Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Developer(s)	Sumo Digital
Publisher(s)	Sony Interactive Entertainment
Writer(s)	Mark Llabres Hill Dean Wilkinson
Composer(s)	Joe Thwaites Jay Waters Nick Foster Lena Raine George King Glen Brown Brian D'Oliveira Winifred Phillips Jim Fowler OPIUO 2 Mello Si Begg Tokyo Machine
Series	LittleBigPlanet
Engine	Unreal Engine 4[1]
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5
Release	PlayStation 4 WW: 12 November 2020 PlayStation 5 NA/OC: 12 November 2020 WW: 19 November 2020
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a 2020 platform game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5. A spinoff of the LittleBigPlanet series, it follows Sackboy, and features 3D platforming as opposed to 2.5D in previous entries. It was announced at the PlayStation 5 reveal event, which was live-streamed across the internet on 11 June 2020. It was announced to also release on the PlayStation 4 in a blog post on 16 September 2020, with it being released on 12 November 2020 in North America and Oceania, and 19 November 2020 worldwide. It was well-received by critics.

Gameplay[]

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a platform game. Unlike previous LittleBigPlanet entries with 2.5D platforming, it features a range of perspectives and 3D movement.^[2][3][4] Players control Sackboy on world maps which give access to a multitude of platforming levels and bonus content. As Sackboy completes each stage new ones unlock allowing him to progress further. All levels contain collectable objects called Dreamer Orbs which must be collected en-masse to progress to the end of the game.

Sackboy’s move set is greatly expanded from previous entries and players can now slap at will, roll around, nosedive, pick-up objects and flutter jump, to name a few. Moves can be chained together to create combos that allow skilled players to travel greater distances. Each level in the game employs a series of interactable objects that require at least one of Sackboy’s moves to progress. Sackboy also has access to multiple stages where he can use new powerups. The Grappling Hook, now called the Clawstring, returns from LittleBigPlanet 2, allowing Sackboy to grab onto object from afar, the Whirltool is a boomerang-like device that can be thrown to defeat enemies and break objects and finally the Plasma Pumps allow Sackboy to hover in the air and fire energy blasts.

Content creation[]

The game does not feature any Create Mode akin to LittleBigPlanet entries, only making certain nods to it through collectables. Players can still customize their Sackboy via ZomZom’s Shop. ZomZom is a travelling haberdasher that returns after his appearance in LittleBigPlanet 3. In his shop players can buy new costumes, try on collected outfits and even paint costume pieces. Costumes created by the player can be saved and are then available to choose when a level is entered.

Multiplayer[]

The game is fully playable in both local and online multiplayer allowing up to 4 players to experience the game together. There are stages in each world that require multiple players to enter and are specifically designed so players must work together to progress. The game originally did not ship with online functionality. The feature was added in a patch a month later on 17th December.

Story[]

In Craftworld, in the village of Loom, the Sackpeople are enjoying their lives when the villain Vex (Richard E. Grant) rips through the sky and begins to suck everything up with his machines in order to enslave the sackpeople to make his Topsy-Turver machine to take over Craftworld with his evil Uproar. Sackboy manages to avoid being enslaved and steals the plans to the Topsy-Turver, escaping into a rocket. He uses the plans to travel all around Craftworld with the help of a elder sackperson, Scarlet (Dawn French) and tries to prevent Vex from getting the final materials he needs to finish the Topsy-Turver and take over the world.

Development[]

Sackboy: A Big Adventure was developed by Sumo Digital, who previously developed LittleBigPlanet 3, and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.^[5][6] It is the most recent installment in the LittleBigPlanet series.^[7]

Release[]

The game was announced on 11 June 2020 at the PlayStation 5 reveal event.^[5][2] The PlayStation 4 edition and release dates for the game were announced in a blog post on 16 September 2020.^[8] It released on 12 November 2020 and 19 November 2020.^[8] On 6 November 2020, it was revealed in a blogpost that save transfers from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5, online multiplayer, and cross-generational multiplayer had all been delayed from the launch of the game, and would instead be added into the game through an update later in 2020.^[9] On 17 December 2020, these features were updated into the game.^[10]

Reception[]

Sackboy: A Big Adventure received "generally positive reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic, which states that "Iconic PlayStation hero Sackboy returns in an all-new 3D adventure with a deeply immersive and expressive control scheme. Players can go on this epic platforming journey solo-style, or they can team up with friends for collaborative, chaotic multiplayer fun."^[11][12]

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