Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a platform game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sony for the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5. The game follows the life of Sackboy, a small, anthropomorphic, humanoid doll-like character made of a burlap sack with a brown knit pattern by default, with a zip fastener and button eyes. 

Sackboy was first introduced in the 2008 game, BigLittlePlanet, and since then, the character has amassed a critical following— a following big enough for it to warrant its own PS5 game. 

Why Sackboy?

When Sony announced the games it had for PS5, everyone was blown away. The games were complex, bold, and dealt with serious graphics requirements. But in the middle of all of those big games was Sackboy: A Big Adventure. It was a family-oriented game that was perfect for children and seasoned players who wanted to have a dance with Sackboy.

Of course, it’s easy to imagine that it would have been a failure. But that would be falling into the trap of assuming that everyone who gets a PS5 wants it for the sole reason of playing heavy titles, which would be wrong. Video games aren’t only made for teenagers or people in their early twenties. There are thousands of parents who will get their kids a PlayStation 5 in ten coming years. And these arents will be looking for safe and easy games for their kids to play. A 3D platform game like Sackboy: A Big Adventure is precisely that kind of game. 

The Story Isn’t Complex— And That’s A Good Thing.

If you’re expecting a complex story of good versus evil, you won’t get it with this game. Ordinarily, that would have been a bad thing, but Sackboy: A Big Adventure, manages to combine simplicity with enough twist and turns to keep you engrossed. The fact that the game uses Bafta-award-winning actors such as Richard E. Grant and Dawn French makes it a lot easier to listen to. 

In the story, Craftworld is about to be attacked by your regular villain named Vex (a regular villain name, to be honest). As you may imagine, Vex wants to do all the crazy things villains love to do and wants to do all of this in Craftworld. To make his properly evil plan come to pass, Vex kidnaps the Sackfolk and enslaves them— as your regular villain is wont to do. After enslaving them, he forces them to build a crazy machine that will help him achieve his dastardly plan and more. 

Amazingly (or unsurprisingly), Vex is unable to capture Sackboy, who then goes on your regular hero’s quest to stop Vex. In his quest to stop Vex, he’ll have to go through loads of big adventures—, hence the game’s title. Of course, this story may look somewhat simple now, but sometimes all you need to make a great game is a simple hero, a simple villain, and a simple quest. 

Simple, But Efficient

This game is probably the safest game on Sony’s PS5 lineup. The developers didn’t make the mistake of making it too simple— but they sure went through great pains not to make it too difficult either. To take down Vex, you’ll have to guide Sackboy through different worlds with varying levels of difficulty. You’ll meet characters you have to overcome, and you’ll collect a great number of orbs on your way. These orbs will help you in your quest to defeat Vex eventually. During your adventures, you’ll also find items that will allow you to customize Sackboy in lots of ways. You can go from making him look like a Rockstar to making him look like a 16th-century hero. There’s literally no limit to what Sackboy can look like. 

Gameplay and Mechanics

Sackboy looks good, feels good, and sounds good. But does it play well? The answer to that question is yes. The character has many moves: slapping, rolling, grabbing, performing a flutter jump, and slamming to the ground.  These movements allow you to interact with the 3D world of Sackboy easily, and every single move looks planned. Nothing is redundant, nothing is useless, and everything that Sackboy does is deliberate. 

The jumping mechanics of the game has seen some pretty massive changes. In previous games, Sackboy used to feel a lot more floating and tactless, but in Sackboy: A Big Adventure, the character feels a lot more natural. 

It Looks Good 

You probably wouldn’t expect a lot of details and amazing graphics for a game made for very young kids, but that’s on you. Sackboy: A Big Adventure looks very, very good. Every object and level in the game is made up of real-world materials rendered in the most creative ways. Everything in the game— from Vex’s weapons to everyday items in Craftworld, is made from everyday materials that you may find around your house. While the game doesn’t pose many problems for the PS5 engine, since it isn’t comparable to the heavier titles that the engine can run, the PS5 system still does a lot to make it look magnificent. Every tiny detail is judiciously rendered, and you can every look at individual frays on Sackboy’s body if you want. 

It Has A Multiplayer Mode

One thing that makes Sackboy stand out is the fact that it can be played with up to three players, so you don’t have to enjoy the game alone. The game’s co-op mode is also pretty good, as they allow extensive teamwork and problem solving, which allows two players to work closely together.

Verdict

  Sackboy: A Big Adventure may not be the heaviest game on Sony’s PS5 lineup, but it sticks closest to its roots. It doesn’t pretend to be something it doesn’t, and it executes the basic idea behind platform games refreshingly. Of course, you may not like the gameplay, but those who love games like this will have great fun playing it.