LittleBigPlanet: PS Vita Review

LittleBigPlanet: PS Vita Review

Platform: PS Vita
Released by Sony Computer Entertainment

Ever since I got some hands on time with the LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Beta, I was drooling to get my hands on the full game - not only because it's Sackboy, whose previous outings I have utterly adored but also because of the promise of what the VITA was bringing to the party via its touch and interactive capabilities.

And man, does it not disappoint. But more on that shortly...

In this latest, Sackie heads to the world of Carnivalia in the Imagisphere where things have turned from joyful to downright dark.

A bad being known as the Puppeteer has snatched all the good from a normally fun place and is making the Sackboys and girls sad no-faced creatures known as Hallows. Once a popular entertainer on Carnivalia, the Puppeteer's now filled with raging darkness and determined to take out the people of Carnivalia and it's upto Sackboy to once again save the day.

Over five worlds, the cloth capers continue in the story mode which will be the one which many will be drawn to first of all. Once again, using the tried and tested Sackboy methods of grappling, swinging, grabbing, hurling, jumping and scooting through all kinds of terrain to overcome obstacles, collect bubbles and stickers and generally survive what the Puppeteer has up his sleeve. New to the Sackboy tried and true methods are swimming which works as well as any other game.

But throughout the 40 levels there are different challenges and the VITA's tech really brings them to the fore.

Touch and the interactive rear pad work brilliantly in terms of getting you to move objects, drop objects into place and build blocks to get over things; you'll really have to be relatively ambidextrous to solve some of these and while not exactly challenging, sometimes engaging the brain to swipe something in time proves to be the biggest problem and hurdle to completing a level.

First off, there's the capability of moving objects around the screen to help Sackboy get through a level - blue blocks can be moved to ensure the little fella can head up higher into the upper echelons of Carnivalia. But what's great about this is that they can be shifted around while Sackie's in motion, giving you the feeling you're about to react on the fly to what comes up. It's a smart use of the touch tech for the VITA and one which offers up a heap of potential - not just some gimmicky feel to it all.

Equally as clever is the use of the rear touch pad to shift green blocks around (which turn blue once bashed but can be moved back and forth) - the great thing about this is that you can use a combination of front and rear to help reach higher up and complete levels.

Along with Tilting the VITA, this is a game which really embraces everything the system has to offer - and it's so good to finally see a game which is clearly helping the platform blaze a trail for what it's best at - interactivity and fun.

It's not just the main story which sees LittleBigPlanet soar on the PS Vita - there are plenty of side levels which fully absorb and integrate the various features as well as providing lots of fun away from the main Puppeteer story. Levels where you race in a car, whack a series of Sackboys, build jenga style towers - the list of inventiveness goes on.

That's the thing with LittleBigPlanet on the PS Vita - it's so endless thanks to the creation of levels from within the PSNetwork, there's so much to do and explore. It's really a boundless game which offers hours of side entertainment some of it bitesize and some of it longer term.

Ultimately though, LittleBigPlanet on the PS VITA is the game the device was invented for - it's a seamless integration of all of the features offered by the technology and is perhaps one of the games of the year. 

I just wish there were more playing story levels as I could quite happily have carried on with this title for months on end. It's a game which will continue to grow thanks to the community aspects of it - and with more download content inevitable, it really is the first title you absolutely must own if you're getting a VITA.

Hooray for Sackboy!

Rating: