Previews

During E3 2014, Sony had a few surprises in store for PlayStation owners, one of which was the next iteration of Media Molecule’s extremely popular platformer, LittleBigPlanet 3. Sackboy will once again take centre stage, but this time, he won’t be the only character players control in this all-new adventure.

Toggle and Oddsock and Swoop! Oh my!

Sackboy ran amok across a number of PlayStation systems, although LittleBigPlanet 3 will primarily be available on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 later this year. For the first time in the franchise’s history, Sackboy won’t be the only playable character, as three other friends, each with their own traits and abilities will be available.

Oddsock is what you would get if you combined a dog with Sackboy, as he can run faster than any of the other characters and is also able to perform wall jumps. Swoop is a bird character who flies through levels with ease, and is able pick up objects and characters, which is extremely helpful for stages with hard-to-reach places.

Last but certainly not least is Toggle. He’s the biggest character out of the four, whose size comes into play when gamers come across pressure plates. His size can also be used to weigh down platforms, although he becomes extremely light by transforming into Light Toggle. In this form, Light Toggle can fit into small spaces and even walk across water.

With all of the amazing feats Sackboy’s pals can perform in LittleBigPlanet 3, Sony’s iconic mascot also received some cool moves. Specifically, Sackboy now has the ability to climb, which can be used to navigate vines and other rope-like objects, which is certainly an improvement over his initial ability of just holding items.

In addition, Sackboy won’t be the only character in the game players will customise, as Oddsock, Swoop and Toggle can also don their own outfits to give them unique flair. Creators can even tweak how each character handles and their abilities within Create Mode, giving players who partake in your created level a unique experience.

All previously created user-generated content playable in LittleBigPlanet 3

A big selling point for LittleBigPlanet games is the ability to give players the power to create their own levels. Because of this, LittleBigPlanet contains millions of user-generated stages, all of which are playable in LittleBigPlanet 3. PlayStation 3 owners will be able to enjoy all of the user-generated content they’ve grown to love, although PlayStation 4 gamers will receive improved graphics thanks to the impressive visuals on the platform.

Speaking of user-generated content, LittleBigPlanet 3 will include additional improvements to help imaginative users create levels they want in the upcoming game. One improvement is the title’s depth, as players were previously able to navigate through three layers, while content creators are now able to use up to 16. Another is the ability to create full adventures, rather than just a single level. The new adventure creation tools will allow gamers to create their own Adventure Maps that contain their own quests, all of which can be tracked using the new Organisertron quest tracker.

A total of 250 Create Tools will ship with LittleBigPlanet 3, 70 of which are completely new, while 29 tools are enhancements from ones originally available in LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2. The remaining 10 tools come from the PlayStation Vita version of LittleBigPlanet. The Dual Shock 4’s touch pad is also expected to add a new layer to a user’s ability to create levels; user-created power-ups are also a possibility.

Sharing taken to another level on the PlayStation 4

Play, Create and Share are the three major pillars behind the LittleBigPlanet experience. In previous titles, this was limited to just sharing your created content among the LittleBigPlanet community. Sharing in LittleBigPlanet 3 is taken to a completely new level through the power of the PlayStation 4, as fans can create trailers attached to their published levels. These trailers can be used to give those interested in your level a way to preview it before downloading.

There are many improvements and additions in LittleBigPlanet 3 that will understandably get fans of the series genuinely excited. New characters, creation tools and ways to share content across the LittleBigPlanet community could make this the most ambitious game in the series. Now all we need is a firm release date.