When announced during the PS5 showcase this summer, Sackboy A Big Adventure was discreet but nevertheless caught the eye of attentive fans. What if PlayStation had a real competitor to competitors from Activision or Nintendo, namely Crash and Mario? The words may seem strong but, nevertheless, at the sight of the first sequences of gameplay, the comparison seemed plausible. In 3D levels with an elevated view, our dear rag doll would jump on enemies, collect bubbles from corners, dodge deadly traps and leap from platform to platform to achieve his ends, scoring at the 'support. And then, it must be said that the colorful universe of LittleBigPlanet, in which the app does indeed take place, lends itself particularly well to the exercise. Note that if MediaMolecule is no longer at the helm, SUMO Digital had already taken up the torch since at the origin of LittleBigPlanet 3 six years ago, an opus which precisely signed, for the first time, 3D sequences. With Sackoy A Big Adventure, the developers were therefore able to fully realize their projects… and as much to say that we were particularly curious at the idea of discovering them.
LITTLE BIG ADVENTURE
In order to give a little more material to this real adventure, SUMO Digital has therefore set about writing a plot that is a little more developed than usual. We therefore embody Sackboy, a quiet and clumsy inhabitant of a village of sakripants within Patchwork World (formerly the imagisphere for connoisseurs). Everything was going well until Vex, a very evil villain, feeds on people's nightmares to establish the general mess: his goal being to install chaos everywhere, it will be up to Sackboy to stop him . To do this, he will go through six worlds to collect dream bubbles - a bit like the stars of the mustachioed plumber - through multiple levels, rubbing shoulders with a few allies and even facing several bosses. Nevertheless, as one might expect, this common thread is poorly narrated and serves more as a pretext than anything else: with a resolutely childish tone and still timid cutscenes, the story of Sackboy A Big Adventure turns out to be minimal, even quite anecdotal. Difficult to say if we expected more - probably not - but take it for granted, especially since the general humor is also quite simple. From the outset, we feel a journey aimed at a young audience but still full of warmth, sympathy and joviality: it is therefore not without soul, and that is always taken. 
THE NICE FRIEND
For the heart of its interest, namely the level design and the gameplay, Sakcboy A Big Adventure does things rather well… if not having a lot of ambition. Here, we are on familiar ground: we hit or jump on the enemies to get rid of them, we can float for a short time in the air (a kind of double-jump, quite simply), cling to elements to be transported or to others to pull them towards you... Some occasional items are also to be used in a scripted way such as a boomerang, a jet-pack or a grappling hook, and other elements will be made available such as glue allowing to walk on the walls or another giving the possibility of teleporting. The set is not very complicated - the difficulty is increasing over the levels - the enemies are also often repeated and, overall, we understand very quickly how the gameplay is articulated. Undoubtedly, SUMO Digitial offers here an experience that is easy to approach, simple to handle and with an attractive atmosphere, also playing with the camera perspectives to vary the architecture of its levels a little: in terms of pure challenge, on the other hand, purists should find it difficult to find their account. Unless, perhaps, you complete each level at 100% and focus on other types of challenge, such as fairly precise time trials or lotteries that air the content. We will also note the last bonus world, accessible after obtaining the end credits, which requires a little more dexterity but which will only be fully playable after having obtained a majority of dream marbles in the whole game, which clearly will not be the case for everyone. 
GET IT TOGETHER
Sackboy A Big Adventure is therefore not a game that relies heavily on its originality, its depth or its difficulty: the whole thing is frankly malleable and the regulars of platformers will come out of it just satisfied, after the ten or fifteen hours necessary to finish it. And yet, it really has this sympathy capital which makes it a refreshing title. First of all, the universe of LittleBigPlanet is particularly respected: we find there the system of bubbles, the photo booth at the end of the level, the entirety of the sound-design so specific to previous games but also this very particular artistic direction which still hits the bull's eye, resulting in instant nostalgia. The soundtrack, too, is varied and engaging with a ton of sympathetic original compositions with Hip-Hop echoes but also and above all surprising license music that will interact in rhythm with the decor. Suffice to say that we did not expect to find Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars or Toxic by Britney Spears, between two pieces of classic or David Bowie! These little musical touches definitely bring charisma to an adventure based on resolutely simple and already seen bases, which also saves it, in a way, from harmful classicism. On the other hand, in the absence of being able to create its levels as in LittleBigPlanet, there is a very small aspect of customization with outfits, whole or piece by piece, to buy in the store or to find in the levels. Note also that Sackboy A Big Adventure is an adventure that can also be enjoyed by several people, up to four online or locally. Having spent several hours in two-player cooperation, we can confirm that the experience lends itself well to the exercise and that it comes out even more fun and friendly. And that is really cool. Graphically, the game is far from offering a new generation rendering: it's clean and very fluid but, very clearly, this is a PS4 game ported to PS5. Despite this regrettable shell, Sackboy A Big Adventure is nonetheless a pleasant title that can be read lightly: as long as it is not boring, that is the main thing.
