LittleBigPlanet 3 launched last Tuesday for PS3 and PS4. It’s easily one of my favorite current-gen games, and I’d like to tell you a little bit about how I feel about this iteration so far.

General updates:

LittleBigPlanet was really cool when it first came out in 2008 because it had three “layers” so to speak. Your sack could switch between these layers to move through the side-scrolling level. It was a nice way to update the old way of playing a 2D video game. Another of LBP’s strong points is its artistic value, integrating textures and combining artistic styles within stickers and level elements. What they’ve done in this version of the game is add a secondary layer that your character can jump onto or use other items to slide onto, so you essentially have two main paths with 2-3 layers on each. (or maybe just two, I’m only in the second act or so in the game). I like the way this adds depth to an already interesting series of levels.

They’ve also added some interesting new gameplay angles: whether you’re choosing a totally different character to race through a level in an overhead view, or building a race car and racing another character, there are plenty of new ways to play. . the game. Inside the game. It’s just miraculous.

The game interface is also slightly different in this version. You still have your “Popit” where your stickers and customization tools are kept, as well as where your blast loot tool resides. What they’ve added to the unused circle and triangle buttons are two new menus, a quest tracker, and a tool keeper. In previous games for tools, you would normally step over a platform to pick up the tool and it would disappear into the level once you no longer needed it. In LBP3, you can access all of your tools at any time, adding to the puzzle-solving aspect of the game and convenience for later level building. One less platform to consider, and if I remember correctly, you would have a limited radius in which you could also use the tool. The quest tracker reminds me of World of Warcraft in the way that you can highlight a quest and it will give you a pointer on the side of your screen to direct you to where the next quest step is. Either way, these two little menus were a nice update to the game and made sense for where they are.

The characters:

So one thing I appreciated about the last game was the fun they had with names: Larry Da Vinci or Dr. Higginbotham. The new game certainly doesn’t disappoint with phrase names like Papal Mache, Newton, or Marlon Random. While most children who are playing will not make some of the connections, older people can appreciate the nuances.

But let’s not forget about the 3 new playable characters in the game: Oddsock, Toggle, and Swoop. Currently I’ve only unlocked the first two, but they’re great to play with. Oddsock is adorable and fast, his strengths are running and wall jumping. Toggle can literally “toggle” between a larger or smaller self, able to walk through walls or run in small spaces, launch himself through different layers, and be an overall badass. Swoop is a bird, so I’m guessing he can fly through other levels, which could be quite OP depending on how he’s handled.

Adventure/Story Mode:

One thing I wasn’t too happy with in LBP2 was the story mode, or lack thereof. I went through the story mode about a week after purchasing it, and I was left wanting so much more. I understand that the game is geared towards a “creator-based” crowd, where the community levels are often better than the actual story mode levels, but I enjoy the unlockables and fine-tuning of the game, so the fact that there are It wasn’t too much to go back to which made me quite disappointed.

LBP3 does not disappoint. I’ve now played about 6-8 hours and I’m already looking forward to revisiting the levels because of the things I missed, but there’s also a lot of story ahead. The levels are also set up a bit differently, where they have “storybooks” of levels. A main world that will take you to levels within it as you unlock them or find them through discovery. Even in this main world you can collect prize bubbles.

Another thing I look forward to is the other “modes” they have in this game. From what I have gathered (I’ve only dabbled in story mode so far), they have created a mode that encourages people to play through the levels using the building tools to keep progressing. If that’s the case, I think it’s a great integration of what is the cool second part of this game, which I tend not to touch on because I don’t have amazing level ideas. I’ll let you know if I’m totally out of line.

Group game:

Trying to find a game that makes you want to play with others I personally think is hard. With any of the new Mario franchises (Kart, Super Smash or World) you find characters you are familiar with and worlds or enemies that have been recreated over and over again to save the princess. (I think she wants to be saved, right?) LittleBigPlanet has a great way of engaging others, so much so that I want to bring my husband or someone to come and play with me while I play each and every level. Teamwork is Interesting – I found this game overall to be a bit more challenging than the last with boss fights and level complexity, which lends itself to longer gameplay and more interesting replay value. The same goes for x2, x3, or x4 player puzzles, tying together something more like Portal 2 within reason. The new tools you get in this game make the puzzles something to think about instead of one person jumping over a switch and another standing on a platform.

New tools:

So at this point I have 4/5 of the new sack toys in my arsenal. Accessories for the game interface, which also makes them easy to access. I think the tools in this game so far are pretty fun. (the pumpinator – it blows and stinks!), but also very smart (the illuminator: lights up something seemingly flat to make it come to life). I really like that there are levels where I’m playing and I see the icons for other tools that I didn’t have at the time, so I’m even more encouraged to go back and see how I can get those prize bubbles. It’s like when you finally get a double jump in some game and you can get to all the places you couldn’t before. so satisfying

So can you say that I like the game so far? Media Molecule has outdone itself again, and I’m delighted with the longevity this game is showing so far.

If you haven’t picked this up yet, I recommend you do so when you can. Don’t wait for the holidays, who does that? I guess relatives. That’s fine, but maybe you’ll pick it up and re-wrap it for the day and pretend you haven’t seen it before.

Do you have any idea? Share what you think of the game so far in the comments!