Review: LittleBigPlanet 3

Booting up LittleBigPlanet 3 and hearing the dulcet tones of Stephen Fry is like coming home on a rainy day and snuggling into a big thick blanket with a cup of hot chocolate. His treacle-thick voice envelopes you and is like a wonderful welcome home.

New developer Sumo Digital keeps Media Molecule’s tradition alive and do a splendid job of capturing the LBP tone and spirit. I was concerned going in that without Media Molecule helming Sackboy’s fourth main outing that that ineffable LBP quality would be lost. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded and in LittleBigPlanet 3 I found a wildly successful spin on the formula so established by three games prior.

By now you should all know the drill. Sackboy explores a collection of 2.5D platforming levels, collecting prize bubbles and engaging in a range of mini games. His jumping is deliberately floaty (love it or hate it) and playing is more about exploration, experimentation and creativity than it is precisely timed jumps. In LittleBigPlanet 3 the story mode is just that. Well, almost.

In previous games, you progress along a semi-linear path from level to level and beat them in the order they’re presented. In LBP3 each chapter is contained within a sprawling hub world/level. Sackboy is able to explore this hub at his leisure, collecting bubbles and bells (currency with which to purchase fancy new duds) and completing levels in any order the players sees fit. It adds a semi open world feel and a freer sense of exploration to proceedings. Sack can even come across citizens of Bunkum who have special side quests and levels for him to complete.

Speaking of Bunkum, LittleBigPlanet 3 takes place in this brand new part of the Imagisphere. Drawn to Bunkum by the light bulb-headed Newton – hilariously voiced by Hugh Laurie – Sackboy inadvertently releases three creativity absorbing Titans. He must then recapture them to prevent the total destruction of the Imagisphere. The plot is predictably light and cartoony and it suits LBP to a tee. The three Titans are the catalyst for Sackboy meeting his new chums; Oddsock, Toggle and Swoop. These three heroes originally banished the Titans to their prison and so to put them back again Sackboy needs their assistance.

Oddsock is my favourite of the new heroes with his dog-like appearance, tongue hanging out of his mouth and general adorable cuteness. He’s able to run fast, run up walls and wall jump. Toggle is a sort of Grimace character in his large form, but with the press of the L1 button transforms into a teeny little version of himself. Large Toggle moves slowly, but can smash through walls, sink to the bottom of water and use his weight to drag or press switches down. Little Toggle can fit into small gaps, run on the top of water and move much more quickly than Large Toggle.

Many puzzles involve using them together with the best example being using Large Toggle to press a switch down and then changing to Little Toggle and letting physics send him soaring through the air. Swoop is parrot-like in appearance and is able to fly by holding the X button down. He can carry objects in the air and even carry other players. By holding down R1 Swoop going into, well a controlled swoop useful for escaping sticky situations and avoiding obstacles.

The three new heroes are all vastly different from one another, yet feel very similar which helps make them feel like a part of the LittleBigPlanet family. Unfortunately, throughout the campaign you’re only able to play as each new hero a couple of times each. There is an absolute bucket load of potential in levels and puzzles requiring the use of all four characters, but it only happens on two occasions. It feels like a missed opportunity, but then again LittleBigPlanet’s strength and longevity has always lived in its user-generated content.

LittleBigPlanet 3 is no exception. I’m not one to create my own levels as I struggle to be creative enough or have the patience to see an idea through to completion. Sumo Digital attempts to woo this crowd with the inclusion of Popit Challenges. These short levels are designed to teach you about the various functions of Sackboy’s Popit in Create Mode and are a brilliant way to get non-creatives involved. Learning how to use the tools in Create Mode has always been the biggest hurdle to becoming a creator, but LittleBigPlanet 3 makes learning fun. After going through the Popit Challenges I was champing at the bit to try out Create Mode.

As with previous games, I was initially overwhelmed, especially as the number of layers in each level has been increased to a whopping 16. With the knowledge from the Popit Challenges behind me though, I was confident I could at least make something halfway decent. It took a while, but in the end I was satisfied. Prolific LBP creators are going to go nuts in LBP3 and I expect that shortly after launch the servers are going to be packed to the gills with amazing creations. Speaking of, every user-created level ever published for LittleBigPlanet 1 and 2 are available to download in play in LBP3 with each one having been given a neat visual makeover. There are literally thousands of levels to play right out of the box.

LittleBigPlanet 3 is pure fun. It’s a game that wants nothing from the player but for them to enjoy themselves and it more than allows for it. Sackboy, Oddsock, Toggle and Swoop, on more than one occasion, plastered a goofy grin across my face and filled my crusty, blackened heart with joy. If you are susceptible to cuteness, you may want to prepare yourself prior to playing as it’s easily one of cutest most adorable games you’ll ever play. I challenge you not to look at Oddsock and go “awwww.” It’s the perfect game for a rainy afternoon on the couch and is a genuine time thief. Big and little kids alike will equally find something to love too. LittleBigPlanet 3 is just bliss.

LittleBigPlanet 3 was reviewed using a promotional copy of the game on PlayStation 4, as provided by Sony.