Fun. For creative types there is no better word for Little Big Planet.
Little Big Planet by Media Molecule is an incredibly ambitious take on the platforming genre. More than just simple jumping and puzzle solving, LBP takes physical elements from its main story mode and allows you to use those tools to develop and ultimately publish your own creations online. With hundreds of materials, elements and applications available, there is virtually no limit to what you can do and experience in the online community.
Gameplay. Little Big Planet is both a blessing and a curse. Controlling your main character, Sackboy, is a mixed bag of polish and frustration. This cute little sock-puppet is the protagonist of the primary adventure and the architect of your imagination in creation mode.
Lets begin with the platforming side of Little Big Planet. Moving Sackboy around within a level is basic. The left analogue stick will let you do everything from tiptoe to sprint depending on how far to push it in either direction. Jumping is handled by pressing the X button. The longer you hold it down, the higher your Sackboy will jump. Sounds simple enough right? In theory it is. However, levels will require you to perform some very precise jumps and unfortunately the execution of the mechanics is somewhat loose at times. If you have the hands of a surgeon and the patience of a saint you will have little trouble working through the game's main story mode. Otherwise expect to over-leap or slide off platforms repeatedly until you can get it just right. The game does feel a bit floaty, but this is something you'll get used to after a while.
Most levels are set in a 2-D side-scrolling manner with obstacles and puzzles standing in your way. One of LBPs key distinctions from other platformers is the 3-tier layering of its levels. All of the elements in the game are placed in one of these 3 layers – a foreground, middle ground and background. This layering greatly affects how you solve those puzzles and interact with the environments. The game's engine does a fine job anticipating your intended move from one layer to another. If you were on a tree branch on the back layer and wanted to jump to another branch that sits on the middle layer, then the game will automatically recognize and execute that transition when you press the jump button. This can hinder the gameplay a bit when the game interprets your move differently that what you actually wanted to do. Still, this attribute does save players a lot of grief because it is very forgiving. It would be far too difficult to add an extra button combo to control the transition from one layer to another while jumping around.
The goal of the main game, other than completing the story, is to collect Prize Bubbles that contain the game's tools and elements. This is the core objective of Little Big Planet. Collecting these bubbles gives you the tools to create your most fantastic dream. Everything from fabrics, textures, shapes, stickers, parts and accessories are unlocked as you progress. Finding all of the Prize Bubbles is not easy. Many are hidden in the layers and puzzles before you, forcing you to play levels repeatedly to reach the 100% unlocked status. The more you unlock, the more you add to your library, giving you greater freedom to create levels beyond imagination. For this reason no game has offered quite the incentive to uncover all of its hidden secrets as in Little Big Planet.
The game does have a fun co-op mode, where 2 players can jump in and tackle obstacles together. All levels contain unlockables that require friendly assistance, so you'll need to find a buddy with a controller to help you get every possible hidden item throughout.
The creation mode takes place on "My Moon". This is your blank canvas on which you build your levels. Little Big Planet's level creator is much more than just a simple placement of elements on a backdrop. The combination of tools and materials is endless, allowing you to create truly original content this both dynamic and functional. LBP is an exercise in imagination as much as it is a test of dexterity and mastery of the tools. The best levels are those that are well conceived and polished in their execution. Plenty of tutorials accompany the steps of the creative process. The advanced tools will take time, experimentation and practice to nail down, but will produce the most satisfying results. The powerful physics engine for Little Big Planet is the basis of your authentic interactions with the world. Elements react the way you would expect in real life. Metal objects are much heavier than plastic ones. Wood will splinter when it is blown up. Paint will splatter upon impact. Our inherent understanding of these behaviors plays a big part in our decision making in LBP. Puzzles will require you to seek out "soft spots" or opportunities to manipulate your environment.
If you can get used to the floaty platform jumping to achieve all the hidden prizes throughout the story mode, you'll be treated to an unsurpassed creative palette.
Gameplay = 8.5/10.
Graphics: Little Big Planet is beautiful. In terms of Art Direction, few platformers have achieved this level of quality. Levels are lush, eccentric and fantastic. Each of them stays true to the overall art style while offering unique and interesting experiences on their own. The best way to describe the look of Little Big Planet is that is like building and acting out a live puppet show on screen. All of the elements in the game are crafted out of real world materials. The fidelity of the elements is amazing. Crafting a Castle out of cardboard and paint produces a finished product that would trick the eye into believing it was real.
LBP is a remarkable technical achievement in graphics. Animations are plentiful and fun to watch. Most of the time you'll be eyeing the performance of Sackboy as he advances through the stages. You can control his expressions and mood with the D-pad. You can watch him wave his arms with a combination of the R1 + L1 and analogue sticks. You can make him grab on to soft objects to swing on or pull through the landscape. Leaves and flowers ripple in the breeze. Textures are close to photorealistic. There are a few very small issues with collision detection, but not present enough to be of much detriment to the overall visual quality.
Graphics = 9.3/10
Sound: The music in Little Big Planet is magical. Tracks are upbeat, ambient, jazzy, inspiring, ominous and descriptive. The soundtrack is a great backdrop for the story mode, where each level is accompanied with a suitable theme that mirrors the tone of the scene. Music tracks will change depending on your progression through certain stages and are triggered by random music boxes that sit within the world you pass by.
The other major component of the game's audio are the comments supplied by a friendly, funny and very informative British narrator. This adds to the distinct personality of Little Big Planet. There is a sense of mischief and whimsy that undermines the professional feel to the game itself. The polished execution of the game never looses sight of the fun factor and the audio exemplifies this mantra. You will encounter a wide range of characters and creatures in the world and each have been well mapped with sound effects that reflect their real life counterparts. Some of the "human" characters - like the jolly King for example, become a bit repetitive with their mumbles and chuckles as you encounter them multiple times. The game sounds great. Media Molecule did a fine job backing up their inspiring visual style with appropriate audio content. Sound = 8.5/10
Overall. Little Big Planet is in one word: fun. The platforming can be a little frustrating at times, but the reward of enduring those multiple tries is well worth it. At its core, LBP is a brilliant creative tool to share content with other players. It is easily the loftiest consumer content creator on the market today. Playing the role of level developer may not be for everyone. The learning curve is steep and unlocking all of the content for use in the creation mode will require a lot of time upfront. This could be annoying for those looking to build their opus with a full set of tools right out of the gate. The story mode is very good. It serves as more than just a tale of adventure for Sackboy, but also as a means to learn and inspire you to design your own creations. This game will provoke you to play around, explore and experiment with various creative tools and solutions. With enough experience and mastery of the game's mechanics you'll be inspiring others with your unique imagination. This is a very original concept that is well developed. It's certainly worth a look for anyone that loves platforming or has dreamed of bringing his or her own wonderful fantasy world to life. Final Rating = 9/10