Title: Sackboy: A Big Adventure.
RELEASE DATE: 2020.
Console (played on): Playstation 5.
Mode(s): Single-Player and Online Multiplayer.
GENRE(S): Adventure, Comedy, Family.
Developer: Sumo Digital.
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Composer(s): Joe Thwaites, Jay Waters, Nick Foster, Lena Raine, George King, Glen Brown, Brian D’Oliveira, Winifred Phillips, Jim Fowler, OPIUO, 2 Mello, Si Begg & Tokyo Machine.
Voice Actor(s): Dawn French, Richard E. Grant, Ève Karpf, Lewis Macleod, and many more!
My Overall Rating:
Back on the PlayStation 3, one of the first games that came with my console was the first Little Big Planet game. Innocently, I tested it out without knowing what I was getting myself into only to realize that this title was to go on to spawn a couple of more sequels and spin-offs that will consistently receive positive reception from fans around the world. Challenging players to not only maneuver their way through platforming puzzles of all kind but to also create their own platforming levels, this franchise quickly learned to target both young and older audiences in clever way. As a spin-off of the Little Big Planet series, Sackboy: A Big Adventure is one of Sony’s PlayStation 5 first launch titles and reintroduces gamers to the stuffed hero as he now goes off on a treacherous journey filled with danger and creative energy to try and save the world.
What is Sackboy: A Big Adventure about? Set in Craftworld, the story introduces us to the sackpeople as they go on living their lives free of worries and dilemmas until the ill-intentioned and villainous Vex tears open the sky and sucks up the poor sackpeople with his machines. Without a care in the world to the chaos he unleashes upon the people, he plans to enslave the sackpeople in hopes of creating his Topsy-Turver machine and to take over Craftworld with his evil Uproar. Unfortunately for Vex, he fails to capture Sackboy in the process who manages to steal his plans and escape in his rocket. Swearing himself to saving his people, he travels around Craftworld to stop Vex from obtaining the final materials to creating his deadly weapon. Thankfully, he will meet new friends along the way who will help him save the world before it’s too late.
It’s easy to dismiss this little gem when looking around for something to play but once you jump into it, it’s hard to ignore its addictive, colourful, and innocently creative world. While Sackboy is mute and can physically be altered to our taste with innumerable costumes, his determination is constant and brings him to face danger head on with the right moral support, found mostly through an elder sackperson. The story is also very straightforward and doesn’t push much boundaries in terms of story-telling, strictly sticking to a relatively linear progression with a main antagonist that pops up here and then through vivid and stunning cutscenes. Ultimately, it has the appropriate Hollywood movie formula to introduce players to multiple, distinct, and fun worlds to explore until the grand finale, amounting to a huge boss battle.
Brilliantly making use of the PlayStation 5’s latest technological features, this latest entry is fully 3D unlike its predecessors that were limited to a 2.5D range and invites players to think twice, quick, and inventively to move around and reach the end of each level. The added features, including rolling and smacking, also presents players with original new gameplay mechanics that doesn’t solely rely on reaction time but also strategy. The game also fully embraces co-op features and even requires it for some rare levels, giving everyone a chance to understand the power of teamwork in a world filled with danger. The difficulty does crank up progressively, especially with the end game content, but remains incredibly accessible, making this one of the most fun local co-op games to play with loved ones.
It should also be mentioned that game remixes music into the gameplay quite ingeniously, making each level uniquely engaging as well. The world achieves a stunning dynamic ecosystem that doesn’t shy away from its imaginative nature while reminding us that this is still a big adventure for a little sackboy who has all the burden of the world hanging by his stitching. The overall direction of this game does also make this a fantastic break from the usual triple-A titles that draw most of the attention from fellow gamers nowadays and if anyone dares venture into this crafty world, they are sure to find something quite entertaining in this puzzle platformer.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (2020) is a creatively innovative Little Big Planet spin-off showcasing a little hero’s big adventure in a spectacular fashion.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (2020) is out on Playstation 5 since November 12th, 2020.
Have you played this game?
Will you? What do you think about it?
Share your thoughts with me!
Roars and Echoes 
I was hoping to get a PS5 for my birthday, and we actually scored one which should arrive on time! This is one of the games I’m planning to get, along with Miles Morales 😀
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Congratulations and happy belated birthday! All I can say is… Do it! Do it! Do it! 😀
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Thanks! The console arrived yesterday, but of course I still have to wait a week and a half before I can actually open and use it! In the meantime, what other games do you recommend buying or preordering? And accessories? I have kids who would love Sackboy and playing together, so I’ll probably pick up an extra controller, but that’s all that’s on my list so far.
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I’m really excited for you guys, especially knowing that y’all are also fellow gamers! Of all the accessories (not third-party), I find that the charging station is actually pretty cool but that depends on how you work. The reason why it’s useful here is more about convenience. The PS5 doesn’t have a lot of USB slots and freeing one up by using the charging station is nice. Game-wise, Sackboy will keep them quite busy! Otherwise, for more hardcore gamers, I’m a huge fan of Demon’s Souls. You can also check out Miles Morales (the ultimate edition contains the first Spider-Man game that came out on PS4 too). In the same vein as Demon’s Souls, there’s the recently released Nioh collection too. And you probably know but you can also play 99% of PS4 games too, expanding your collection greatly. On top of the crazy amount of triple-A title that comes with the PS Collection (new thing), I think you’ve got your hands FUUUULLLL with a gazillion of options! 😛
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Just 3 more days and I’ll be able to open my present! We have a big collection of PS4 games already (including the first Spider-Man so I only picked up the launch edition of Miles Morales), so I was hoping to add some PS5 games but looks like a lot of the big ones won’t be released until later in the spring or summer!
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Ohhhh man, I don’t know how you’ve got so much patience! 😛 Probably not by choice huh hahaha At least you got your PC gaming to keep your mind off of it too. 😀 And yes! So many exciting titles still to come, including the new Ratchet and Clank game!!!!! I can’t wait. 😀
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It is a good thing there are people like you out there because from the name and the picture of the character, I’d be about as tempted to pick this up (if I played games that is) as I would be a sack of sake’ 😀
How much does word of mouth count in the gaming community? Or is it more listening to the corporate sponsors and going along with what they promote?
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Hahahahaaha I think it would be the end of the world if the great Bookstooge ended up playing Sackboy. 😛
Sort of like how it is with the book blogging community, a lot of the same marketing/hype/buzz-building happens through YouTube and Twitch, on top of all the other social media (less the blogging community). In today’s age of gaming, I also think a lot of it is also based on sales and what catches the eye of gamers in online/real-life stores, and how much marketing goes into marketing the game.
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hahahaha, yeah, I don’t think I’d be me if I started on video games again 🙂
Funny how the buzzmachine works across all levels of sales. I’m familiar with Twitch because of magic the gathering and I’m glad that the book stuff hasn’t gone there.
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I had to laugh when I saw the opening image and the title of the game. I’m not at all familiar with Sackboy, but he reminded me of the animated movie, 9, whch I enjoyed. The game appears much more colorful than the movie, though. Looks like a cute game, glad you enjoyed it!
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Hahahah too funny to connect it to 9! I totally forgot about that movie! But yes, it’s so easy to dismiss this game but there’s so much to it than meets the eye! 😛 Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to put down almost 100$ CAD for this. Might as well wait for a good sale, a bundle, or for it to be free through the PlayStation Plus subscription! 😛 Thanks for reading, Todd!
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I’ve played Little Big Planet a bit. I liked it, but it didn’t exactly “hook” me for any particular reason, so I quit playing and moved onto other things. It’s a formidable game, that’s for sure! I’ve recently aquired a Nintendo Switch and have been playing Luigi’s Mansion and Super Mario 3D World. It’s quite fun and on about the same level as this game looks to be.
And, for the subject of PS5 . . . I’ve been tempted to get one just to play Demon Souls and the other games they have been including on PS Plus for PS5 that I’m missing because I don’t have it . . . Things that make you go “Hrm”.
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I totally understand. Many of my friends weren’t particularly interested in LBP either. Sackboy really does feel like it stays loyal to the core concept of LBP while pushing the mechanics to make use of the current-gen.
I’ve been debating to picking a Switch for Pokémon and Monster Hunter myself but have so far controlled my urge hahah There’s too many games and too little time! 😀
Hahah I totally understand. As a Sony/PlayStation fanboy, it would be hard for me not to root for you to get the console and enjoy their exclusives! 😉
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I like the sound of world and story. It looks cute and colourful. It might be fun to go on adventure with Sackboy. Amazing review!
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They’re quite fun and he visits so many quirky worlds too! Thanks for reading, Yesha! 😀
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Oooh that seems so cute when you look at these excerpts!
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It is indeed cute! Cute, fun, creative! 😀
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All right, I really need to say this. The title is weird.
That out of the way, it looks cute! 😀 My husband’s playing Ratchet and Clank right now and enjoying it quite a lot, and this looks a bit similar 😀
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Hahaha I just call it Sackboy and leave it at that. No idea what direction they were aiming for with the title anyway. 😛
Really funny that you mentioned Ratchet and Clank! I recently platinumed (100%) the game in preparation for the upcoming sequel! I bet he must be excited for Rift Apart! Ratchet and Clank was a huge part of my childhood too hahah
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The trailer looks super fun! Thanks for doing this review. I’m seriously considering this.
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It would make me very happy to know that you ended up trying it and enjoying it if it’s ever the case! 😀
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