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Platform:<\/b> PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n LittleBigPlanet has been a PlayStation mainstay ever since it debuted near the beginning of the PS3\u2019s lifespan. Since then, it\u2019s seen several sequels and spinoffs, but one thing has remained a constant presence: the immeasurably cute Sackboy. A few months back, Sony revealed the character\u2019s latest outing, Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Sumo Digital\u2019s new game may not offer the world-creating tools that much of the series is known for, but its focus on co-op platforming doesn\u2019t appear to be short on surprises.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the studio\u2019s first foray into the LittleBigPlanet universe; Sumo Digital also developed LittleBigPlanet 3. I spoke to Ned Waterhouse, design director at Sumo Digital to learn more about the team\u2019s latest game before it launches on PS5 and PS4 on November 12. Here are six of the biggest takeaways from that conversation:<\/p>\n
1. You\u2019re Going To Learn More About Sackboy<\/h2>\n Sackboy is a pretty adorable fellow, but what does he have beyond his good looks? A Big Adventure isn\u2019t going to be exploring his inner demons or diving into his deepest thoughts, but Sumo is stuffing a little bit of story and context into the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe start in Sackboy\u2019s hometown, which is the village of Loom,\u201d Waterhouse says. \u201cThis is where all the sacklings of Craftworld live. Sackboy is a bit different from the other sackfolk; he\u2019s always dreamed of adventure, he\u2019s always wanted to see what lies beyond the borders of his village. Perhaps slightly unexpectedly, but also perhaps predictably, he gets his chance because one day: The game\u2019s villain, a nefarious trickster called Vex descends upon Loom and he kidnaps all of the sacklings that live there and enslaves them to build a machine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If activated, this machine will turn Craftworld upside-down and inside-out. As you may imagine, that\u2019s not a great scenario. I was a little surprised to hear all of these story beats; for a series that\u2019s put more of a premium on aesthetics and player agency, I wasn\u2019t expecting all of this, well, lore. Waterhouse says the team thought providing that kind of context was important. \u201cWe felt that by starting the game and showing where he was from and showing his friends and giving that context, that gave us this platform to really show his growth on this journey to become a knitted knight, which is sort of part of his quest, if you like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
2. It\u2019s Faithful To The Series While Being *Ahem* A Fun Platformer<\/h2>\n I\u2019ll be diplomatic here by saying that the LittleBigPlanet games have a unique take on platforming physics. Fine. I\u2019ll just say it. Sackboy is kind of a floaty dude in a strange sort of way. LittleBigPlanet does a lot of things exceptionally well, but when I think of great platforming it\u2019s not even in the same room as that list. Waterhouse is similarly diplomatic when he describes how the team first approached the idea of a dedicated LBP platformer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe figured at the start of making this game we made the decision to focus on play,\u201d he says. \u201cWe made the decision to say, \u2018We\u2019re going to make the best 3D co-op platformer we can.\u2019 Right. What do we need? We need great controls. They need to be responsive, they need to be fluid. They need to be easy to pick up and play, but they need to have depth and nuance to them. We\u2019ll make sure we do that. We need a compelling, highly interactive world to take you on this journey. And then we want loads of variety. We basically said at the start of this game our ambition was to make sure every level felt unique.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waterhouse says that the goal was for every level to provide surprises to the player, whether it was its setting, a new mechanic, or something else. All the while, the team recognized that it was important to ensure that the game was true to the core of LittleBigPlanet. \u201cThat meant having signature gameplay elements that everyone is going to recognize, whether that\u2019s score bubbles or bounce pads or scoreboards or whatever else,\u201d he says. \u201cIt meant obviously the sort of completely unique handcrafted aesthetic and making sure that we took that and applied it to what is now a 3D world. It meant retaining that sense of quintessential Britishness in the humor and slightly Python-esque irreverence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
3. The DualSense Shines In This Adventure<\/h2>\n Sony has made a lot of hay about its DualSense controller, and how its haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and audio capabilities can work in tandem to create the sensation of interacting with different materials and surfaces. It\u2019s pretty neat tech, and its potential isn\u2019t lost on Waterhouse and his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur game, in particular, lends itself to the DualSense because of the high-fidelity materials and being able to really communicate the difference between landing on a balloon versus landing on a tin plate or whatever it might be,\u201d he says. \u201cWe still have all of the grab-and-drag gameplay from the LittleBigPlanet titles, and now when you pull something over a surface you will feel that object\u2019s friction with a surface. That\u2019s been really interesting to see the extra layer of immersion that we can put on the gameplay experience. The key currency in our game, the progression currency, is an object called Dreamer Orbs, and when you collect a Dreamer Orb, you pick the orb up in the world and it spins around Sackboy, so it circles him and then it flies up into the UI. Because of the fidelity in the controller, we can create that feeling of the object circling you as the sensation moves around the controller in your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked Waterhouse what it\u2019s been like incorporating those kinds of sensations into the game. In particular, I was curious to learn how various team members have communicated sensations that aren\u2019t necessarily as easy to convey as things like sounds or visuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou end up having a lot of arguments about what things do and don\u2019t feel like,\u201d he says. \u201c\u2019Is that how it feels like to pop a balloon?\u2019 \u2018Yeah it does!\u2019 \u2018No, it doesn\u2019t!\u2019 \u2018Someone, get a balloon!\u2019 It is an interesting challenge. A thing to be aware of is the haptics are a component of the feedback in the game, but you need the visuals and the audio to reinforce what you\u2019re feeling, and when it really sings is when those things all come together and the haptics underscore what you\u2019re seeing and what you\u2019re hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
4. There\u2019s Room For Griefing<\/s> Mischief \u2026<\/h2>\n I\u2019ll jump right to it: Sackboy: A Big Adventure has a suite of tools that older siblings across the globe are bound to appreciate. You want to slap the other player\u2019s character silly? Go for it! You want to roll into a ball and bonk into your buddy? Why not. If you\u2019re more of a classicist, you can always just grab another player and chuck them into harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe said, for the majority of these things, they should have utility in the game.,\u201d Waterhouse says. \u201cYou should always be able to use them to advance, to progress, to collaborate. But it\u2019s nice to be able to grief each other. Especially if people aren\u2019t expecting it. This is very much a co-op game, but it\u2019s a co-op game with a bit of mischief, and I kind of secretly hope that we\u2019re going to cause a few arguments at Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those arguments can happen with up to four players, either in groups of four bickering on the couch, yelling at each other online, or split up between the two.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
5. \u2026 But Co-Op Is Important<\/h2>\n Once you\u2019ve gotten all that out of your system, it\u2019s important to note that Sumo has put a lot of time into the actual cooperative part of co-op gaming. For instance, one of the levels has you rescuing baby monkeys and depositing them into baskets that are scattered around. Waterhouse says that in user testing, players will invariably pass the monkeys to their co-op buddies whenever possible, and then chuck the babies into the baskets (it\u2019s okay, the monkeys are fine with it).\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the main campaign we can look for mechanics that encourage collaboration but not mandate it, but we\u2019ve also created a set of dedicated co-op levels, and these take the mechanics that you\u2019ve encountered in the main game and twist them in a multiplayer context where you have to collaborate and communicate and work together,\u201d Waterhouse says. \u201cThat creates a different dynamic to the main game, because people really try and work together but it inevitably all falls apart and it\u2019s hilarious when it does. It\u2019s a really good single-player platformer, but when you play it with your friends it\u2019s a while different dynamic and much more chaotic, much more slapstick. It\u2019s really nice to see people enjoying playing the game in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waterhouse also brought up something that is going to come as a relief to players who may be planning on checking out the game with younger siblings or their own children, or even other people who just aren\u2019t as good at games. In addition to allowing players to do things like add infinite lives, players who are stuck on certain parts of the game in co-op can call an Assist Copter, which takes them safely out of the action while the more skilled player proceeds for a bit. As someone who has his patience tested during co-op platforming sections in other family-friendly games, that copter is a godsend.<\/p>\n\n
6. PlayStation 4 Players Won\u2019t Be Left In The Dust<\/h2>\n If you weren\u2019t able to afford or secure a PlayStation 5 preorder, don\u2019t worry. \u201cWe support PS4\/PS5 crossplay, so if your friends aren\u2019t upgrading you can still play together,\u201d Waterhouse says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing I\u2019d like to say is that this game is great on both platforms,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe set out to make the best platformer that we could, and I think myself and the team are proud of this experience on both PS4 and PS5. I don\u2019t think players are going to be disappointed if they buy the PS4 version. That said, the PS5 is obviously a more powerful console, and it has a wider feature set. On PS5, you\u2019re going to get that extra visual fidelity. You are going to get the benefits of the SSD, that loading in and out of levels takes just a few seconds and you\u2019re in the game and out again \u2013 it\u2019s great. Obviously, the additional sense of immersion that you get from both the DualSense but also the 3D audio. It\u2019s a great experience on PS4, but we\u2019ve enhanced that experience with the increased power and feature set of the PS5.\u201d<\/p>\n
However you choose to play, Sackboy: A Big Adventure is hitting PlayStation consoles on November 12.<\/p>\n\n
\u7acb\u523b\u8a3b\u518a\u53ca\u5831\u540d\u96fb\u8166\u88dc\u7fd2\u8ab2\u7a0b\u5427!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/br>Find A Teacher Form:\r\n<\/br>https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/1vREBnX5n262umf4wU5U2pyTwvk9O-JrAgblA-wH9GFQ\/viewform?edit_requested=true#responses\r\n<\/br><\/br>Email:\r\n<\/br>public1989two@gmail.comwww.itsec.hk<\/a> www.itsec.vip<\/a> www.itseceu.uk<\/a>\t\t\tPublisher: PlayStation Studios<\/p>\n
\t\t\tDeveloper: Sumo Digital<\/p>\n
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