Review Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy: A Big Adventure by Sumo Digital

Sumo Digital announces that it's holding off on adding online multiplayer to Sackboy: A Big Adventure to ensure the feature works as intended

Bad news for LittleBigPlanet fans. Sackboy: A Big Adventure will no longer be launching with all of the features that have been teased over the last few months. With less than a week until the game debuts alongside the PlayStation 5, it’s been announced that online multiplayer support for Sumo Digital’s 3D platformer spinoff is being delayed.

The news was made on the PlayStation Blog, where design director Ned Waterhouse said that Sumo made the “difficult decision” to hold off on online multiplayer, explaining that it needs more time to get it right. As such, the game will only feature support for local co-op for 2-4 players when it launches next week, which will be frustrating news for completionists who want to collect Sackboy: A Big Adventure’s multiplayer trophies but don’t have friends who can play with them in person.

On the plus side, though, it looks like they won’t have to wait long at all for online functionality to arrive, since the plan now, according to Waterhouse, is to add online multiplayer by the end of 2020. This will be added in a patch that will introduce cross-play support to Sackboy: A Big Adventure, as well as the ability to transfer game saves between the PS4 and PS5 versions.

While online multiplayer won’t be available right away, fans will still have plenty of other features to look forward to at launch. In addition to a 60fps framerate on both platforms and special editions with bonus Sony-themed costumes, the game will also boast support for the PS5’s Activity system, which will help players track their progress, access hints, and discover new gameplay opportunities through easily-accessible on-screen cards.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure will launch on November 12 for PS4 and PS5.

Dropping alongside the launch of the PlayStation 5, Sackboy: A Big Adventure will see the resurgence of LittleBigPlanet's seminal mascot, Sack Boy, for the first time since LittleBigPlanet 3 in 2014. Unlike Media Molecule's take on the character, however, A Big Adventure will see the adorable icon stray into a more conventional platformer world, as he switches out the 2D realm for a 3D focus.

It will also see a bigger focus on story than the LittleBigPlanet franchise ever did, which is highlighted better than ever in the most recent trailer for the upcoming PlayStation 5 launch game. Published by PlayStation's YouTube channel, the promotional video showcases the colorful world Sackboy lives in as well as the fearsome foes he'll be striving to vanquish.

The game takes place in a world called the Imagisphere, which is populated by a number of imaginative creatures and monsters, including, of course, Sacklings. Among these hilarious little creatures is Sackboy, who will allegedly venture out on a perilous journey throughout the lands of the Imagisphere in an effort to become a knitted knight and thwart the plans of the villainous Vex. It seems Sackboy: A Big Adventure will take players to a ton of fun locations where they'll encounter a variety of larger than life allies and enemies, with the trailer teasing that Sackboy will have to traverse through large jungles, icy mountains, and even the endless void of space.

It looks to be a neat little family adventure that will make for a great first experience on the PlayStation 5. The trailer also goes on to show off how four-player co-op will work, with squads of Sacklings able to team up to conquer courses together. Seeing as previous entries in the LittleBigPlanet franchise have focused almost exclusively on multiplayer, it should be a fun throwback to Sackboy's roots that channels the collaborative gameplay that made the series such a hit.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure will join a fairly strong lineup of games coming to the PlayStation 5 at launch, including Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon's Souls, Bugsnax, and Godfall. So far, it looks as though the next-generation will get off to a good start, with the selection offering a range of experiences fit for players of all types. Sackboy: A Big Adventure will be a big part of that, offering a fun, family-focused platformer that all the family can play together. Hopefully, it'll launch Sackboy back into the public eye and deliver a fantastic adventure for former LittleBigPlanet fans.