I knew LittleBigPlanet was an impressive collection of multi-layered 2D platforming. I knew the game was an engaging cooperative/competitive hybrid. I knew the art direction and corresponding visual production were some of the most ambitious in modern gaming, and that the physics engine was streamlined to perfection. I was told the customization options and level creation mode were so vast that taking it all in would be like trying to contemplate infinity, but it wasn’t something I particularly noticed.
You see, I’ve never, ever had the slightest desire to design a game. I have no programming ability, I can’t read code, I lack any sense of artistic vision, and whatever concepts I may forge would likely be at least ten years behind the curve. Thus, when it came to LittleBigPlanet, I thought my pleasure with the game would exclusively arrive through playing both Media Molecule’s levels and some of the more impressive user-created levels. As is often the case with my judgment, I was wrong. Dead wrong.
As of this writing I am indeed coming off a massive high, but it’s no hyperbole to say that the process of creating and playing my level in LittleBigPlanet was the most fun I’ve had with a game in years. I haven’t laughed as hard or been as proud of my interactive accomplishments since my very early days of gaming. The tutorials were remarkably easy to understand, the tools seemed designed to encourage creativity, and the limitless possibilities of the physics engine ensured the complete eradication of my free (and not so free) time.
Using just a handful of the boisterous number of tools included in the beta, a friend and I designed a multi-tiered racetrack that spanned three layers into the sky. We took a skateboard, built a roof over it, attached a massive rocket to the back, hooked an on/off switch to that rocket, added some counter weight in the front, threw another rocket/switch combo on the bottom for some flight adjustment, then topped it off with a ridiculous sticker paint job. From there we took some anti-matter (floating) blocks and created a series of horizontal race tracks complete with electrified/flaming grids, insane jumps, and calculated landings.
Then came the crazy stuff. By sheer accident we discovered ramping into the wall at the end of the level caused our skateboard car to explode and eject our crash test dummy bodies straight up in the air. Thus, we added a platform above the ejection point, threw another car on said platform, and then built an entirely different track through middle of the sky. Our new track was fine, but we also found it necessary to rig our car with explosives and set up a switch that detonated our vehicle upon reaching the other side. That same switch also activated a rocket that would carry our falling bodies up to yet another level of play before dissolving into nothing (as of this writing the top “level” is still under construction – but we’re working on a zombie hoard invasion).
Click here to watch a video of my ridiculous level!
We built it up and tore it down for nearly eight hours straight. Whether it was the first time or the fiftieth, blazing through our track on a roller-rocket car, all of which we created ourselves, was wildly entertaining. The constant hilarity of watching our car explode after a failed physics experiment was equal to the sense of satisfaction when we finally got a section the same portion working. LBP made the process from conceptualization to implementation to realization as painless and entertaining as humanly possible, and few moments in gaming have been able to achieve as much with similar consistency.
Originally I thought we were going about our design process wrong because we weren’t creating a traditional level. It had no end, was a full of bugs, would bewilder anyone who tried it, and could (and can still) only be completed maybe 25% of the time without it breaking. It was fun, but it was more of a physics experiment than a start/end level with a tangible point or concept. Then I had what people smarter than me refer to as a “tree falling in the woods” moment. What we were doing was exactly the point of LittleBigPlanet. You can do almost anything with the tools you’re given. There doesn’t have to be a traditional goal; you can design a racetrack just as easily as you can create an enthralling platformer. Again, I know I’m venturing into hyperbole, but the only limitation we discovered was our imagination. During the creation process, my friend and I were able to make, in some form, 99% of everything we thought of.
Evidence of this choose-your-own adventure method of game design was clear when we delved into some of the user created levels. “Death Wheel” involved navigating through a rotating circle filled with platforms and electric logs, the wonderfully designed “Heist” had us toppling AI “police” and pushing dice into slots to crack a safe. Almost as impressive as the original creations were some levels inspired by other games; Mario 1-1 came with a hilarious rendition of goombas, and Wipeout contained a vehicle that put our skateboard car to shame. Perhaps the most ambitious was a level based on Team Ico’s Shadow of the Colossus. The muted colors, fog, and organic set pieces set the mood perfectly – but finding (your horse) Agro, reliving a couple of the more memorable moments from the game, and then actually toppling a screen-filling colossus at the end was unbelievable.
The best part? Upon completion, the level’s creators often reward you with an object found in their level. Amongst my spoils were the goomba from Mario, the AI cop from Heist, and the badass hovercraft from Wipeout. From there I had the option of saving these creations and using them as objects when I create levels. I’ll let that sink in for a minute, because the degree of interactive reflexivity in that situation is completely mind-blowing. Instantly I was trying the WipeOut car on my track, running at full speed into goombas, and laughing all the way.
THIS is what “next gen” means to be me; it’s not the revision of an existing formula or gimmicky motion controls, it’s an evolution of interaction and a new perspective on integration. User created levels and mods have existed for quite some time, but they’re either castrated by poor tools (Smash Bros Brawl’s level creator) or too hardcore for the layman (most FPS PC mods). In this regard LittleBigPlanet excels where most other games falter. The tools are nearly perfect, the tutorials are beyond sufficient, and the design…well, that’s entirely up to you. LittleBigPlanet is due out on the 21st of October, and we’ll certaintly have more coverage as the day approaches.
