding and add further to the unprecedentedly huge charm factor. The voice acting...well, there isn't much to be said, because there really isn't much in it, but it only adds to the charm.
Gameplay: 9
This game is incredibly easy to learn, though it does have a rather unique control scheme. Instead of traditionally using the D-pad to move the LocoRoco around, you use the left and right shoulder triggers to tilt the game world itself and allow the LocoRoco to roll around. Pressing L and R at the same time makes it jump, holding it down increases said jump's height, and the Circle button splits up and rebuilds the LocoRoco. It's innovative in its own right, but it's also incredibly easy to catch on to. There isn't much of a story to the game - dark creatures called "Mojas" invade the earth and start killing the LocoRocos. It's up to one of them to bring world peace back.
The way your LocoRoco grows is unique - you eat up fruits to increase your size. The bigger you are, the more single LocoRocos you'll split up into. But the bigger you are, the more you weigh. This is critical to getting through some of the levels, and although it can and probably will get challenging at times, it's all somewhat rewarding. Mini-games and a "Loco House" feature break up the monotony.
Replay Value: 8
This is a cute game with some great music, and that alone will want you to come back. But it will get boring and somewhat uninteresting after a set amount of time.
Overall, even if you aren't into its cutesy nature, LocoRoco is a rather successful platformer/adventure hybrid, and most gamers out there will enjoy this game.