3 PSP Platformers: Daxter, Ratchet & Clank and LocoRoco

Daxter is our pick for a character-led platform adventure. Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is the alternative if weapons and equipment are part of the attraction. LocoRoco changes the idea entirely: you guide rolling characters by tilting their world.

These three original PSP releases make a useful comparison because their movement and priorities differ. The aim is to choose the experience you want, not to pretend that one numerical ranking suits every player. Our broader PSP games guide covers other genres.

Choose by what you want to control

Two games can both be called platformers while asking for very different skills. If you like directly placing a character, start with Daxter or Ratchet. If you enjoy learning an unusual relationship between input and motion, LocoRoco is the more interesting experiment.

Daxter: a platform adventure with its own lead

Daxter follows Jak's companion around Haven City while he works as an exterminator and tries to rescue his friend. The premise makes this a story with its own lead, rather than simply a level pack for another Jak game.

Choose it when the character and journey matter more than building an arsenal. Movement through the environment gives you a clear reason to pay attention to the space around you. Start by getting comfortable with positioning and the camera before trying to hurry through unfamiliar sections.

Daxter also appears in our PSP action games shortlist. Here the useful distinction is narrower: it is the most straightforward choice among these three when you specifically want a character-led platform adventure.

Size Matters: platforming with equipment decisions

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters mixes its adventure with weapons, customisable armour and a shrinking mechanic. That makes it the recommendation for someone who enjoys checking what a character can use as much as deciding where to jump next.

The unusual Technomite setting and changes of scale give the adventure a reason to play with the environments it presents. If equipment is the part that excites you, make time to understand a new option instead of treating every pickup as something to ignore until later.

Compared with Daxter, this is a choice about the surrounding systems rather than a claim that one game is harder. Try a new piece of equipment in a situation you already understand. That helps you see its role without confusing an unfamiliar tool with an unfamiliar area.

LocoRoco: move the world, then follow the result

LocoRoco is a puzzle-platforming alternative in which rolling, bouncing, splitting and merging the characters are central ideas. Its PSP controls use the shoulder buttons to tilt the world. The challenge comes from guiding movement through the environment rather than controlling a conventional running hero.

Our LocoRoco PSP games comparison explains how the original, LocoRoco 2 and Midnight Carnival differ, especially if you want relaxed discovery rather than repeated challenge runs.

Choose it if you want something with a different rhythm from jumping between ledges and fighting enemies. Give yourself a few attempts to understand how a tilt changes motion. Making a small correction and watching the result can be more useful than holding an input for too long.

Descriptions of LocoRoco Remastered may mention DualShock motion controls. That is a later PS4 edition, and it should not lead you to expect phone-tilt controls in the original PSP game. For more games built around a central puzzle idea, compare our PSP puzzle recommendations.

A practical choice for different kinds of sessions

If you want to follow a protagonist through an adventure, start with Daxter. If you want that adventure to include more equipment decisions, try Size Matters. If you mainly want to learn a compact movement idea and explore what designers can do with it, choose LocoRoco.

Also consider how you like to return after a break. A character adventure may require remembering the last objective. A distinctive movement game may require a short warm-up to recover the feel of its controls. Neither is a problem, but a little preparation makes resuming more satisfying.

Avoid judging all three through a single question such as which has the biggest world. The relevant comparison is whether you enjoy the activity that repeats most often. If the PS1 era interests you too, our PS1 platformers guide compares another set of movement styles.

Check the controls before a long session

Feature availability: external gamepads, Save / Load State and optional Autosave on Exit require EMUspace Pro. Enable Autosave on Exit if you want to use it, and exit the game normally; do not rely on a crash or forced app closure to save progress.

Begin with the PSP setup guide for iPhone and import your own compatible game file. EMUspace does not supply these titles. Test movement and the shoulder buttons before reaching a demanding section. A compatible Bluetooth controller may be a more comfortable choice if simultaneous inputs feel awkward on the screen.

The save states and controllers guide explains EMUspace's save/load controls in the game card and pause menu, together with Autosave on Exit. Keep normal in-game saves as part of the routine. These recommendations describe the games, not measured frame rates or universal device compatibility.

Edition questions

Is LocoRoco a conventional 3D platformer?

No. Its world-tilting movement makes it a different kind of choice from Daxter and Size Matters. That difference is why it belongs in a shortlist organised by play style.

Can I import a PS4 or PS5 purchase as a PSP game?

A later console conversion is not a PSP game file. Use the correct compatible original-platform files and follow the import guide. Added features advertised for modern conversions do not automatically apply to EMUspace.

Sources and edition notes

Publisher sources support the game and edition details below. Our selection advice is editorial; it is not a measured performance comparison.

• PlayStation: Daxter
• PlayStation: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
• PlayStation: LocoRoco mechanics and remaster distinctions
• PlayStation: LocoRoco shoulder-button control heritage

Explore EMUspace for iPhone

For help choosing a particular adventure, read the Daxter beginner guide or compare Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters with Secret Agent Clank. The latter pair shares a universe but changes the balance of shooting, gadgets and spy-themed activities.