LittleBigPlanet 3 review – ‘a wonderfully atypical platformer’

The creative hotbed of developers that is Guildford studio Media Molecule, responsible for the LittleBigPlanet series, are busy on the next Tearaway game and have handed their charge to fellow UK outfit Sumo Digital. To, no doubt, the great relief of fans, the new key holders have done a decent job with the beloved franchise.

Much remains the same in LittleBigPlanet 3; at its core is a charming platforming world built from virtual cardboard and digital cloth. The level design and music are highlights, but it is the introduction of three new playable characters with distinct abilities that breathes the most fresh air into the sails of the LittleBigPlanet formula. As before, there are also elaborate level creation tools, offering a stream of new content, while an all-star cast delivers the dialogue, including series stalwart Stephen Fry. The performances are solid, but so verbose is the scripting that some contributions border on the irritating. It could also have done with another layer of polish mechanically, but nonetheless LittleBigPlanet 3 remains a great and wonderfully atypical platformer.