Highlights
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure proved that the LittleBigPlanet mascot can thrive outside the franchise, reducing the need for a new game. Still, a new LBP has potential.
- An LBP reboot could deliver an in-game achievement system to enhance the player experience, allowing creators to reward players for completing challenges tied to their levels.
- MM Picks could even see creator challenges turned into real PSN Trophies, giving a new LittleBigPlanet an endless supply of Trophies to gather.
Despite performing very poorly on PC, Sackboy: A Big Adventure reviewed quite well, proving that the adorable stitched mascot could survive outside the franchise that birthed him. Additionally, Media Molecule has moved on to Dreams, and with that game finally set to reach a larger audience as it becomes available through PlayStation Plus, the need for a new LittleBigPlanet game has lessened. Still, Media Molecule or another developer can and should revive the series, as more can be done with the charming play-create-share formula.
LittleBigPlanet fans have suggested various directions that a new game could go in over the years. Adding proper creation tools for third-person and first-person gameplay could work wonders, letting gamers make their own outfit pieces would add depth, and a live service LBP title can thrive within PlayStation’s upcoming multiplayer era. Even a battle royale-style mode where players compete to make the best creation in a brief amount of time could be a fun idea, though the best option of all would see the next LittleBigPlanet embracing in-game achievements.
How Creator-Made Achievements Could Improve LittleBigPlanet
As the LittleBigPlanet franchise evolved, community creations became increasingly complex. Instead of creators limiting themselves to homages to their favorite franchises, brief platforming levels, or addictive mini-games, entire stories were put together. Multiple levels were chained to create full-on games within LittleBigPlanet, and the feats that players accomplished were mesmerizing. As the developers gave fans more tools and materials to work with, the community continued to push the envelope, and there was no shortage of must-play experiences. However, creators were never able to add their own achievements to what they made.
While gamers could make music, do their own voice actin, and add text boxes to give their characters dialogue, they could not easily give players in-game challenges to work toward. The leaderboard system was a decent enough way to have players compete to be the best in official levels from Media Molecule and community creations, but achievements would give players specific goals to work toward. With some fan projects being particularly ambitious, there is plenty of room for an in-game achievement system to thrive.
If players create an addictive series of levels that is full of Easter eggs and unique mechanics, creators could use achievements to reward players for finding all the secrets or defeating enemies in specific ways. Speedrun achievements, difficulty level achievements, multiplayer achievements - these are just some of the challenges creators could give their players. If a creator saw fit, their level could have a lengthy achievement list that resembles a PlayStation Trophy list, greatly expanding replayability.
Players would need a reason to hunt these in-game Trophies, though, as many will only want to play even the best levels a few times. Fortunately, there is an easy way to make these achievements desirable: item unlocks. Normally, creators share items with their players by placing them in bubbles that can be collected by exploring a level. While that mechanic could remain in place, creators could also assign a special item to each achievement, with the difficulty of the task determining the quality of the item. Alternatively, points could be earned for each achievement, with players being able to redeem these points for official LittleBigPlanet cosmetics once they have collected enough. An in-game achievement case that is attached to players’ profiles could also motivate them to go on the hunt.
Lastly, if another LittleBigPlanet game did happen, it could be assumed that the MM Picks feature would return. This mechanic saw Media Molecule highlighting the very best community creations and placing them in a special section for all to see, with the studio telling its players that certain levels were must-plays. Perhaps these developer-endorsed levels could have their achievements turned into proper PlayStation Trophies, with the next LittleBigPlanet getting a constant supply of DLC Trophies this way. With in-game achievement sets sure to add replayability to mini-games and make connected levels feel more like a real game, hopefully a new LittleBigPlanet would embrace the concept.
