The LittleBigPlanet franchise has wavered in quality within its last few entries, which range from kart racers to its glitch-riddled third entry, but Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a return to form in both quality and variety. Developed by Sumo Digital, this 3D platformer sends players across the cosmos of the Imagasphere to locate Dreamer Orbs and defeat Vex, a jester-like entity that challenges their very way of life. Akin to Nintendo's Super Mario 3D World, up to four players can work together to complete each level and find every hidden collectible within. Each level comes along with something unique to make it stand out from the rest and makes for a solid title in our experience with the game on PS4.
The main bulk of the gameplay focuses on 3D platforming with properly spacing jumps, searching around every hidden corner for Dreamer Orbs or clothing options to customize Sackboy, and smacking enemies for a high score before reaching the end of the level. Each level comes with a set amount of Dreamer Orbs to find within. While the game demands a certain amount of Dreamer Orbs to continue through the main story, it's never an annoying amount that can derail the player's enjoyment of the game. Even the overworld is full of secrets for players to find, including shortcuts to future levels and bells for players to spend at Zom Zom's, the aberrant merchant that sells the player customization options. Players will want to repeat levels to grab whatever collectible they might have missed.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure retains the papercraft and cloth stitch art style the LittleBigPlanet series is known for but continues to build on it by fully using its new third dimension. The camera is much more dynamic to the gameplay, switching the games perspective (and gameplay style) to what the level requires. One second the game is a 3D platformer, then turns into a topdown shooter viewpoint, then back to its 2.5D roots. The game knows not to take itself seriously and embraces the weird and otherworldly tone it sets.
The shining gem of Sackboy: A Big Adventure is the Music stages. In these levels, every enemy, platform, action, and camera all follow the beat of the music playing. The real kicker is that these aren't just some indie musicians that few players have heard of, but rather big budget artists known all around the world. In the first world, players are treated to Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars as enemies slide and jump to every thump the song generates. There is a handful of these throughout the main story that will surprise players the first time they experience them. One in particular towards the end of the game will leave a solid impression on fans of early 2000s pop music.
The entire game can be played with up to four players from start to finish. As of the writing of this review, the online multiplayer function is missing from the game. Local multiplayer is available from the start, but online isn't here just yet. Sumo Digital has come forward and has stated a patch will release later in the year allowing players to play online and to participate in cross-generation gameplay between both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. While it's a good thing that online play will be coming in the near future, early adopters will have an incredibly challenging time trying to 100% complete the game. Certain levels are specifically designed to have multiple players to complete. In these unprecedented times, it's harder than ever to get a group of friends together in-person to complete these stages so not having online on Day 1 might be a dealbreaker for some.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a huge title for both PlayStation 4 and, more importantly, PS5. It's a first look at how games developed to work on both last-gen and current-gen will be adapted to that challenge, and in this, Sackboy: A Big Adventure appears to shine - although we only got to try it on PS4 for this review. This 10-12 hour adventure's humor, quirky personality, and entertaining gameplay offer tons for those looking for a fun family experience this holiday season. While it's harder than ever to bring people together, this is an experience that should be shared, so waiting for the online patch to release would be the right move.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure will release on November 12th, 2020 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Screen Rant was provided with a digital download code and played on PS4 for the purpose of this review.