Parents' Guide to LittleBigPlanet (PSP)

Game PSP 2009
LittleBigPlanet (PSP) Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Chad Sapieha By Chad Sapieha , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 8+

Imaginative PSP platformer is fun and lets you be creative.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 8+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 12+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 6+

Based on 13 kid reviews

Kids say this game is highly enjoyable and caters well to young audiences, emphasizing creativity and problem-solving without inappropriate content. However, some players highlight issues with bugs in the PSP version compared to the PS3, and while the gameplay can be fun and addictive, creating levels may present some challenges.

  • fun for kids
  • creative gameplay
  • bugs present
  • customization options
  • easy controls
Summarized with AI

What's It About?

LITTLEBIGPLANET for PSP is very similar in look and concept to its forerunner, LittleBigPlanet for PlayStation 3. Players guide a cute, customizable sack boy (or sack girl) through two-dimensional side-scrolling environments filled with fun and imaginative physics-based puzzles. Some gravity-oriented tasks include pushing weighted blocks, swinging on ropes, balancing on seesaws, and taking rides on little carts. When players tire of the story mode they can use the items they've collected in their adventures in a robust little level editor to create their own challenges, which can be uploaded and shared with others online.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 2 ):
Kids say ( 13 ):

If you enjoyed the PlayStation 3 version released last fall, there's every reason to believe you'll have a splendid time with its small-screened sibling, which captures almost perfectly its predecessor's atmosphere and imaginative spirit. Players should be aware, though, that there are a few key differences between these two games. For starters, there is no multiplayer. Consequently, the ability for players to use their sack person's arms to make communicative gestures has also been removed. Plus, the levels of depth in the game's environment (which allow players to, say, walk in front of or behind objects on the two-dimensional plane) have been reduced from three to two (though, honestly, we hardly noticed). Even with these limitations, LittleBigPlanet for PSP is a good-natured, warm-hearted, and enormously enjoyable play. It's clearly one of the year's best for Sony's handheld PSP.

Online interaction: Players can upload their own levels for other players to play. There is no multiplayer, which means no voice, text, or visual communication. However, there is potential for children to stumble across offensive designs uploaded by mischievous players (though we have yet to find any).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about careers in game design. LittleBigPlanet is a good introduction to level design, but designing games as a job takes a lot of training and a fair bit of talent. Do you think you might have what it takes? Did LittleBigPlanet make you think it might be a fun job?

  • Families who've played the original PlayStation 3 edition of LittleBigPlanet can discuss the differences between versions. Did you mind having only two levels of depth as opposed to three? Did the lack of multiplayer bother you? Do you think one version is superior to the other?

Game Details

  • Platform : PSP
  • Pricing structure :
  • Available online? : Available online
  • Publisher : Sony Computer Entertainment
  • Release date : November 17, 2009
  • Genre : Action/Adventure
  • ESRB rating : E10+ for Comic Mischief, Language
  • Last updated : October 9, 2025

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