Still cute, but harder than a mofo, Midnight Carnival is a mixed bag that can either be loved or hated by players.
The red BuiBui, the opposite of the friendly blue MuiMui, are back and have taken the LocoRoco whilst they were sleeping. Because of this, the LocoRoco have to escape the BuiBui's gauntlet. Like always, you're tilting the stage with both L & R and jumping with L & R simutaneously to get to the end of the stage. The O button, which is normally used to split apart your LocoRoco and combine them into one is rarely used here in this installment. A new mechanic has been introduced, however. The "Boing" mechanic allows you to jum from wall to wall, and you can use the mechanic as a combo by jumping the whole way through, The only ways you'll lose the combo is by hitting spikes, getting caught by the evil Moja, or by pressing L & R too late.
In this installment, the scoring system is completely on-screen while playing, unlike the previous installments where your score appears at the end of each stage. You can increase the score by collecting berries, pickories (the game's currency), and increasing your "Boing" combo (the max being 100). If you use the "Boing" mechanic throughout the stage without messing up, as well as get all berries, pickories, and the hidden MuiMui (one hidden on each stage), each will add 100000 points to your score. However, you are given a time to beat before each level. Go over the given time, and your score will be halved at the end of the stage. The remaining time will add to your score at the end if you get to the end of the stage early, so go fast if you want your score to increase further.
In addition, you can compare your score with other players using the online leaderboard in infrastructure online mode, however you need a PlayStation Network account to do this. Then again, you need a PlayStation Network account to get this game anyway, as this is a PSN exclusive. Speaking of, you can also team up with 3 more friends via Ad-hoc mode (which is where you can connect to other PSPs within 30 feet) to beat the stages, which can also be a hassle if your friends never played a LocoRoco game to save their lives, so its better to play alone.
The game's difficulty is beyond any other LocoRoco game in existance. This game is the hardest one of them all, as you try to maneuver your LocoRoco through spikey death traps and endless pits, but the way it was done here, was absolutely cruel. You must be an expert at the LocoRoco series to get pass this one without a Game Over, which is what you'll get if you lose all your LocoRoco, otherwise, you'll get to the point where you want to smash your PSP into bits, or throw your PSP into a wall, which could result in your PSP being in bits as well as leaving a dent or a hole in your wall. Thankfully, I won't be doing either...
The graphics are the same as any other LocoRoco game. The visuals are reminicent of a flash game and retain their charm, however, you wouldn't be saying "Awwww..." that much like in the previous entries, as a lot of dialogue you'll say while playing this could nothing but gratuitous swearing or crying so badly, you'll be creating a waterfall on your face as your tears hit the PSP screen, because you can't get through a level. That's IF you're not an expert.
As for the sound effects and music, it's the same old LocoRoco-style of songs and cartoony sound effects you'd be expecting. Instead of the MuiMui singing the stage songs, however, it's the BuiBui who are singing the songs, which sound like Satan's version of the Chipmunks.
Overall, the game is good, but it is challenging none the less. I would only recommend this to hardcore fans of the LocoRoco series and people who want a challenge. Otherwise, stick with LocoRoco or LocoRoco 2 if you want to maintain your sanity.