Sackboy: A Big Adventureis a veritable banquet of ideas, a smorgasbord of interesting level concepts, built out of everyday objects and crafting supplies, populated with characters that look like the art projects of school children. It’s an astonishingly creative game on every level, from gameplay to presentation.
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Even in a treasure trove like this, however, there are some jewels that shine brighter than others, some levels that stand above the rest in terms of the concepts and execution they bring to the table. The best levels sit at the top of the treasure pile, which we’ve put in order of their appearance in the game.
10Ready Yeti Go
A frosty climb up the slopes of the Soaring Summit, Ready Yeti Go introduces a duo of new elements to the game: snowball vehicles you can roll around in and, of course, rolling yeti enemies, both large and small. These yetis represent an interesting new threat since they can’t be damaged with any of the moves in Sackboy’s knitted arsenal, making avoidance the only option.
This level is also notable for featuring the game’sfirst boss fight, The Abominable Showman, a hectic chase around a crate-filled course. It’s a level that really feels complete and one that pushes its new core idea, the yetis, to their limit immediately, something that normally takes another stage or two to achieve.
9Blowing Off Steam
The game’s first auto-scrolling vehicle level, Blowing Off Steam, sees Sackboy commandeering a train to reach the Soaring Summit’s peak. Along the way, you’ll need to deal with a constant flow of enemies, as well as make detours off of the train onto side platforms, where orbs and costume pieces lie.
It’s a great introduction to a level format that will make appearances throughout the game, and a big step up in difficulty compared to what you’ve dealt with up to that point. It’s also filled with beautiful little touches, like the train showering you with bubbles when it blows off steam and falling off the track at the end, conveniently depositing you right next to the level complete screen.
8Slippery Slope
A nice quick-fire stage that breaks up the lengthy Colossal Canopy, this level takes place almost entirely on a series of waterslides. This totally changes the focus of the game, from platforming and fighting enemies to quick reaction times and planning out your route down the rapids, something you’ll need to do to claim all of the well-placed collectibles in the level.
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The stage is broken up briefly by a short combat section on dry land, but other than that, it’s slip-n-slide all the way. This makes Slippery Slope a refreshing trip to the waterpark that you won’t mind experiencing over and over.
7Monkey Business
The beauty of this level lies in its complete narrative arc. Beginning with an appearance from Mama Monkey, Sackboy is tasked with rounding up all of her monkey children, charmingly referred to as ‘whoop-whoops,’ before a monsoon hits the jungle.
A round-up mission follows where you need to hunt down every monkey in each section to earn Dreamer Orbs. As you progress, the rain starts to fall; the monsoon Mama Monkey prophesied in the beginning drawing ever closer. The level ends with you rolling down a ramp into the safety of the monkeys’ underground home alongside all the monkeys you saved along the way; a perfect end to a perfect level.
6Ferried Treasure
This level features an appearance from Crablantis’s Scottish scoundrel King Bogoff, which immediately gives it an edge over the competition. Here, he conscripts Sackboy for a scavenging mission aboard his submarine, tasking you with grabbing golden orbs from the ground nearby as the submarine auto-scrolls its way through the deep.
It’s an interesting spin on the auto-scroller concept and a fun showcase for King Bogoff as a character. His reactions to the appearance of the legendary fish Big Moe are particularly entertaining, his braggadocio dissolving as it returns again and again to jostle his submarine.
5Light At The Museum
A knitted take on a classic movie heist, Light At The Museum sees Sackboy sneaking his way through King Bogoff’s Museum of Sunken Wonders, avoiding the various security measures in place while grabbing Dreamer Orbs and other treasure.
The level makes great use of the phase squid mechanic, re-framing it in the context of an auto-scroller stage, but it’s the theming that really elevates it: the dark museum setting and the accompanying music, which creates a tone of cheeky espionage, combine to create a level with atmosphere to spare.
4Pros And Conveyors
Conveyor belts are hardly a new idea for platformers, having appeared in countlesstitles in the past. A Big Adventure makes them stand out by featuring them in this level, set at a futuristic airport’s security zone.
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After jumping in a scanner and being rejected, Sackboy is thrust into the airport’s dark underbelly, where lasers and gears conspire to clip his wings permanently. The details here, like the section where you drop into a tray and a robotic security guard moves you to the next area, make this level truly special.
3One Track Mind
One of the game’s Rayman-inspired musical levels, where the action is synced up with the beat of the song in the background, One Track Mind runs to the rhythm of Britney Spears’ sultry classic Toxic. The song choice alone is enough to make the level stand out, but the clever narrative delivery here is even better.
Throughout the level, we’re shown glimpses of N.A.O.M.I, the Interstellar Junction’s guardian, who has been corrupted by Vex. This is conveyed in the spinning, distorted nature of her images and in the images of Vex himself, combined with the song to convey the poisonous effects of his power and influence.
2Multitask Force
The last Teamwork level in the game, Multitask Force serves as a final exam of sorts, testing all the skills that were required in past Teamwork levels in an open-ended gauntlet. Completing the level requires five keys, four of which are in small offshoot rooms built around previously-explored mechanics, such as phase lights and weighted creatures.
It’s an elegant way to cap off the Teamwork levels and a great challenge to boot. Players will need tocoordinate their approachto succeed in each of the four rooms, doubly so if they want to get their hands on the elusive Dreamer Orbs that lie within.
1Jumping To Conclusions
The final standard level in the main game, Jumping To Conclusions, almost feels like another Vex boss fight. Here, the villain unleashes the full extent of his chaotic power, manipulating every aspect of the level in an effort to bring Sackboy down.
He shifts platforms, flips Dreamer Orbs out of sight, confuses you with a room full of doors, traps you in a Wheel of Fortune-esque game show nightmare, and finally pursues you into the screen on his signature train. There’s just so much going on here, and it’s a brilliant showcase not just for the character of Vex but for A Big Adventure as a whole.
