LittleBigPlanet

When it was first released all the way back in 2008, LittleBigPlanet was a real system seller. This amazing and creative game became a staple for Sony and even to this day, Sackboy is a PlayStation icon, heck he even helped launch the PS5. Today, I am taking a look back at the very first game to see how well it holds up, all the while sharing my memories of the game with you.

Super Helpful Sackboy

I will admit that when I first played LittleBigPlanet when it was released on the PlayStation 3, at first, I was just interested in the story. The story sees you playing as Sackboy and he goes on a bunch of crazy adventures for all these weird characters. A huge part of what sets the tone for the story is the awesome voice acting which features narration by Stephen Fry and he does a great job.

Playing Around A Magical World

At its core, the gameplay of LittleBigPlanet is a 2D platformer. Well, I say 2D, there are points where Sackboy can walk into the screen and into the background. Anyway, you can jump, you can grab and you can make faces. Those are really the only controls that you need to worry about. The LittleBigPlanet series has some very unique jumping controls and in this first game, they do feel very floaty. They are not bad and you get used to them, but at first, it may take you a while to learn how to get the best out of the jumping mechanics.

Much of the gameplay is about trying to figure out how to get from point a to b. It may be doing something like grabbing onto a thing and swinging, riding on a car while something propels it, and so on. While it does have a lot of platforming, there is also some puzzle solving too.

Bubbles Equal Prizes

As you progress through the game, you will come across a ton of bubbles that contain various things. These bubbles contain skins, items, stickers, and more that can be used for the creative aspect of the game. Everything that is used in the story mode in LittleBigPlanet is able to be used by you in the creative mode and that is pretty insane. There feels like a ton of stuff to unlock in this game and that drives you to explore every nook and cranny that each level has.

Creating And Sharing

The real draw to the original LittleBigPlanet was the creative aspect of the game. The amount of stuff you could do in this game was just staggering, granted it has been greatly eclipsed by other games, including the sequels. However, this game is where it all started. I love the way it teaches you how to build with a fun tutorial and really the only limit is your imagination. Of course, the servers for this appear to be long dead, but I would wager there are some dedicated fans keeping this thing alive somewhere.

Pros:

• Sackboy is awesome
• The story mode is a lot of fun to play through
• Visually the game holds up very well
• The way you can make your own levels and games is awesome

Cons:

• The sequels are much better in every way
• The floaty jumping can take a while to get used to