Ever since its announcement, excited gamers across the internet land have been discussing their level-making plans for LittleBigPlanet. Puzzle levels, hardcore platforming levels, insane art landscapes, and, most importantly, Level 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. Yes, LittleBigPlanet may be all about getting your creative juices flowing but there was never a doubt in anyone’s mind that players were going to throw down all sorts of lovely, copyright-infringing devotionals to gaming’s beloved creations of old. Team Sportsmanship, a group of art students participating in Parsons New School of Design’s Game Jam event, didn’t explicitly recreate a level from Fumito Ueda’s epic, but as PS3 Fanboy put it, their level can only be named Shadow of the LittleBigColossus. It’s a work of art, a lovingly crafted riff on Shadow of the Colossus’ grand encounters made terribly adorable by LBP’s style and Sackboy mascot. Of course, this got me thinking: what games are perfectly fit for the LittleBigPlanet treatment? Here’s what came to mind.
Castlevania III
Besides being a classic platformer overflowing with badass levels primed for reimagining, Castlevania III is also uniquely suited to LBP’s four-player challenges. You’ve got a vampire, a pirate, a witch lady, and a dude with a whip. What do they do together? They scale clock towers and kick the crap out of less-than-friendly vampires. Perfect.
Joe & Mac
The first time I saw a Sackboy smack another one upside the head, my brain was filled with visions of a caveman themed level in LBP. Then again, why be creative when you can shamelessly exploit someone else’s creations? Joe & Mac is a good fit for LBPization, with co-op play and giant dinosaurs to assault. Sure, LBP doesn’t appear to have projectile weapons but they do have clubs. After making a Joe & Mac level, you could go whole hog and recreate the full, non-linear Joe & Mac 2. Note: Chuck Rock sucks, so he lost the caveman race.
Silhouette Mirage
Treasure’s other action-platformers might seem like more obvious choices for LBP (Mischief Makers certainly comes to mind,) but Silhouette Mirage’s duality theme puts it over the top. Is it possible to make obstacles impossible to overcome or enemies impossible to beat based purely on color in LittleBigPlanet? Whether you can or not, finding ways to manipulate the environment to accommodate Silhouette Mirage’s quirks would be a fascinating challenge if nothing else. This one might be a little tricky thanks to the aforementioned lack of projectiles.
Silent Hill
I know. Silent Hill isn’t exactly a franchise that would lend itself to 2D platforming, let alone platforming as sticky-sweet as the kind found in LBP. Might be a little difficult to create the same sort of so-unsettling-you-don’t-sleep-right atmosphere when Sackboy keeps turning to the screen, smiling, and waving at you from the television. But imagine structuring a LittleBigPlanet level that, halfway through, started to transform into a horrid, twisted version of itself. Harmless cardboard flowers peeling back to reveal barbwire fences, the blue sky turning an angry red, and fog descending over the stage. It would be awesome. Plus, SackPyramidHead.
Leisure Suit Larry
Come on, where are you going? Come back. Just hear me out. Now take Al Lowe’s 1987 classic smut-adventure and re-imagine its torrid city of lounge lizards, ruffians, and prostitutes as a multi-tiered pagoda or luridly colored challenges. Behold, you must get the condom “key” from the Drug Store of Doom and carry it as you ascend one floor to the Perilous Prostitute Platforms! In the final challenge, you must convince the drunken barfly to give you the engagement ring and climb to the tower’s apex, where a buxom Sackgirl waits in a pleasantly pastel colored hot tub. What? Don’t look at me like that. You and I both know this is a great idea.
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