LittleBigPlanet Preview

Little folk, big problems.

Back in March 2007, during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Sony unveiled an imaginative new project, entitled LittleBigPlanet, presently in development at UK-based Media Molecule. The game is looking progressively better with each passing month. Heading the project is one Mark Healey, co-founder of Media Molecule and previously an artist working for Lionhead Studios. He's also recognized for developing Rag Doll Kung-Fu, which was later distributed via Steam, Valve's content delivery service.

Using a unique visual style, the creators of LittleBigPlanet came up with a rather interesting concept. In essence, LBP was described as a platform-oriented game, albeit with a very special twist thrown in. Maximum control is given to users, as well as the freedom to determine the kind of game they want to play. At the same time, the purpose is to share your creations with others, making various challenges for players. But we've just scratched the surface here. Let's have a closer look at what awaits gamers in this PS3-exclusive.

Everything starts with a straightforward and intuitive creation process. When you begin the game, you are given a blank canvas, after which you may design the type of platformer you wish to play. You are introduced to charming little burlap dudes -- yes tiny, but immensely cute, avatars -- simply referred to as Sack Boys or Sack Girls. One of the initial steps towards creating a preferable game environment is when players open a "thought bubble" packed with different icons that may be utilized for making an assortment of interactive in-game assets. To put it more simply, everything in the game is comprised of diverse materials like wood, metal, rubber, organics and other substances. Some objects are custom-made, while a variety of default items may also be placed within the game environment. Players should keep in mind that the laws of physics apply to each matter or object. For example, when a Sack dude attempts to push an orange, its movement will depend greatly on its weight and texture. Again, flexibility and open-endedness are the main mottos here, hence the player may modify the size of the orange to make it huge. At this point, one player controlling a single avatar won't be able to move the colossal orange alone and will, in turn, require assistance from two, maybe three, players. With a bit of effort and a little teamwork anything can be done.

Interaction with various objects is important when your avatars need to reach specific areas. Sometimes jumping won't be good enough and you need to find other ways to get to higher surfaces or platforms. To solve such problems, you can use items like a soccer ball. So, it's possible to swing and jump from the moving soccer ball, until, ultimately, you reach your goal.

There's a great amount of materials to choose form and you and your friends can resort to a variety of ways to accomplish specific tasks or bypass obstacles. By combining certain types of matter and placing them on a flat surface, you can create fully operational mechanics, such as a seesaw - again, bearing in mind the game's accurate physics engine. Naturally, jumping on the seesaw causes it move slightly, but throwing a really heavy object on one side can hurl any avatar, standing on the opposite side, high up into the air. Once more, the possibilities are near-infinite, in the sense that you can establish whatever device or tool you want, in order to fulfill your goal.

It's true that Sack avatars rely a lot on the environment and the objects you place around them, but they can also find many other ways to solve problems or get to a particular destination. They can sometimes fly over obstacles they encounter, by using jetpacks. Also, every Sack Boy or Sack Girl runs, jumps, pushes, pulls and even makes a range of emotional gestures (which players can pull off easily with the Sixaxis controller). Customizing these tiny avatars is also part of the experience and you can select from an impressive array of different outfits and costumes.

Throughout the game, any used object can also be edited or manipulated on the fly. You can change its shape or position, or if you prefer, you may customize it further by adding stickers or even erasing different parts of it entirely. Other contraptions can be forged on the spot using an assortment of materials. Carts, cars and plenty of custom-built vehicles can be made.

With all this, players must also keep an eye on so-called Fluff, which essentially stands as the game's 'currency' for unlocking more items, objects and customization options. Locating Fluff is not always easy and it may frequently be scattered across areas that are hard to reach. So, apart from the freedom to create, the search for Fluff comes as another key gameplay element.

The slick and colorful design, along with a completely adorable look of the tiny characters, represent the very heart of this game. The intuitive interface should allow gamers to construct their own levels in a matter of minutes and then cram them with hilarious items, gadgets and obstacles. There are no particular restrictions, so players can just let their imaginations flow, as they explore and experiment with numerous objects in an environment they created.