Sackboy: A Big Adventure

PlayStation 4
WW: 12 November 2020
PlayStation 5
NA/OC: 12 November 2020
WW: 19 November 2020

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a 2020 platform game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. A spin-off of the LittleBigPlanet series, it follows Sackboy, and features 3D platforming as opposed to 2.5D in previous entries. It was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in November 2020 and Windows in October 2022.

Gameplay

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a platform game. Unlike previous LittleBigPlanet entries with 2.5D platforming, it features a range of perspectives and 3D movement. Players control Sackboy on world maps which give access to a multitude of platforming levels and bonus content. As Sackboy completes each stage new ones unlock allowing him to progress further. All levels contain collectable objects called Dreamer Orbs which must be collected en-masse to progress to the end of the game.

Sackboy's move set is greatly expanded from previous entries and players can now slap at will, roll around, nosedive, pick-up objects and flutter jump, to name a few. Moves can be chained together to create combos that allow skilled players to travel greater distances. Each level in the game employs a series of interactable objects that require at least one of Sackboy's moves to progress. Sackboy also has access to multiple stages where he can use new powerups. The Grappling Hook, now called the Clawstring, returns from LittleBigPlanet 2, allowing Sackboy to grab onto object from afar, the Whirltool is a boomerang-like device that can be thrown to defeat enemies and break objects and finally the Plasma Pumps allow Sackboy to hover in the air and fire energy blasts.

Content creation

The game does not feature any Create Mode akin to LittleBigPlanet entries, only making certain nods to it through collectables. Players can still customize their Sackboy via ZomZom's Shop. ZomZom is a travelling haberdasher that returns after his appearance in LittleBigPlanet 3. In his shop players can buy new costumes, try on collected outfits and even paint costume pieces. Costumes created by the player can be saved and are then available to choose when a level is entered.

Multiplayer

The game is fully playable in both local and online multiplayer allowing up to 4 players to experience the game together. There are stages in each world that require multiple players to enter and are specifically designed so players must work together to progress. The game originally did not ship with online functionality. The feature was added in a patch a month later on 17 December 2020.

Storyline

In Craftworld, in the village of Loom, the Sackpeople are enjoying their lives when the villain Vex (Richard E. Grant) rips through the sky and begins to suck everything up with his machines in order to enslave the Sackpeople to make his Topsy-Turver machine to take over Craftworld with his evil Uproar. Sackboy manages to avoid being enslaved and steals the plans to the Topsy-Turver, escaping into a rocket. He uses the plans to travel all around Craftworld with the help of an elder sackperson, Scarlet (Dawn French) and tries to prevent Vex from getting the final materials he needs to finish the Topsy-Turver and take over the world, solving many of the issues Vex caused and gathering Dreamer Orbs along the way.

Later on the journey, Vex ambushes Sackboy and steals the latter's Dreamer Orbs, revealing that he manipulated him into gathering them to fuel the Topsy-Turver. Encouraged by Scarlet, Sackboy ventures to the center of Craftworld, where Vex intends to replace the Tree of Imagination with his machine. There he confronts Vex again and rendezvous with Scarlet who reveals a plan to destroy the machine when Vex suddenly knocks her unconscious. Venturing into the Topsy-Turver, Sackboy confronts Vex once more, defeating him and destroying the machine. Afterwards, Scarlet knights Sackboy as a Knitted Knight as peace is restored in Loom and Craftworld.

Sound Effects Used

• Andrewhelm Scream (Heard from "The Return of Vex" once in the post-level cutscene of "Sackdude Can't Take It!" used for the giant ram after being poked by Ved in the butt before he said "GO GET THEM!".)
• Anime Toy Squeak Sound 2 (Used twice for the stuffie as Zen's act when Sackboy squeezes it.)
• Disney - AHOOGA HORN (Heard once in the pre-level cutscene from the DLC "The Return of Vex".)
• Hollywoodedge, Toy Doll Cries Squea CRT042001 (Heard once in the "Down the Hatch" pre-level cutscene from the DLC "The Return of Vex" used for Sackboy when he gets grabbed like a squeaky toy by his dad, Vex right after he said "...outrageous".)
• Joel Valentine Stomach Growls (Heard once in the pre-level and post-level cutscene used for Vex's stomach in one of the DLCs.) (Newton's version of the "Down The Hatch" pre-level cutscene and Sackboy's version and Newton's version of the post-level cutscene. However, in Sackboy's version and Newton's version in the post-level cutscene after the boss fight is used for his stomach which means that he isn't feeling so good.)
• Psycho Music (Heard from "The Return of Vex" once in the cutscene used when Vex goes insane.)
• SKYWALKER BIG BELCHING SOUND (Heard once in the cutscene before the boss fight used for Vex when he burps after swallowing Sackboy or Newton.)
• SKYWALKER, TOY - ALIENS SQUEAKING (Heard once in the post-level cutscene and later in the pre-level cutscene.)
• Sound Ideas, HUMAN, GURGLE - STOMACH, GRUMBLE, GRUMBLING STOMACH, DIGIFFECTS (Heard once in the pre-level cutscene of "Down the Hatch" in the DLC "The Return of Vex", used for Vex's stomach. However, if you play as Sackboy, the noise will be heard before Vex could finish his sentence.)
• Sound Ideas, STEREO, TURNTABLE - NEEDLE SCRATCHING RECORD, RECORD PLAYER 02 (Heard from the DLC "The Return of Vex" once in the post-level cutscene when Vex notices that it was a snowball instead of the Dreamer Orbe and later in pre-level cutscene. However, Vex interrupted his sentence and saw more Sacklings.)
• Sound Ideas, TOY - SQUEEZE TOY, SQUEAKING 01 (Heard twice in the pre-level cutscene used for Sackboy's stuffy and later once in the post-level cutscene used for Newton's Sackboy plushie in "The Return of Vex".)
• Sound Ideas, ZIP, CARTOON - QUICK WHISTLE ZIP OUT (Heard once in "Ready, Yeti Go" used when the small yeti with a helmet falls off the fence.)
• Wilhelm Scream (Heard once in the pre-level cutscene used for Vex when he screams after seeing Sackboy and Newton in "The Return of Vex".)