Sackboy: A Big Adventure Review

What is Sackboy: A Big Adventure?

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a 3D platformer featuring the titular Sackboy who is trying to stop the villain Vex from changing his home of Craftworld from a place of imagination and dreams into a place of nightmares. It is available on Playstation 4 & 5 as well as Microsoft Windows. If you have a Playstation Plus Extra or Premium subscription you have access to this game for free. It was released on November 12, 2020 and was developed by Sumo Digital. I have not completed this game but according to howlongtobeat.com this game takes 10 ½ hours to complete the main objectives.

Game Review:

Sackboy: A Big Adventure transforms the Little Big Planet series from games focused on level creation and building (even though they did have a main story) to be a bigger designed 3D platformer with a story and a bigger number of developer created levels. Sackboy looks at the likes of Mario and tries to more closely emulate what Nintendo does with their flagship franchise. This game seems to be Playstation trying to have a seat at the table in the platforming genre to compete with Nintendo and their bevy of platformers. The developers succeed in creating a charming, family-friendly platformer with Playstation’s best known family-friendly mascot. The level designs are imaginative and varied much like the Little Big Planet games. And the platforming is solid and fun but easy enough that anyone could pick it up and play. There is combat in the game, but it’s very bare bones and not too complex other than the character gets to swing a weapon or hand and slap enemies until they disappear.

Sackboy does not reach me as a player the way that Mario games do. I was not as interested in the world and setting that they built. Sackboy has never been a character I particularly cared for. And the platforming mechanics that they set up don’t do anything particularly unique or different from the Mario games. I feel like there is a higher ceiling for skill growth in the Mario games; in Sackboy it seems to be a bit more casual. I think that this casual feeling is their goal though, as they designed this game for kids to be able to play through and not get frustrated. However, Sackboy does offer some features that can help make the game easier for people who need it. There is an assist section in the menu and one of the features gives infinite lives to the players. If you or someone you’re playing with needs the extra help, this feature can provide a confidence boost. That being said, Sackboy also offers some challenge levels called the Knitted Knight Trials that are used in competitive Playstation tournaments to see who can complete each level the fastest.

The area where Sackboy shines in my opinion is its co-op design. It was made to be played with someone else, especially in the same room, but it also features an online play mode. Some levels can only be played in co-op mode, so as a solo player I had to skip those. The systems created for each level are also very clearly designed to be played multiplayer. For example, the game tallies scores throughout each level and reveals a level winner at the end, who then gets to pose for a snapshot. . Because of this, I think this game would be an awesome choice to have for kids, either to play with siblings or a parent. And because of this clear bent towards multiplayer design I decided to stop playing about halfway through to save this game to play with my son when he’s old enough.

Even though Sackboy forgoes the level creation that was prevalent in Little Big Planet, they still find ways to include player choice in the game. They do this mainly through the use of cosmetics that can be bought for in-game or real-world currency at shops. Like most of you reading this probably already know, I don’t really care for cosmetics much myself but those options are there for people who would be interested. I imagine this would be particularly attractive to kids who would want to dress up their character in whatever way looks cool to them.

I haven’t finished this game so I haven’t seen the end of the story but from what I’ve seen, the narrative is pretty simple and not very engaging to me personally. The villain Vex comes and wants to change Craftworld from a place of imagination and creation to a place of nightmares. He does this by forcing the citizens of Craftworld to work for him and build a machine that will bring about his desired ends. I don’t know exactly what happens when it ends but it’s a pretty straight-forward villain-who-wants-to-ruin-the-world narrative.

Family Friendliness:

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a very family-friendly game. It features cartoonish characters and enemies and worlds made from everyday items like string and buttons. The motives of the player are very simple and noble, trying to save the world and the joy that it brings to its inhabitants. It also highlights cooperative play which is a great way to play games and keep healthy boundaries with them, by making them a social experience. This is a great family-friendly option for families who have a Playstation, especially if they don’t have a Nintendo system.

Features for Parents:

Sackboy is designed for couch co-op so this is a great game to play with and alongside your kid which will help you gauge how things are going. This game is level-based, meaning it’s very easy to pick up and put down so if you need to take a break for a while, you won’t turn it back on and find yourself randomly in the middle of something with no idea what’s happening. And as previously mentioned, there is an assist section in the menu with options to explore including font size adjustment.

Final Verdict:

Sackboy A Big Adventure is a fine 3D platformer that excels in its implementation of cooperative play. It is a good family-friendly option on the Playstation family of consoles. But if you have a Nintendo system or the means to get one, you can get more and higher quality 3D platformers in that ecosystem. I would recommend this game if you have someone, particularly a kid, to play with on the couch.

If you enjoyed this review, please leave a like or comment and share with a friend. Thanks for reading!