With only a month left until release many gamers anxious to get their paws on Sackboy had their petulant frowns turned upside down this week as beta keys made their way into the community. Given the opportunity to play Media Molecule's gift to gaming, I am nothing short of grateful for what is a truly fun and uniquely creative experience. As the build is an old one, this hands-on experience may only hint at what is in store for October and with that in mind the beta truly captures the imagination.
The Pod functions as your planetary transport. From there you can gather information, visit Story Mode, play user created levels, or go to your Moon (where level creation takes place). In Story Mode players progress through a handful of levels with extras like items or points to acquire with a meter gaging your progress that actively compares it to the scores of players on your friends list. The items add to your inventory for character customization and level creation, while the points are tied to your final score and leader board ranking. In multi-player this also determines which of the cooperative players wins the level, adding an interesting competitive dynamic for those among us that just can't help but want to stomp out the opposition.
The game's multi-player begins locally only, with others able to jump in and join your progress through the Garden levels. After their completion, the online features are made available and players can join your games or you theirs - even mid-level. Cooperative play carries obvious benefits, among them being able to navigate certain obstacles and reach particular bonuses more easily with some bonuses only available with a helping hand. As if that wasn't enough, you can alternately drag or smack your fellow players.
Marvelously, multi-player is also available in the level creation mode. Your primary tool in design is the Pop-It, presumably an intentional play on "poppet". From the Pop-It players can access character customization, the cursor select tool, a goodies bag of pre-made objects and stickers and decorations. Levels can be created from templates or from a blank slate option, and the former is definitely a welcome feature for designers seeking a little inspiration and direction. Within the level creation your avatar can alternately float around weightlessly making adjustments or interact with the level as you make it allowing for convenient testing as you build.
Progressive tutorials largely prompted by items accessed through the Pop-It keep beginning level creating from feeling too overwhelming. Additionally, levels are not required to be very large and I saw many a first-time level that was a simple race, as well as a walk in the park style creation that only involved traversing a few level LBP yards past a "360" and a "PS3". Based on what I saw in other user created levels as well as some tutorial hints it is clear the with the Eye-toy you can take the game even further to include more items and some snaps of your own visage. After playing a user created level you are prompted to select a descriptor for the stage which can help others choose from the already growing list of stages. Before making stage selections the chosen adjectives as well as how many players have attempted the level and how many have "hearted" it can be viewed, all helpful in making in these critical decisions.
One very interesting aspect of both level construction and play is that the materials behave accordingly: glass is slippery and slick, things with greater texture stick and catch as you try to move them, and some things are just too darn heavy to budge on your own. Little cushions bounce and bump against things, mechanical objects like windmills toss players sky-high and everywhere the play with scale and object physics offers amusement and challenges.
The gameplay of LittleBigPlanet, while two-dimensional, retains a sense of exploration and openness. There are multiple answers to challenges from simple jumps to obstacle removal to creating bridges to tandem solutions with a buddy. The gameplay mechanics are decidedly intuitive and playful. There has been some community chatter about the jumping being difficult and instead of unfairly assuming that these gamers must stink at platforming, I think that this must be a matter of broader tastes. Sure, my little Sackgirl doesn't jump like Mario, but the jumping is very consistent with the game and is by no means a hindrance. A little trickier to adjust to, however, is shifting between the depth levels of the game particularly when navigating obstacles or moving objects.
It is difficult to translate the fun of LittleBigPlanet onto the page. Before the beta I was looking forward to the game, and now? I can hardly stand the wait to the finished product. This seems like another best of both worlds accomplishment in that LittleBigPlanet will have strong casual appeal with undeniable draw for the gaming devoted. The adorable exterior belies the serious fun and imagination inside. The world of LittleBigPlanet truly is your oyster.
