Among Sony’s strong franchises, we can easily cite LittleBigPlanet: initiated in 2008 by MediaMolecule, a great studio that recently gave birth to the impressive Dreams, the saga has always shown an overflowing imagination and good humor. However, it has now been six years since the brand has given birth … and the Japanese publisher is not in the game to give up his talents. So here we are in 2020 and, on the occasion of the release of the famous PlayStation 5, it is to SUMO Digital that the legacy of the previous sections now returns: to do this, the British firm has abandoned the 2.D for go flirt with the pure 3D platform game, with the inimitable Sackboy as the figurehead. Does Sony finally hold its real Crash Bandicoot-Killer?
During its announcement, delivered during the PS5 showcase this summer, Sackboy A Big Adventure was discreet but nevertheless knew how to catch the eye of attentive fans. What if PlayStation had a real competitor to the competitors of Activision or Nintendo, namely Crash and Mario? Words may sound strong but, yet, looking at the early gameplay sequences, the comparison seemed plausible. In elevated-view 3D levels, our dear rag doll would go and jump on enemies, collect bubbles from nooks and crannies, dodge deadly traps and leap from platform to platform to achieve his ends, scoring the ‘support. And then, it must be said that the colorful universe of LittleBigPlanet, in which the software takes place, lends itself particularly well to the exercise. Note that if MediaMolecule is no longer in control, SUMO Digital had already taken up the torch since at the origin of LittleBigPlanet 3 six years ago, opus which precisely signed, for the first time, sequences in 3D. With Sackoy A Big Adventure, the developers were therefore able to fully realize their projects… and as much to say that we were particularly curious at the idea of discovering them..
LITTLE BIG ADVENTURE
In order to give a little more substance to this real adventure, SUMO Digital has therefore set about writing a plot that is a little more developed than usual. We therefore embody Sackboy, a quiet and clumsy inhabitant of a village of sakripants within Patchwork Monde (formerly the imagisphere for connoisseurs). Everything was going well until Vex, a very mean villain, fed on people’s nightmares to establish a mess: his goal being to install chaos everywhere, it will be up to Sackboy to stop him. . To do this, he will go through six worlds to collect dream bubbles – somewhat the equivalent of the stars of the mustached plumber – through multiple levels, rubbing shoulders with a few allies and even facing several bosses. Nonetheless, as one might expect, this common thread is poorly narrated and serves more as a pretext than anything else: with a decidedly childish tone and still timid cutscenes, the story of Sackboy A Big Adventure turns out to be minimal, even quite anecdotal. It’s hard to say if we hoped for more – probably not – but take it for granted, especially since the general humor is also quite simple. From the start, we feel a journey aimed at a young audience but nonetheless full of warmth, sympathy and joviality: it is therefore not without soul, and that’s always taken.
THE GENTILE POTE
For the heart of its interests, namely the level design and the gameplay, Sakcboy A Big Adventure does things rather well … if not having much ambition. Here, we are on familiar ground: we strike or jump on enemies to get rid of them, we can float the air for a little while (a kind of double-jump, quite simply), cling to elements to be transported or to others to pull them towards oneself … Some occasional items are also to be used in a scripted way such as a boomerang, a jet-pack or a grapple, and other elements will be made available as a glue allowing to walk on the walls or another giving the possibility of teleporting. The whole is not very complicated – the difficulty increases over the levels – the enemies are often repeated and, overall, we quickly understand how the gameplay is articulated. Without a doubt, SUMO Digitial offers here an experience that is easily approached, with a simple grip and a seductive atmosphere, also playing with the camera perspectives to vary the architecture of its levels a little: in terms of pure challenge, on the other hand, purists should find it difficult to find their account. Unless, perhaps, you complete each level at 100% and dwell on other types of challenges, such as fairly precise time trials or lotteries that ventilate the content. We will also note the last bonus world, accessible after obtaining the end credits, which requires a little more dexterity but which will only be fully playable after having obtained a majority of dream marbles throughout the game, which clearly will not be the case for everyone.
GET IT TOGETHER
Sackboy A Big Adventure is therefore not a game that relies heavily on its originality, its depth or its difficulty: the whole is frankly malleable and regular platformers will come out just satisfied, after the ten or fifteen hours necessary to finish it. And, yet, it really has that capital of sympathy which makes it a refreshing title. First of all, the world of LittleBigPlanet is particularly respected: there is the system of bubbles, the photo booth at the end of the level, all of the sound design so specific to previous games but also this very particular artistic direction which still hits the mark, leading to instant nostalgia. The soundtrack, too, is varied and engaging with a ton of original compositions sympathetic to Hip-Hop echoes but also and above all surprising licensed music that will interact in rhythm with the decor. Suffice to say that we did not expect to find Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars or Toxic by Britney Spears, between two pieces of classic or David Bowie! These little musical touches definitely add charisma to an adventure based on resolutely simple and already seen bases, which also saves it, in a certain way, from harmful classicism. On the other hand, failing to be able to create levels as in LittleBigPlanet, there is a very small aspect of personalization with outfits, whole or piece by piece, to buy in the store or to find in the levels. Note also that Sackboy A Big Adventure is an adventure that can also be consumed by several, up to four, online or locally. Having spent several hours in cooperation with two players, we can confirm that the experience lends itself well to the exercise and that it comes out even more fun and pleasant. Best of all: if you have a DualShock 4 (or more, of course), know that it is fully compatible with the PS5 version. It is therefore quite possible to play with a DualSense and official PS4 peripherals, which greatly broadens accessibility without having to buy accessories. And that is really cool.
CLAUDIA CHIFFON
If Sackboy A Big Adventure is definitely one of the headlines of the PlayStation 5 line-up, it is clear that one wonders however what were the original plans of SUMO Digital. And obviously, the English firm was certainly expecting to release it on PS4 only: so to speak, the disappointment quickly pointed its nose in front of the untapped potential of the formidable DualSense, the controller of the new console from Sony. Apart from the loudspeakers and the gyroscopic function – two features present on the DualShock 4 – the other features of the pad remain… for absent subscribers. The haptic vibrations (which here are the minimum union), the microphone or the adaptive triggers, none of this is used and it seems quite simply staggering for an exclusive supposed to praise the performance of the next-gen console. Graphically too, the game is far from offering a new generation rendering: it’s clean and very fluid but, very clearly, this is a PS4 game ported to PS5. Without necessarily being long – they remain fast, let’s not be a bad language – loading times are far from immediate: in a similar genre, which offers similar gameplay and level design, the cute Astro’s Playroom puts it severely on the line. ‘fine. Moreover, note that a PS4 version is also marketed, which legitimizes our theory of porting a bit hasty. Despite these regrettable shells, Sackboy A Big Adventure nonetheless remains a pleasant title that can be walked with lightness: as long as it is not boring, that is the main thing.
