“While the story is a complete write-off that doesn't mean that the game should be dismissed entirely."
PC | PS5 |
HOW I PLAYED: I played on PS5 with a digital copy.
STORY — 8/20
INTRO (2)
I've been interested in this series for a long time; I even have a physical copy of Little Big Planet 2 in my PS3 collection that's been staring at me for a while now. All the screenshot and gameplay clips I've seen of this series over the year have really interested me. So how does Sackboy a Big Adventure fair as a first entry into the series? Let's find out.
The game's opening cutscene really fails to lay any solid foundation for its world and rushes through its delivery. Is this because this is the 9th game in the IP? Maybe. Regardless I still felt like it was a really week setup and first impression.
It was like I'd started a new show on Episode 2...
The village of Loom in Craftworld is going about its business when all of a sudden this psycho clown lookin' dude named Vex, rips through the clouds (literally cause everything is basically made of cloth in this game) and starts sucking everyone up in a giant vacuum. Sackboy, our Hero, narrowly escapes in a spaceship with plans to the Topsy-Turver which is Vex's evil invention.
After the game's intro I was left with more questions than answers and without my curiosity engaged.
WORLD BUILDING (2)
There's a shop called Zom-Zom's where you can purchase and change outfits for Sackboy using currency you collect in the levels. There's also another NPC named Gerald Struddleguff a wildlife enthusiast who appears in hidden areas in certain levels and will offer Sackboy Dreamer Orbs which are important collectibles that he appears clueless about.
Online play offers you a way to co-op levels and expand the game's universe. Honestly this might be the only real mechanic that gives the game any depth to its lore and world because the cutscenes do very little to expand on the extremely basic and generic story.
OVERALL STORY (1)
I honestly think the game would have been better off without a story at all. There's just nothing here. The intro is incredibly shallow, the cutscenes are OK to look at but don't expand or nourish the story or characters and then there's the end. There's no struggle in between, no character progression, no twist, no sense of adventure. Nothing.
The people of Sackboy's village were all enslaved by Vex to build his Topsy-Turver device. The end. The characters and story didn't connect with me at any point in the game. Its a real shame because its such a joy to play Sackboy a Big Adventure but it feels like the story is trying to piggyback off of it - an afterthought - rather than lead it.
GRAPHICS — 15/15
CHARACTER MODELS (5)
While Sackboy himself is pretty basic looking, he's really brought to life with all the various costumes you can dress him up with. The other characters in the game are wildly expressive and match the tone of the game's world.
ENVIRONMENTS (5)
Craftworld is unbelievably imaginative and colourful. As I was playing, it was giving Ratchet and Clank meets James and the Giant Peach mixed with Pikmin topped with the passion and care of when Pixar was in its prime. Jesus! Its like I stepped into a dream or something; the creativity in the world design is on a whole 'nother level
Sackboy travels to each new world in his spaceship and every one of them is more impressive than the last. I probably said to myself "Ok THAT is my new favouite level" like 15 times throughout the game. Lush green jungle, undersea realm, futuristic space exploration with conveyer belts, jetpacks with aliens . Absolutely unreal.
SPECIAL FX (5)
Its just fun. If I could sum up the whole game into one word that would be it. Every visual detail is exciting, colourful and expressive. The little cloud of dust that follows Sackboy as he runs almost looks friendly if that even makes sense. Light from laser beams reflects off of metallic shiny surfaces, electric platforms sizzle with blue energy, flames that shoot up from the ground look genuinely dangerous and particle effects and confetti come to join the party as well.
AUDIO — 13/15
AMBIENCE (5)
For me personally, the highlight of the game was its soundtrack. Wow! What a ride. Each World had its own identity and distinct sound that gave it so much personality and just created a vibe. The original score of the game is also accented with previously released Pop hits from artists like David Bowie, Bruno Mars, Britney Spears and Foster The People just to name a few. It felt like each level was almost a music video for these records. Everything in the level was synchronized to the beat of the song and even enemies would dance and move to the music as you explored the level. I've never seen anything like this in a game before and it was truly incredible.
BOSS MUSIC (3)
As with the rest of the game's soundtrack the Boss music felt highly personalized for each encounter. I didn't connect with the boss music as much as the rest of the game's soundtrack, however. It did the job but wasn't especially impressive.
SOUND DESIGN (5)
Sackboy has all kinds of little expressions and laughter that he'll make that sounded super authentic and gave him a ton of charm. You know in movies and shows when they clearly use an adult to try and mimic a child and it comes across super awkward and cringy? I did not get this vibe for one second ever. I grew to care for Sackboy because of the sound of his voice.
All of the sounds in the game are expertly crafted and add so much value to the experience. Every little detail was considered and handled with care. Everything from menu confirmation sounds to your score being tallied at the end of the level to the explosions of bombs and the impact of your powerups. All of it just sounded awesome. Absolute top parks to the audio department.
PERFORMANCE — 9/10
FRAME RATE (4)
The game ran really well on PS5 and load times were quick. There are no options for graphics or performance modes.
STABILITY (5)
At no point in the game did I struggle with any jank or game glitches.
GAMEPLAY — 31/40
CONTROLS (5)
Controlling Sackboy for the most part was very enjoyable and felt well tested a refined. There's a real sense of polish in every corner of the game. I did encounter a couple of sticking points however that were majorly frustrating and resulted in repeated deaths. In the later levels the platforming becomes pretty challenging but I felt like it was the game letting me down rather than my own skill level. Some bits were just really finicky.
MECHANICS (3)
There's some really cool stuff going on in the levels that keep this from being just another collectathon platformer.
My favourite mechanic involved these jellyfish that reveal hidden geometry. Sackboy can pick them up and trow them or hold them above his head and everything in a circle around him that is invisible is magically revealed. Platforms, giant blocks and the secret way forward are all concealed until the jellyfish is nearby. This created a real sense of wonder and joy as I explored the level. It reminded me of the lens of truth from Zelda but with a fresh take.
PACING (3)
As Sackboy completes each stage, a new one is unlocked allowing him to progress further. The whole Super Mario World overworld design was fine but I kept wishing the game was more of a full on adventure game with a connected world because of just how awesome the design was. I wanted to immerse myself into it in a way that segmented levels didn't offer.
There's a noticeable amount of backtracking as you're required to collect enough Dreamer Orbs from each level before you can access the boss at the end of each world. Some of these Dreamer Orbs are tricky to find and can be easily missed on a first pass.
UI/UE (5)
The main UI while you play shows your current orb collection and the amount of lives you have. The overall look and aesthetic of the game was phenomenal. The Menus fit in so perfectly and were simple but helpful.
BOSS QUALITY (3)
The Boss quality was all over the place. One or two encounters really impressed me with their mechanics and setpieces, a couple of them were recycled and the rest were pretty generic.
Minor spoiler incoming (do 3 second coutndown in video) - it felt super anticlimactic that the main villain in the game, Vex, appears as the first Boss in the game. Like, I thought I was supposed to go on some big adventure to go find this guy and he shows up within the first hour. Strange.
ENEMY VARIETY (3)
There was a lot of recycling going on which was a bit disappointing. Given how much effort that went into each world's unique look and soundtrack only to have the same enemies from other worlds keep re-appearing felt a bit flawed. I guess the game did a good enough job in keeping it fresh but yeah the repetition was noticeable.
GAMEPLAY VARIETY (5)
I did play online a couple of times; it was quick and easy to join games with other players. Like I was paired up with within 5 seconds. Cool to see that people are still playing this almost 6 years after its release.
Other than the online mode and couch co-o, Sackboy offers a ton a variety within its core game. The majority of what you're going to be doing is platforming and collecting stuff but its seasoned with so much excitement.
Sackboys moveset is incredibly diverse and is amplified ever further with the inclusion of powerups. These range from hover boot like accessories called plasma pumps which let him hover in the air and shoot plasma with his hands to a grappling hook device called a claw string as well as a boomerang. I liked that these were introduced gradually as the game progressed. This gave the sense that I was getting stronger and it was satisfying.
ZomZoms lets you buy new outfits, try on collected outfits pieces you find in levels and even paint them afterwards. There's a huge wardrobe in the game to keep you lookin stylish and break up the platforming a bit.
Knitted Knight trials are mini time-trial levels that reward you with addition Dreamer Orbs. I didn't find these too exciting but they offered some variety either way.
REPLAYABILITY (4)
Post game content becomes available after you defeat the final boss, although this annoyed me more than excited me. Probably because I was so done with the story at this point that I couldn't imagine continuing any further. But yeah, there's a whole bonus world.
Each level you complete gives you a score based on how many orbs you collected and the amount of deaths you've taken. You'll get a rank of either bronze silver or gold. Levels are infinitely repayable as are the boss fights so you can keep going to try and get your best score.
One thing I found super strange is that the game does not offer a "New Game" option. Meaning you can't have multiple save files going at the same time. I wanted to start over to capture additional footage for the review only to discover that I'd have to go into my PS5 directly and delete the entire game. Luckily it does keep your trophies but yeah how weird is that?
BONUS — 2/3
Sackboy a Big Adventure offers colourblind options and various assist modes.
OVERALL — 78/100
GOOD
Title Of Game HERE This is just the posterchild for "a good game". Its not going to change your life or anything but its the perfect game to pickup and play on a weekend. Its solid. It was a lot of fun. The visuals and the soundtrack really impressed me. While the story is a complete write off that doesn't mean that the game should be dismissed entirely. I would easily recommend this to anyone just looking for a change of pace or just a fun escape. You can pick it up for 10 minutes at a time or sit down and mow through it in a dedicated sitting. Either way you're bound to be entertained.
PROS
✅ Fascinating world
✅ Stellar soundtrack
✅ Strong variety of gameplay
✅ Easy to pick up and play
CONS
❌ Story is a waste of time
❌ Some backtracking
❌ Underwhelming boss fights
❌ Pacing suffers in story's absence
TLDR: 78/100 (GOOD) Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a visually dazzling and joyfully imaginative platformer that stumbles narratively but shines in gameplay and presentation. While the story feels shallow, underdeveloped, and largely unnecessary, the game makes up for it with gorgeous environments, creative level design, and a vibrant soundtrack that synchronizes gameplay with pop music hits and original compositions. Sackboy’s charming personality, expressive animations, and responsive—if occasionally finicky—controls make exploring Craftworld a delight. Despite recycled enemies and lackluster boss battles, the sheer gameplay variety, co-op modes, stylish customization options, and well-polished mechanics ensure a consistently fun experience. It may not be profound, but it's an easy-to-recommend pick-up-and-play title that delivers pure entertainment.
PICK UP (SACKBOY: A BIG ADVENTURE) HERE:
PlayStation: https://www.playstation.com/en-ca/games/sackboy-a-big-adventure/
PC: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1599660/Sackboy_A_Big_Adventure/
CHECK OUT OUR VIDEO REVIEW HERE
0 Comments