The knitted hero known as Sackboy originally debuted in LittleBigPlanet back in 2008, and has returned in its various sequels and spin-offs. Although that franchise has been dormant since 2014, Sony Interactive Entertainment knew that Sackboy is too iconic and adorable to not give him his own game, and thus Sackboy: A Big Adventure was born. Developed by Sumo Digital, Sackboy: A Big Adventure eschews the focus on level creation from the LittleBigPlanet series. Instead, the game puts Sackboy on a 3D-platforming quest across multiple settings to save Craftworld from the villainous Vex. The end result is a thoroughly charming and imaginative platformer that gamers of all ages should be able to enjoy.

Set in the arts-and-crafts themed land of Craftworld, our hero Sackboy is set on his quest after the patchwork menace known as Vex (voiced by a gleefully over-the-top Richard E. Grant) kidnaps the other Sacklings to force them to create a machine to spread Uproar throughout Craftworld and fill it with nightmares. It’s about as much context as the game needs, and the various Craftworld denizens that aid Sackboy on his adventure are all suitably charming and quirky. Sackboy himself does not display that much personality, outside of what the player imbues him with by virtue of the varied character customisation options. Despite the lack of much plot, the incredibly adorable presentation and strong performances kept me engaged with the narrative.

As for the gameplay, Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a 3D platformer with some light puzzle elements, in the vein of Super Mario 3D World or the various LEGO games. I was quite impressed at the variety of level gimmicks and challenges on display. The game introduces new mechanics and hazards regularly enough for each world to feel fresh.

For instance, some levels provide tools, such as a boomerang or grappling hook, to expand Sackboy’s moveset. Others feature a constantly-scrolling stage, preventing backtracking and keeping the player on the move. My favourite levels were the musical ones, where enemies and stage hazards moved to the beat of various licensed tracks, ranging from Uptown Funk to David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, among others. They felt like less on-rails versions of the musical levels from Rayman Legends and brought a similar level of energy and intensity to proceedings.

New worlds are unlocked by finding Dreamer Orbs, of which there are usually 3-5 hidden in each level. Although I did not usually find all of them, I found enough that I rarely needed to grind to unlock the next areas, which probably speaks well for the game’s design. Although the actual gameplay may not be very challenging, those focused on 100% completion will have their work cut out for them.

Levels can be played alone or cooperatively (although only local multiplayer at the moment). Some of the most fun I had was in the Teamwork levels, which can only be played with a friend and focus around team-based puzzles. The fact that there are rewards and collectibles exclusive to those levels was somewhat annoying though; it would be good if an AI support character could be added so that those levels can be accessed for solo players as well.