Games that Strike an Emotional Chord of Joy: Part I – LittleBigPlanet

In the new series starting this week we will begin to look at specific video games and the emotions that is drawn from them. The first emotion is an obvious choice, and a feeling most of us receive when indulging ourselves in video games – Joy.
The first title to help examine an appropriate feeling of joy, or even that of being carefree, in the gaming world is Media Molecule’s cleverly designed platformer, LittleBigPlanet. Taking control of adorable, adventurous sack-boys, you and friend(s) will journey through a wonderous platformer full of trivial puzzles and charming characters.

Creating your own characters from scratch, or adding a bit of personal “flare” throughout hundreds of stylish choices of stickers, clothing, accessories, hats and shoes, showcasing the freedom to make your very own character – sack person – is something games have adopted as an overwhelming acceptance in much of the gaming community. The joy of making your very own hero and having the option to customize them as far as the game will let you is near limitless in the whimsical adventure title.

The themes and settings in LBP are full of bright colors, imaginative level designs, wonderful sound effects, narration and songs, casual gameplay mechanics and even a story that winds down with a joyous smile. Only a few moments in the story line does the platforming pick up with tedious skill and experience, but most of the difficult moments can either be by-passed, or eventually tamed with a bit of practice.

The push for a casual friendly multiplayer experience with a title bringing a max group of 4 players traversing the platforming levels, you’ll find utter joy in swinging, leaping, running and bumping baddies across the entirety of the LBP campaign. Satisfying jumps from trampoline-like bounce pads, jumping from ledge to ledge along to the rhythm of catchy tunes or perhaps creating your very own world to express your imagination without care or worry.

Sheer joy and excitement is found in every nook and cranny of the LittleBigPlanet universe. Combining cute puppet-like characters with full body controls and facial expressions, tons of unique and stylish costumes, clever level designs that take you across exciting and adventurous obstacles and platforms, all mixed with a memorable experience played either by yourself, or even better, shared with friends.

LittleBigPlanet is just the first of many joyous and happily gleeful games that have graced our televisions sets in the past years. Join us next week for part 2 in breaking down emotional striking video games that bring joy across the gaming community.