Little Big Planet Vita Review
Developer Double Eleven, Tarsier Studios & XDev
Publisher Sony
Platform PS Vita
Release Date Out Now
Sackboy returns to the small screen in what is arguably the best Little Big Planet game to date. Previously we have been able to enjoy or knitted little friend in handheld form on the PSP but it is in this latest title on the PS Vita that brings the franchise to a level that not only beats the PSP version hands down but also surpasses the PS3 versions also.
The key to its success is the combination of a great dev team and the platform itself, after a great initial launch the Vita has dragged along a little. It is still missing that one killer title that would sell the machine Thankfully LBP Vita is the title that brings all the Vita’s features together and implements them into a brilliant game without ever giving the impression that the controls have been crow barred into the game just because they are there.
Both front and rear touch pads are used to interact with Sackboy’s environment, blue items can be manipulated from the front green items from behind. This manipulation can vary from just knocking things out of the way, to moving platforms or to actually spring Sackboy into the air.
LBP titles have focused on the play, create & share motto and as such had little in the line of a compelling story line. Up to now the story was usually only really used to loosely tie the levels together. LBP Vita on the other hand has a beautifully crafted story matched only by the impressively crafted graphics that have given the whole game a far broader appeal.
The Puppeteer has released his evil hordes out into Little Big Planet to run riot, there is only one hero who can stop them and that’s Sackboy. Armed with an array of amazing little gadgets supplied by his new friends Sackboy will run jump and shoot rockets through some amazing set pieces and really intelligently designed levels.
Sackboy is a friendly little guy and likes to have company on his adventures so it is handy that the Vita supports multiplayer drop in drop out gameplay. Best used over WI-Fi but also quite playable over 3G. Random people can pop into your world and help you out, each level has a section built for 2 or more Sack people so playing with friends does benefit you both.
Between the story levels you have clever little addictive mini games like the early take on whack a mole which works incredibly well on the touch screen, or the more difficult to master stacking game similar to the Move title Tumble. These fun addictive little mini games offer a great extension to the main game. Once unlocked you can easily pop back at any time and take on the challenge posed in the mini games.
Outside of the already impressive main game and mini games you then have the endless supply of community games. These are small little gems that you can download and play for free. They are small little files so are quick and easy to download. It has been great to quickly stack ten of these games to download for an upcoming bus journey. Picking random titles so you never quite know what to expect, some are insane little games others have production values that rival the full game.
Media Molecule have always embraced the community, giving them access to the tools to go and build their own 7 million+ LBP levels. Double Eleven went one step further by hiring some of the top community designers to come and create a host of levels for the game.
Double Eleven have also opened up the level building tool even further and by allowing the community to now break free of the standard 2D platform set up the community section of the game has been flooded with amazing side scrolling, top down, mind bending titles. In fact if you can imagine it and have the skills you can probably design it yourself.
Designing levels has never been easier either now with the touch screen you can simply trace with your finger to create amazing level designs. The controls did hinder a lot of novice level designers so with this addition we are expecting to see an even bigger explosion of community games on the Vita.
Overall: LBP Vita is just what the Vita needed a title that everyone can enjoy, a game to sell the platform and a game to genuinely make great use of the Vita’s touch controls. Not only have the developer team at Double Eleven made a fantastic game but they have made the best LBP to date.
SCORE 9.5/10
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