Little Big Planet Review

A little big deal.
by Adam

The platformer is one of the most rudimentary and abundant genres in gaming. While countless variations in art style and theme have made their way into platforming titles over the years, it's the simple pleasure of going from left to right, start to finish that keeps players jumping from object to object.

Saving a princess or aiding an ottsel is just icing on the cake.

Developer Media Molecule took said fundamentals to heart when putting together their charming platformer Little Big Planet. LBP represents Media Molecules first title for a console and as a company, but their stellar quality of presentation puts many industry vets to shame.

The premise of Little Big Planet is as magical as the world that embodies it. You are a sackboy (or girl) and you live in a world made of the entropic energies given off by human dreams. The environments, characters, and sounds are nothing short of fantastical and charming. Using an art style that capitalizes on merging art forms such as puppetry, cardboard cutouts, and dashes of realism, LBP puts together a world that is equal parts creative and mesmerizing.

Media Molecule has style to spare

But let's talk more about Sackboy for now. LBP's protagonist never speaks but never really needs to. There is no set story for your Sackperson, rather you happen to interact with events taking place in the world. Like any good platformer, you'll be subjected to fetch quests but LBP breaks the trend of modern games by not bogging the process down with long winded, unnecessary exposition.

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For a maiden voyage to result in such a high production value is amazing if not miraculous. While the game is glorious to behold, it's the simplicity of the gameplay that's truly beautiful. The main actions consist of running, jumping, pushing and pulling. You will use the moves to progress through twenty five stages, collecting costume pieces, items and stickers along the way.

While plenty of solid controlling platformers are available, LBP is set apart by its fantastic physics engine. The realistic reaction of objects allows you to approach the game with your personal knowledge of the law of gravity and its friends. For example, if Mario kicks a shell down a hill it maintains a consistent speed throughout. In LBP, if you ride a skateboard down a hill it will continue to speed up until you crash or slow down on a flat straight. This leaves the player looking at obstacles more naturally and from a physics based approach than knowing that Mario can only jump so high regardless of momentum.

Sackfolk are far more customizable than "Miis" and "Avatars"

A slew of items can be used or played with simply by accessing SackBoy's popit. The popit organizes all of the stickers and costumes that you acquire along the way. You can go crazy and stamp stickers all over everything for kicks, but there are a few places where it is required. Using stickers on certain objects will cause them to move and reveal even more treasures. While you will find yourself backtracking through levels to use new stickers you've acquired, the sheer style of the stages makes it consistently feel more fun than laborious.

Every level has certain areas with puzzles that can only be solved by having two or more people. LBP smoothly supports four persons locally on online. In fact, before starting a level you will always have the option to play by yourself (selves) or online. So whether you have friends over or your flying solo, a few helping hands are always readily available.

One of the biggest draws to Little Big Planet is its community. LBP allows players to build their own levels and upload them to the Media Molecule servers. You can find items and music to construct your stages in the story mode and cut loose in the level builder. The user community has already put up some amazing levels, often with nods to pop culture ranging from JAWS to Jurassic Park. A few issues have arisen with the use of licensed characters (apparently Mario levels are legit if they're labeled as Marrio) but the stellar user made levels often need no mascot to make them playworthy.

Getting familiar with the level designer also enhances the story mode. You'll start noticing triggers placed throughout the Media Molecule levels which can help you figure out how to do even the fanciest of pants tricks in your own stages.

All of these features and modes are accessible through your Sackperson's pod. Your pod is kind of like a one room apartment for your Sackboy. You can deck it out with items and stickers of your choice, but all pods have a large PS3 controller on one wall. While you navigate the pod's menu, Sackboy will mimick your inputs on the oversized controller which is undeniably cute to watch regardless of your testosterone levels.

While the folks at Media Molecule could rest their haunches on the entertainment behemoth they have already unleashed, they continue to pump out regular content for LBP. Whether it's new costumes or the new Metal Gear Solid stages, MM is treating its community well. While LBP is touted as a supreme sidescrolling wonderment, MM already has first and third person modes on the way as well. Combining a rabid fan community with a dedicated development team yields a game that will continue to give after the holiday season it was released in.

The Game
Simple, fun, and gorgeous. What more could you ask for? The style alone makes the easier beginning levels a treat to play, while the hardcore platforming tasks in the latter levels will challenge veteran nerds. Throw in a constant stream of sweet content from users and the developers and you have one irresistible title. (9.5/10)

The Time
LBP is a fairly hit it and quit it title. Regular levels and (most) user ones require a thorough sit down to fully explore, but you don't have to worry about keeping up with a story which makes popping in and out a lot more liberating. (8/10)

The Verdict
Sony took a gamble on fledgling developer Media Molecule, but all worries have been laid to rest. Little Big Planet is ridiculously fun and out-styles any console offering to date. Twenty five levels may not seem like an epic undertaking, but the charm that each contains will have you and your friends coming back with smiles each time. In a nutshell, MM has combined all the tricks and tech of the gaming future, with the solid, entertaining fundamentals of the past to give gamers a wonderful present.