Every LittleBigPlanet game pushes the boundaries of what can be accomplished in what a 2D sidescrolling puzzle platformer can do. LittleBigPlanet 3 was the next game in a long lineup of fantastic video games and it sure did promise a lot seeing that this third installment would go even bigger with new tools, even more complex level design, and introducing new sack characters than come with their own special abilities. In hindsight, this should end up being the best LittleBigPlanet game ever crafted. it might have a few lingering issues that sadly keep it from reaching the heights of LittleBigPlanet 2, but there are still enough good things that make this game worth playing for fans of all ages.
When Sackboy is unexpectedly sucked through a portal and ends up in a strange world called Bunkum, he meets a supposedly friendly creator named Newton who proposes to Sackboy to stop another creator called Nana Pud, who gonna release creature spirits called the titan’s from a tea jar and use them to take over Bunkum’s inhabitants. This all goes according to plan until Sackboy finds out the Nana Pud is innocent and Newton wants the Titans for himself, only for him to be taken over by the Titan's power leaving him on an evil rampage. Now it's up to Sackboy to find other sack heroes like himself who have been locked away in different parts of Bunkum to find and stop Newton before he can suck all the creativity out of Bunkum for good.
Like LittleBigPlanet 2 beforehand, the game’s story brings a cinematic-like journey to the table which is complete with colorful characters and a fun and likable narrative that while not as epic as its predecessor, still provides a good entertaining experience for gamers of any experience. The characters we meet along the way are all enjoyable and have interesting personalities, including the main villain Newton played by Hugh Laurie, whose passionate energy and great understanding of how to make a memorable appearance do not go unnoticed. The only thing I wish could have been changed is the length of the story as it's too short and feels like there could have been more of an opportunity to create a much longer adventure that feels more satisfying when you get to the end. It seems for the most part the game creators did not forget what made the previous games so entrancing and the storytelling and characters reflect that as a final result even despite a short length.
Surprisingly Media Molecule the creator of the original two games was not the full creator of this third installment as a new studio called Sumo Digital took over, seeing as Media Molecule was busy with other projects even despite keeping a close eye on the production of LittleBigPlanet 3. I say this because the gameplay is even more different than the gameplay in the last two games. There seems to be more focus on reinventing how a LittleBigPlanet game can be played with new gadgets for Sackboy and new sack characters that come with their own special abilities. The game plays the same way as before as you’ll need to travel within levels and get across them while collecting prize bubbles that you can use in create mode. The levels are at their most complex and Sackboy will discover new power-ups that will aid him to get to higher places or move him from layer to layer in a level. Sackboy won't be alone in his Adventure as there will be other sack characters you'll be able to play as. Oddsock, Toggle, and Swoop are new playable characters that each have their own different abilities that are paired with the levels they are allowed to test their skills on. Playing as these characters feels great and bring a new level of uniqueness that can’t be found in the other installments. One thing that unfortunately brings the game down to a fault is the glitchy aspects that slow down the gameplay and make the cutscenes feel choppy. It's not a huge deal as they only happen every now and then, but they do get annoying after a while and I wish the team at Sumo Digital could have taken notice and fixed those glitches up to make the game run more smoothly. Despite the glitches, the gameplay is pretty dang good even if I do wish I could see more given how surprisingly short this game is.
The graphics are still just as charming and colorful as ever and the level designs are taken to a whole new level of greatness thanks to the complex level designs that have not been seen in LittleBigPlanet before. Each of the levels is built upon layers and it is ever so satisfying to move in between each of them. It's great because the locations and settings for each level are admittedly not as impressive as they were in the previous LittleBigPlanet games. However, it's the way these levels are carved that makes them even more interesting than they had any right to be. Some of my favorites include one where you float through space and try to solve puzzles to open up space stations or any of the levels that make use of the other sack creature's special powers. This game also features a new map design as there are levels that act as hub worlds and you can access smaller levels within the map level. I personally don’t really admire how they completely ditched the tried and true map layout of the previous games, but I give props that the creators tried to do something different even if I don’t think it really worked. It may have lost some of the wow factors from the previous games, but LittleBigPlanet 3’s graphics are still pretty good even if it feels like they should be better in some cases.
There are many composers that made most of the tracks you hear throughout the level and there are even some tunes you may recognize from popular old school songs or classical orchestrations. Outside of the copyrighted songs, there really isn’t that much difference to set this music apart from the other games, but it's still good music that tries its hardest to entertain.
Despite being made by a different studio, LittleBigPlanet 3 delivers on creative level design, a fun story, and colorful graphics. It may not have the staying power as the previous games, but this is far from a bad experience and is still worth playing even for die-hard fans of the LittleBigPlanet franchise. Even with its glitches and short story length, I would still recommend playing this game regardless. I had a fun time and chances are you will too. It may not be as good as the previous installment, but there is still enough creativity and personality to make this game worthy enough of carrying the LittleBigPlanet name.
(Final Grade: B)