LittleBigPlanet 3 Hands-On Preview [E3 2014]

The third main console entry in Sackboy’s platforming adventures was recently announced during Sony’s E3 conference, and today, several members of the WGTC gaming staff got the opportunity to try out the same demo level of LittleBigPlanet 3 that was presented during the conference, as well as get additional info on what to expect from the customization-heavy game-creating tool.

Sumo Digital, who previously developed both Sonic All-Stars Racing titles, as well as some downloadable level packs for LittleBigPlanet 2, has assumed development duties from series creators Media Molecule, who have since moved on to create Tearaway and a currently unannounced PS4 project.  The Sumo rep at the booth controlled series mascot Sackboy, while myself, Chad Goodmurphy and Chaz Neeler played as newcomers OddSock, Toggle, and Swoop.

I took the role of the quadraped OddSock, who boasts much faster movement than Sackboy and can also run up and jump off walls. Using the L1 button, Toggle can switch between big and small versions of himself, which boast different abilities. Being a bird, Swoop is able to fly around each sidescrolling environment freely, as well as pick other players and certain objects up and carry them through the air. The rep was also quick to point out that, just like Sackboy, the three newcomers can have their appearance customized, with various unlockable costumes available for each one.

Sackboy won’t be without new tricks, though. The rep revealed that you’ll be able to create custom powerups from scratch for your own levels, building on the “Creatinator” helmet introduced in LittleBigPlanet 2. Sackboy will also be able to climb grid-like nets strewn throughout specific points, a la Super Mario World.

One big improvement that was quickly pointed out was the amount of available layers. Jumping back and forth between three planes of the foreground has been a staple of previous LittleBigPlanet games, but this entry has bumped the total number of available layers to a whopping sixteen, and numerous level elements will enable creators to smoothly transition characters automatically between them.