Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

LittleBigPlanet 3 Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

LittleBigPlanet 3 Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

These Sacks Are For You!

I’m going to be completely upfront about this. When LittleBigPlanet first came out I was stoked. Like Keanu Reeves in The Matrix stoked. I had grand visions of what I was going to create. Grander visions of how I was going to enjoy the game for hours and hours and even more hours still. The great thing about these visions, they came true. I spent meticulous amounts of time creating my one level that consisted of just two enemies, platforms with impossible to reach areas, bubbles galore, prize bubbles, and so many random stickers it looked like my 4 year old was the one who created it. The thing is though I had fun, lots of fun. I was not as good as many of the other creators (thus killing my dream of being a developer) but it didn’t matter. LittleBigPlanet had all of the creativity and imagination I had hoped for and it reminded me why I love gaming. Games are to be fun and imaginative.

LittleBigPlanet 2 however, let me down. It felt like a DLC pack more than anything. Sure there were things added to increase the gameplay, but it just didn’t feel like the heart of what made the first so great was in it anymore. In fact, I would sit down to play LBP2 and was genuinely excited each time, but after about 15-30 minutes I was asleep dreaming about what I wished that game could be. With the release of LittleBigPlanet 3 I felt two things about playing it. One, excitement about all the new things being added and excitement about actually getting back into the series I had so much fun with the first time out. Two, fear that I would be taking more naps while playing, instead of actually playing. Either way it was going to be a win-win; after all I do enjoy naps.

Thankfully, LittleBigPlanet 3 rekindled my love for the series with one of it’s own key ingredients–imagination. That is the quickest way to say LBP3 is worth you checking out. For the longer answer, please, keep reading.

The game opens up with you as a sackperson about to embark on another creative journey, only to be sucked through to another land by a “friend” named Newton. See, in the land of Bunkum there were once these “titans” that sucked out all of the imagination and creativity. Three mysterious heroes appear to help remove them as a threat and return the glorious creativity to the land, but the heroes disappeared after that, never to be seen or heard from again. Newton fears the “titans” are about to be awoken and enlist your help to stop them from destroying Bunkum once more. Just like that, your journey begins, but like any clichéd movie from any era ever, you see the bad guy coming from a million miles away and then you must set out on your own to put a stop to the wretched schemes of the villain. However, you won’t do it alone.

LittleBigPlanet 3 Screenshot

It’s after the realization of whom the villain is that you find out how to bring the heroes of old back. It will be up to you to set things right, to save Bunkum, and to be stylishly dressed while doing it. I mean what would a LittleBigPlanet game be without thousands of various outfits for your sackpeople to wear? Even the legendary heroes get some stylish threads to wear, but more on that in a moment.

LittleBigPlanet 3 Screenshot

One of the most interesting things I found with LBP3 was the way the levels are presented to you as you journey to awaken the forgotten heroes. While you still have the option to travel through each level the same way you once did, there is also the feel of an open world side scrolling adventure. Let me explain. When you go to awaken Oddsock you enter in the beginning world and it is this cast mega-level, with doors to other levels, various bubbles and obstacles for you to achieve all in this one base level. Oddsock (like the other two) requires you to find three marbles to unlock them as playable characters, but it’s not just three levels layered into the open world aesthetic. You also have time trial races, challenges, and even a shop to buy outfits. The open world levels also offer a form of currency for you to acquire, Collectabells. These are spent (as mentioned earlier) in Zom Zom’s (pronounced Zoom Zoom in a funny accent) fashion shops. Each open world level offers a new Zom Zom shop and with them several new outfits for your sackpeople to wear.

I love how fresh and innovative this aspect felt in the game. I also enjoy the new various playable characters and what they bring to the game. For example, Oddsock is wicked fast and can wall-jump to those hard to reach places, Toggle (get this) toggles from big to small, and swoop is a flying sackperson. No, you can’t just use Swoop to fly around everywhere to get those hard to reach sticker bubbles, where would the fun be in that? Each character offers a different way to approach a puzzle or situation. This alone would be enough to increase playability and excitement in the franchise, but they didn’t just stop there. Sackboy/girl has some new tricks as well. You store these tricks in you sackpocket, which is basically a radial system to showcase your “weapons”. These new weapons are truly inventive and once more bring a sense of freshness to the franchise. The Pumpinator is a gun that allows you to suck and blow air, thus pushing or pulling various objects around. The Illuminator does just that, it illuminates various things and puzzles to acquire more prize bubbles. The Hookhat allows you to attach yourself to railing and skirt along different areas of the levels. The Blinkball allows you to utilize different portals in the levels to pop form one location to another. The final item in your arsenal is called Boost Boots! Yep they do exactly what you think. All of these various “weapons” really drive home the creativity involved in creating each of these levels, and how beautiful they look is astounding.

LittleBigPlanet 3 Screenshot

The bright colors, the layered textures, and vibrant characters all pop straight off the screen. Everything looks fresh and radiant. That’s the great thing about this entry on the PS4. The world of LittleBigPlanet is gloriously displayed. Even right down to the sackpeople’s little stitch work. While these graphics are great and enjoyable to the eyes, the music and voice acting is where things truly shine. The characters you interact with have personality and flair. They bring to life a story that could have suffered enormously from the lack of voice work and characterization. For me personally though, the winner here has got to be the musical scores of each level. They are unique in there own right and draw you in with familiarity and appropriate musicality. For example, during a casino-themed level hearing the some “ How You Like Me Now ” by “The Heavy” playing in the background somehow makes you want to do your best Ocean’s 11 impersonation and solidify your performance in the rest of the level (I failed miserably at being that cool guy while playing, but it was still fun).

LittleBigPlanet 3 is by far the best in the series. It is the breath of fresh air the franchise needed going into the next-gen cycle. I can’t say that all future installments will feel this fresh and alive moving forward, but I can say I am glad this is where the franchise is at the moment. LittleBigPlanet 3 is more than a sequel, it is a reimagining of what the series can be, and in the end this is what LBP is all about.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.5 Graphics
This is a beautiful game. 4.4 Control
It controls just like other LittleBigPlanet titles, but with a few extra nuggets of goodness. 4.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
This is the best yet in the series. 4.5 Play Value
New, new, new! There’s so much new in this you will be enjoying the little sack people for a long time to come. 4.5 Overall Rating – Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Three all-new hand-stitched heroes will completely change the way you play…
  • All the new characters are, like Sackboy, fully customizable and there will be plenty of quirky new costumes to collect in the game so you can express your own individuality.
  • Speaking of Sackboy – what about him? Well, our favorite knitted knight has been equipped with an all-new climbing ability and loads of brand-new power-ups including the amazing Pumpinator!
  • In LittleBigPlanet 3, explore a world filled with creativity as you explore all corners of the Imagisphere, meet the inhabitants of the mysterious planet Bunkum and face the nefarious Newton.
  • Discover endless surprises that the LittleBigPlanet Community have created and shared for you to enjoy, with new levels and games to play every day. Then if you’re feeling inspired, flex your creative muscles with the powerful and intuitive customization tools, to bring your own imagination to life in LittleBigPlanet 3.

  • To top