Back when the PlayStation 3 was still an incredibly expensive console and had very little in the way of major exclusive IP’s, it was LittleBigPlanet that finally convinced me to make the console jump. Developed by the team at Media Molecule and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, it was a video game that successfully delivered on its three fundamental elements: “Play”, “Create” and “Share”; allowing gamers to produce their own 3D side-scrolling platformers and share them with the world. While I went into the game with big ambitions, personally I underestimated the time and creativity required to produce a half-decent level… and to this day I have never been able to fully embrace the “Create” and “Share” elements of LittleBigPlanet. But whether you have the time to dive through the dierse creation tools or are like me and want to just enjoy the millions of distinct community-created levels, every time you play the game it delivers brand new experiences. Not only did LittleBigPlanet put Media Molecule on the map, but it has also become one of the defining games on the PlayStation range of consoles.
Since first launching in late-2008, the franchise has seen a direct sequel (LittleBigPlanet 2 – 2011), a karting spin-off and smaller editions on both PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita platforms. With the PlayStation 4 now available on the market and a new generation of consoles well and truly underway, gamers now have the chance to check out LittleBigPlanet 3 on both PS3 and PS4 platforms. For the first time, a home console release in the franchise hasn’t been directly developed by Media Molecule. Instead, Sumo Digital has taken on the reins to develop and build upon the iconic experience that LittleBigPlanet has provided fans with for more than six years. Although there are some considerable changes and additions, Sumo Digital has still provided a satisfying experience that stays true to the principles of “Play, Create, Share”.
As with earlier instalments, the Story Mode in LittleBigPlanet 3 is less about delivering an epic storyline akin to The Last of Us or Beyond: Two Souls, and more about giving you an idea about what is possible with the creation tools available to all players. That being said, Sumo Digital haven’t half-assed it with their story. Players once again take control of Sackboy/Sackgirl, who is taken to the new planet of Bunkum by a creator known as Newton (Voiced by Hugh Laurie). Talked into unleashing the “Titans” upon Bunkum, which subsequently possess Newton and wreak havoc upon the planet, Sackboy is tasked with recruiting the world’s three legendary heroes (Oddsock, Swoop and Toggle). The concept behind this storyline is simple and no-frills, but does the job well, The experience is improved by the fact that most non-playable characters are fully-voiced, with dialogue not limited to just cutscenes.
For the first time in LittleBigPlanet history, rather than making your way through a linear set of progressively unlocking levels, several areas of Bunkum comprise of a uniquely themed hub world with multiple quests and sub-quests littered throughout via doors. The goal is to complete the major quests to unlock a new companion. Progress through each hub is managed via a newly introduced quest system, with a wide variety of different yet often fairly short stages on offer. The quests were on average competently designed and enjoyable, however I personally found the sub-quests to be much more rewarding. One early example sees your Sackperson ground down into multiple copies of himself/herself by a Burgerperson. The goal of this stage is to lead them to the end of the end of a hazardous route with at least 6 copies still alive, which will subsequently be fed to another burgerperson. The longer your copies survive, the greater the rewards. It is these stages that highlight some of the more unique and fun things that the community could produce using their tools. The quest system can be used in community created levels as well, although for the sake of this review I did not test it out.
While Sackboy comes with his/her trademark style of jumping, running and use of various technologies; each of the three newly introduced characters come with their own distinct play styles. The four-legged Oddsock can run fast and perform wall jumps with ease, the bird-like Swoop can fly around stages by flapping its wings endlessly and Toggle can toggle their weight and size between Big/Small. Most of the time you will control SackBoy in Story Mode, however the differences between all four grant level creators much more freedom in their design – and all four have been creatively used by the community in the past few weeks. It is even possible to switch between characters mid-stage, so you aren’t limited to considering just one in your new creation.
As with other LittleBigPlanet instalments, you are given the option of playing by yourself or with up to three others. There are a couple of stages that may lock you into going solo or with others, but most stages do provide extra unlockables for those who have a full party of players. Some of the best multiplayer stages from my experience were ones that see a combination of different characters used, with Swoop for example being able to pick up characters when flying and Toggle being able to get into small nooks inaccessible by anyone else. While there is a surprising lack of out-of-the-box stages that use all four characters at once effectively, the community will likely have something tailored to your every niche and desire. Thanks to the extra creation tools and capabilities (Such as being able to create stages with sixteen layers rather than three), expect to see a lot more from the community in the next few months that will surpass anything Sumo Digital have provided.
Transitioning from LittleBigPlanet to LittleBigPlanet 2 allowed players to transfer all their unlocked costumes, stickers, objects and music from the first game – boosting the range of items you had to work with. This feature was never included in the portable console releases, and I was sceptical given the console change that they would offer this feature in LittleBigPlanet 3. However, provided you have synced both LBP and/or LBP2 online at some point, a few clicks in the options menu and a couple of minutes waiting is all it takes to unlock all previously earned items from both games. Even if you aren’t into level creation, it is great starting out the game with a large array of costumes at your disposal to mix and match. As you would expect, stages created in LBP1 and LBP2 are accessible in LittleBigPlanet 3, as is most of the downloadable content you have accumulated over the years.
LittleBigPlanet 3 is all about exploring and experimenting with everything on hand to go from a blank canvas into work that could be considered a piece of art. This review only attempts to touch upon a small selection of what is available for you to work with, and there is so much more to unlock and discover during your playthrough of potentially up to hundreds of hours. “Play”, “Create” and “Share” have all received improvements, and it is these that make LittleBigPlanet 3 the most exciting installment of its franchise to date. LittleBigPlanet has grown significantly these past six years, and I look forward to what the next six hold.
Could have used more Stephen Fry however….
