Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sumo Digital’s Sackboy: A Big Adventure on the Playstation 5 is a charming, vibrant, graphically astounding platformer that serves as a great entry into the genre for newcomers.

Though Sackboy: A Big Adventure's aesthetic is a bit basic, its solid platforming presents a good challenge.

Tight controls allow for challenging platforming, Great music can help push you through a tight platforming spot, Great platforming variety within and between levels, Strong visual performance on PS5

Character and visual design aren't interesting, Story is barebones and doesn't draw you in, Musical levels are jarring

Sackboy: A Big Adventure isn’t the headline-grabbing title in the PS5’s launch lineup, and it’s not going to be remembered like the best 3D Mario games. But few games are, and that doesn’t mean it’s not well worth your time. There are more challenging platformers out there, but get through the fairly sedate opening levels and A Big Adventure opens up into a varied and consistently entertaining romp. We just wish we could have a whole game made up of those music-driven levels. The PS5 is commendably not short of family-friendly games to play over the festive period, and if that’s what you’re looking for, Sackboy: A Big Adventure ticks nearly all the boxes.

Looks great on PS5 ; Brilliant use of music; Lots of variety; Nice use of the DualSense pad;

No online multiplayer at launch; Not particularly challenging; Combat feels a bit off;

It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a wonderful platformer that takes what’s come before, sprinkles in its trademark aesthetic, and shakes things up enough to feel fresh and exciting.

An inventive and engaging platforming experience that especially shines in co-op multiplayer - enjoyable for all ages.

Looks great on PS5 ; Brilliant use of music; Lots of variety; Nice use of the DualSense pad;

No online multiplayer at launch; Not particularly challenging; Combat feels a bit off;

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is the surprise jewel in Sony’s PS5 launch lineup and a shining example of how to create a kid-friendly, yet challenging platformer that appeals to all ages and abilities.

Fantastic level design; Four-player co-op; Challenging gameplay;

Somewhat predictable boss fights; End of level fanfare takes too long; Some levels require two players

When looking at the PS5 launch lineup, Sackboy: A Big Adventure was not at the top of my hype list. Sure, it’s Sackboy, one of the most iconic PlayStation mascots since LittleBigPlanet’s release on PS3, but having been underwhelmed with the just okay LittleBigPlanet 3 , seeing Sackboy’s smiling...

Not tethered to the create mode; Amazing detail on the PS5; Crafted worlds are stunning; The soundtrack breathes life into the adventure

Occasional goofy physics glitches with costume pieces; Lot's of "accidental" slapping of your co-op buddy

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is an audio-visual feast, a living work of art that continuously delights and amazes players with its bottomless well of creativity. Some pacing issues can't do much to detract from the amazing level design, tight platforming, and astounding soundtrack.

From the voice acting, to the replay factor, the graphical finery, and superb multiplayer (shame that's not online for launch, only in-person co-op), Sackboy is another title to assert PlayStation's ongoing success.

Masses of replayability value; Superb co-op multiplayer; Graphical fidelity and textures brings real charm; Voice acting is marvellous

Pace can feel slow at times; Some quirks with depth perception; No online multiplayer at time of release