LittleBigPlanet 3 Preview – Cool in the Gang

After five entries in the LittleBigPlanet series you might think you know exactly what to expect from the game. Aside from the Karting spin-off, very little has differed from one to the next, whether they be on PlayStation 3 or Vita. But for the third entry in the main series, developer Media Molecule have handed the reigns to a new team. Sumo Digital are taking the lead on the debut PlayStation 4 title in the series, albeit with some help from XDev Europe and Media Molecule along the way. But a change in developer isn’t the biggest change present in LittleBigPlanet this time around.

Of course, there are many similarities to past games. The iconic voiceover work of Stephen Fry makes a return (now joined by fellow Brit thesp Hugh Laurie), a heavy emphasis is placed on user-created content once again, and of course Sackboy is our main protagonist. The difference is though that in this latest outing, Sackboy is far from alone. He is joined by three all-new characters (four if you include one of their special abilities). Each has unique talents that will allow gamers to reach previously inaccessible areas of levels and to play the game in entirely new ways. Play tales place on a new planet – Planet Bunkum – which of course needs help. Sackboy is tasked with saving this world from three evil Titans and another creator, known as Newton.

Sackboy’s new sidekicks include Oddsock, a four-legged, dog-like creature who can run faster than the other characters and can perform wall runs and wall jumps. This is put into play during some tricky platforming sequences where good timing is needed in order to scale walls and leap from one to the next. Then there’s Swoop, a winged character who can fly short distances and carry light objects. For example, you can pick up blocks and drop them onto switches, or lift obstacles that were blocking progression along a particular path.

And finally, there’s Toggle – who can switch from the burly Big Toggle when strength or weight is needed, to the minute Little Toggle who can fit through small gaps at the touch of a button. Switching between the two is frequently required, especially in sections where you need big Toggle to push down a spring board, before switching to little Toggle to be flung through the air and forwards through the level. Even Sackboy himself has a new talent and can climb ropes and certain wall surfaces.

As with past LBP games, where you had to utilise co-op in order to reach certain objects or pass specific obstacles, LBP3 will require you to work out which characters you will need to use to perform individual tasks. But where the game comes into its own is in the new four-player mode, where the unique talents of each creature will be called into play. Each of the four players have to work closely together if they wish to progress and collect all of the stickers and items possible. This can be played both locally and via online multilayer, but I must say that playing with a group of people on the same console definitely led to much hilarity – trying to implement all of the new skills successfully – or more often unsuccessfully.

It isn’t just skills that players will find themselves performing, as a host of new power-ups have also been added. One of these that was on show during our hands-on time was the Pumpinator air gun – a weapon that can fire a concentrated jet of air. This is perfect for blowing certain barriers out of the way, or moving mechanisms from a distance, often while your teammates pass safely. What’s more exciting than these power-ups alone is that a power-up creation tool has also been included.

In fact the main level creator tool has been upgraded in several key areas. Whereas the thermometer would limit how much content could be added in a created level in the past games, there is now no limit other than how much hard drive space is remaining on your PlayStation 4. To make the most of the comparatively huge capacity, you are also no longer restricted to just three layers in a level, and sixteen are now available to you, along with sixty new tools to make use of. Longtime fans of the series will also be pleasantly surprised that all previous downloadable content will be compatible with the new game – and not only that but they will also be up-scaled and improved to make the most of the power of PS4.

Obviously the main thing that fans want to hear about is the gameplay, and gamers won’t be surprised by what they find. Everything is easy to pick up and get playing straightaway, and fans will be quickly comfortable with the title. Of course, levels do become more complex with the addition of all of the new skills and characters, but the simple, fast-paced platforming action never strays far from the tried and tested LBP formula. There have always been some levels that were more challenging and frustrating than others, but check-pointing in the levels we were able to play was pretty forgiving and you were never taken far away from any obstacles that proved tricky. Most of the new character skills are very intuitive and are activated through simple one-button commands.

LBP is relatively simple at heart and it feels like that tradition won’t be broken. Having new protagonists doesn’t ruin that simplicity and they all feel like natural extensions of the core gameplay. Toggle was probably the most interesting to take control of – having the split personality and double skill-sets at his disposal. Different players will surely have their own favourite, and of course you will be able to customise your version of that character with whichever hats and outfits you find. LBP3 never feels like a complex or over-thought project, despite the obvious care and planning that has gone into the title. It maintains the home-made and independent aesthetic that is so popular with gamers at the moment, despite its billing as one of the biggest games on the PS4 calendar.

Our LittleBigPlanet 3 Preview is based on sections played at EuroGamer Expo 2014.