Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Magical in conception but uneven in execution, it overcomes the slowest of starts to become one of the most imaginative platformers in ages. [Issue#183, p.88]

Despite being a game with consistent quality and performance, Sackboy: A Big Adventure can’t quite escape being run-of-the-mill when compared to its contemporaries. There is still plenty of that LittleBigPlanet charm to be found throughout this lengthy, platforming campaign though. It’s gorgeous to look at, it’s well-designed and the game feel is just right. However, if you are looking for some of that next-gen innovation on par with Astro’s latest, then you may struggle to find it here.

Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sumo Digital’s Sackboy: A Big Adventure on the Playstation 5 is a charming, vibrant, graphically astounding platformer that serves as a great entry into the genre for newcomers. However, more seasoned veterans of the platforming genre, who were just given the marvel that is Astro’s Playroom, might feel that the narrative and mechanics are quite simple and annoyingly familiar due to Sackboy: A Big Adventure clearly borrowing mechanics and level progression from iconic genre mainstays such as The Super Mario Brothers franchise.

When it comes to gameplay and story, it is fair to say that we’ve seen it all before, and usually done better. The main appeal here is to rehash old material with a 4K, leather-and-corduroy-upholstered refresh. If that sounds like a good time, Sackboy is sure to please, but it will leave other PS5 owners wondering when next-gen will actually show up.

Six years after the last LittleBigPlanet, the IP comes back as Sackboy A Big Adventure, but the game isn't as good as its legacy would lead us to believe. The DualSense isn't put to good use, and the game truly feels like a PS4 title. If you're looking for a platformer for a kid, it's still a good pick.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is beautiful and the added power of the PlayStation 5 hardware has led to the materials found throughout the arts-and-craft world to look and often behave like the real thing. The blend of fantasy with everyday objects gels wonderfully with the soundtrack too, giving the experience a feel that is more than a simple riff on classic 3D platforming.

Sackboy is a solid platformer and, despite its rote art style, makes great use of the PS5's enhanced visual and technical performance. It's a fun little romp of a platformer, with lots of interesting moments. At times, the visual design can look a bit flat. Even in those moments, though, the tight controls and interesting level layouts create gameplay challenges that make those flaws easy to overlook.

Another gorgeous looking first party PS5 game, with some fun and imaginative platforming, but even with four players at once it lacks that certain spark that would’ve made it a true launch essential.

I don't want to take anything away from Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Platformers are one of the genres I am least inclined towards, and were it not part of a (fairly limited) launch range on the PlayStation 5, I might not have been inclined to play Sackboy at all. I am glad that I did, though, because for pure whimsy and quality level design it's a real challenge to Nintendo at its best in this genre, and that's no mean feat. Just don't go in expecting the same qualities that made the LittleBigPlanet series itself so beloved.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure starts off slow, feeling like a hollow reflection of the franchise, but eventually grows into its new 3D platforming elements. It's at its best when it blends the new with the old, when there's power-ups, side-scrolling and a meaningful challenge, but it takes a bit too long to get it together.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a decent platforming game that’s stuffed with charm, if a little lacking in imagination, which is a shame for a franchise built on creativity. Saying that, if you’ve got children, this is a must-buy for some family-friendly PS5 fun.

A mediocre platforming game with some good ideas and a great amount of charm.

Undemanding kids will have a whale of a time, but from an innovator like Sackboy, we've come to expect a little more. [Issue#353, p.121]

Sackboy: A Big Adventure switches the creative mode from the main series to a more direct platform game. Some courses such as the rhythm-based ones are brilliant, but despite the improved control compared to Little Big Planet, most of them are too easy and slow for the experienced player. And apart from the Dual Sense features, there are no real "next gen" details that stand out.