LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is set for a North American release on Tuesday, September 25th but we were given a chance to fire up our PS Vita and download a preview release of this fun little title. Is it a worthy addition to the “Play, Create, Share” family?
Read on to find out.
LittleBigPlanet has been around for quite some time. The Sackboy series introduced us to a world where the game didn’t end when the story did. LittleBigPlanet brought us into Sony’s world of “Play, Create, Share” without us even knowing it.
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita brings with it a brand new story centered on the fairground planet of Carnivalia. From the few levels we were able to visit, the planet lived up to its name. Levels were designed with a carnival like atmosphere, that made it very fun and enjoyable.
Levels were designed with features that haven’t been available before. The Vita’s front and rear touch pads are used in a variety of ways that sometimes seem awkward. Not in a way that ruins the experience, but taking your fingers away from the buttons takes a little getting used to. Our favorite level was the unlockable Whack-a-Sackboy level. It has you turn your Vita sideways and use the touch screen to whack Sackboy’s head each time it pops up. Perfect little game that should give enjoyment to a wide range of ages.
The awkwardness of some elements comes in when there are movable pads. The stretch of your fingers might get tested if you try to move blocks around while holding the Vita with both hands. Younger gamers with small hands will find this a little more challenging then those of us with large hands.
LittleBigPlanet has always been about extending your play time by allowing you to create and share levels with the world. LBP PS Vita is no different, and brings all of the previous tools into this version. It doesn’t stop there, though, and also brings with it new tools utilizing the touch screen and rear touch pad. Levels become literal drag-and-drop environments, and moving items around has never been easier. You can also use the front and rear camera of the Vita to incorporate your own images into your level design.
After completing the first world of our LPB PS Vita journey, we were disappointed to find that we couldn’t go any farther. The rest of the story was locked out. We still had full access to the level creator and the online community, so creating and finding new levels to play was pretty easy.
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is shaping up to be another epic journey for our little sack hero, and we can’t wait to get on with it. If you haven’t preordered this title, you might want to get on that.
