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The now iconic Sackboy from the Little Big Planet series has got his own launch title on the new PlayStation 5.
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Sackboy: A Big Adventure provides a pleasant variation between the mostly violent games that are currently available for the next-gen console. This spin-off of Little Big Planet (from the PS3) has said goodbye to the creation tools and is therefore slightly different.
The cute, cuddly Sackboy must protect the friendly people of the Craftworld from the evil Vex. You will encounter this villain several times in the game and it is up to you to let him sing a tune down. Unlike Nintendo’s Mario Odyssey, Sackboy: A Big Adventure doesn’t have large areas where you can roam freely. The game reverts to a classic level-to-level style.
Cuddly picture in high resolution
The world of Sackboy: A Big Adventure looks very good visually. The 4K resolution is clearly visible. The structures of materials feel realistic – as far as you can call it that in an animated game – and look handmade. The cardboard inhabitants in the levels provide a nice contrast in the special-looking world.
A 3D platformer is of course a bit less detailed than a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, but simplicity is precisely where the charm of a platformer lies. If you look closely, it is not that simple at all graphically. There is a noticeable difference between the PS5 and PS4 version: ray tracing. When you throw a boomerang, you will see its reflection on adjacent objects. The incidence of light is also included in objects. This gives an extra layer to the world. It may seem like a small thing in a game like this, but you’ll miss it if it’s not there.
Collect the bubbles
In the 3D platformer you have several things to deal with. This way you collect different bells while playing which are called ‘collectibells’ (I played the English version, but the Dutch language is also available). You go through levels within five different worlds to collect as many Orbs and Dreamer Orbs as possible.
It is not super complicated to go through the levels, but the challenge lies mainly in collecting and achieving the just mentioned objectives. The game is also very forgiving. There are many checkpoints in the levels and you can resume your battles with Vex without losing progress until all your lives are gone. And even if you run out of lives and have to restart the level, you keep everything you collect. That makes it a perfect game for children, but this does not alter the fact that Sackboy: A Big Adventure is suitable for the whole family and for adult fans of platform games.
The makers manage to keep things refreshing. One time you walk around with a boomerang, the other time with a grappling hook. In other levels you have sticky feet with which you can climb walls like Spider-Man. The diversity in levels is good enough to keep you entertained for hours.
One of the top parts of the game – something to look forward to – is the levels with musical elements. For example, a full level is built on the beats of Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars and another on the iconic Let’s Dance by David Bowie. You can gently feel the vibrations of the beats in your controller, which increases the immersion.
Along the way, you can get your hands on some accessories for your Sackboy character. You will pass different timetrials. Each world has its own creatures that you must eliminate or use to solve a mini puzzle. In addition, you try to earn as many points as possible in a level.
The customization options at Zom Zom are a nice addition. With your collected Orbs you can unlock new outfits or parts thereof. As you complete more levels, more will be available. There are very cool outfits, such as a tiger suit or an Elvis Presley-esque suit. Sackboy’s color and material is also customizable. Before you start a level you can choose a different outfit.
Worthy PS5 title at launch?
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is one of the PS5 games that takes advantage of the new Activity Cards on the console. This way you can step directly into a certain level or watch a help video to find that one last collectible, for example. In the few cases that I wanted to use this, it was not possible to start the explanatory video. That’s a shame, since the help videos are designed to help you find in-game help, so you don’t have to search the internet for the solution.
If you play this game on a PS4, you will probably enjoy the game just as much as you would with the PS5 version. For most people, the lack of ray tracing won’t do any good dealbreaker to be. But for real foodies and those who want to get the most out of every gaming experience, this offers that little bit more refinement.
The more advanced vibrations that the PS5’s DualSense controller offers makes it a very logical PS5 launch title. Yet the implementation of the haptic feedback is slightly less noticeable than in Astro’s Playroom, where you feel every step on a different surface to an exaggerated back in the DualSense controller.
I was unable to test the local multiplayer mode due to lack of a second controller. Throughout the levels you can see very well that the worlds are designed for at least two players. Online co-op is also not yet available at the time of writing. This is expected to follow at the end of this year by means of a software update.
Final verdict
Sackboy will not be the reason for most to buy a PlayStation 5. The game is also available on PS4. But for fans of 3D platformers or those with a family, Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a great addition to the game collection. Sackboy is a nicely worked out character, the level design is well put together and you can enjoy yourself for enough hours with collecting all the collectibells and other challenges.
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