Meet Sackboy — and Sackgirl, too. They’re the stars of Media Molecule’s upcoming LittleBigPlanet, a puzzle-based platformer where content creation is king. Using their innate abilities to run around and jump while looking adorable, you’ll be guiding them through countless worlds and levels, which anyone can create with access to the game and a controller. Dangerous enemies and physics-based puzzles await, and budding level designers can churn out and share their own creations.
You’ll likely be playing with others, and good looks don’t come naturally — unless you’re into the whole burlap thing. This is where the "Pop-It" system first comes into play. Customizing your Sackboy is as simple as jumping into the game’s edit mode — even in the middle of a level — and affixing whatever designs or accoutrements you’d like. You can even make some of your own, if you’re artistically inclined.
Now that you’ve got your Sack-critter all dressed up, you may as well design a level, too. The Pop-It system will provide you with a slew of shapes and objects to choose from. Everything reacts realistically: Gears spin when you grab them, wheels roll and blocks of felt squish and deform. While plenty of objects are available off the bat, to add to your toolset, you’ll have to find more while playing.
And what’s a stage without a few obstacles along the way? Sackboys can be burned, electrocuted, frozen or crushed, and when you’re not avoiding that unfortunate fate, you can construct traps of your own. Create your own enemies too, by sticking AI brains into objects. Have a creation you’re especially proud of? Offer it up as a reward for just playing your level, or at the end of a time-limit challenge.
Once your deadly traps are complete, you can easily copy and paste them around your level, and share it with the world. Share levels uploaded to the PlayStation Network with friends (or absolutely anyone). Up to four players can play on a level at once, working cooperatively to solve puzzles, or competitively, to snag items before your friends do.
Only loser Sackboys and Sackgirls walk around everywhere. Once you’re done building that complex level with traps and pitfalls, you’ll definitely want to build them a ride, so they can cruise around in style. Don’t forget to wear a helmet!
Of course, there’s more to a level than platforming and making traps. If you really want to stand out, you’ll have to add a few creative touches. This is where Stickers come in. Using the Pop-It system, you can pull images that’re saved onto your PlayStation’s hard drive, or even pictures taken with your PlayStation Eye camera, and paste them onto objects. They’ll attach and scale dynamically, allowing you to apply your own designs anywhere you see fit.
The definition of a "level" will be completely up to your discretion. With potent content-creation tools dropped right into a player’s lap, the worlds to explore will be as bizarre and memorable as the user making them. With Little Big Planet set to launch in late October, PS3 owners are just a few weeks away from cranking out their Sackboy adventures.
