LittleBigPlanet 3

Simple pleasures form the basis of this game, but that doesn't mean it's a pushover...

This time around, the story (named Adventure mode) takes place in Bunkum where the previously sealed away Titans have been released and use the new antagonist, Newton, as their puppet to put an end to creativity. It’s up to Sackboy to awaken the three original heroes – Oddsock, Toggle, and Swoop – who sealed the Titans away before to make a return.

Not the best game in the series, and definitely not the most refreshing or the most remarkable, but a solid LBP game and platformer nonetheless that everyone should be able to enjoy.

LittleBigPlanet 3 retains all the charm and whimsy of the previous games, while giving its players an unprecedented set of tools to unleash their imaginations in full-scale adventures.

Reviewing a LittleBigPlanet game at launch is a little like rating The Beatles’ entire catalogue based on everything up to Rubber Soul: the pieces are in place, but the real magic is yet to come. A community centric sequel such as this deserves time to properly mature, but expectations demand that we put pen to paper now. The question is: does Sackboy still have the spark to ensure that his third home console adventure's a charm – or has the Imagisphere’s once overflowing well of ideas finally run dry?

Sony's creativity suite returns, bursting with color, smiles, and cleaner platforming overall.

LittleBigPlanet 3 is a quite major step forward for the series. The story might not explore all of the potential, but briefly shines a light on what the new possibilities might be for those making their own levels. The wide array of new tools, the removal of limitations and addition of new characters and power-ups will all serve to empower the community to reach new heights.

With all of the innovations LittleBigPlanet 3 brings with Toggle, Oddsock, and Swoop, it’s a shame they aren’t allowed to show off their stuff on a regular basis, because they are the best thing to happen to the series in years. It would be nice to see them return in a big way in a potential sequel, but for now hardcore LBP fans should have enough creation options to last them until that point.

LittleBig promises.

At the end of the day, LittleBigPlanet 3 is a proof of concept more than anything else. The game shows that the power of the PS4 can deliver stunning levels and that these new characters can keep the formula fresh. We just will have to wait until a fourth game to see those singular elements truly come together. Die-hard fans will find a lot to love in LittleBigPlanet 3, but everyone else is better off waiting for the next game.

LittleBigPlanet 3 is an enormous - and, at times, unruly - game. It’s Adventure mode is beautifully designed, and new power-ups and character abilities switch up the usual bread-and-butter platforming gameplay, but it’s let down by limited options for co-operative play and most significantly, a number of game-breaking bugs on the PlayStation 4. While a little daunting for newcomers, its supersized creation tookit has enormous potential for creating deep and diverse play, and it’s here where LittleBigPlanet 3 justifies its existence. [Editor's note - a Day One patch for LittleBigPlanet 3 may r...

“LittleBigPlanet 3 is a well-intentioned pastiche of different activities that is simultaneously too restrictive and too open-ended to achieve greatness.”