Ultimate Sackboy
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| Developer: | Exient | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher: |  Exient Sad Puppy |
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| System(s): | Android, iOS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Engine: | Unity 2020.3.39f1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| File size: | 124 MB (Android) 234.6 MB (iOS) |
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| Genre: | Action | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Supported players: | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current version: | 1.6.0 (Android) 1.6.0 (iOS) (Read more...) |
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Ulitimate Sackboy is an automatic runner game developed and published by Exient for iOS and Android mobile devices. It is the second mobile title in the LittleBigPlanet series following 2014's Run Sackboy! Run! and revolves around Sackboy competing in the Ultimate Games.
Produced under license from Sony Interactive Entertainment, the game was initially soft-launched on the Google Play Store in the Philippines in late March 2021, and over the next two years, slowly made its way to other territories — and eventually iOS — launching worldwide on February 20, 2023.
Gameplay
 | This page or section is out of date. Please update the information herein so it reflects current knowledge, then remove this template. Notes: A lot has changed since the last time this section was touched. Now that the game is out, this needs to be checked and updated. |
Similar to Run Sackboy! Run!, Sackboy runs forward on his own, but the player can swipe the screen in different directions to control him; left or right to change lanes, upwards to jump, downward to slide, or downward in the air to perform a ground slam. Unlike its predecessor, runs in Ultimate Sackboy are finite, with the goal being to score as many points as possible within the allotted time, and without running into any obstacles. The player can sometimes find powerups on the track, including magnets to attract Score Bubbles from other lanes, and shields that can destory obstacles for a limited time.
When completing a run, the player receives prizes based on their position on the Scoreboard, including coins, trophies, and Loot Bags. Trophies are earned when finishing on the podium and lost when failing a run, either by dying or finishing in fourth place or lower. They are used to progress to new Tiers, unlocking rewards like currency, costume pieces, and even new environments to run through.
Endurance
After earning 400 trophies, the player unlocks Endurance Mode — a more traditional endless running mode in which the player is tasked with earning as many points as possible before they die. The core gameplay is largely the same, with the main differences being that the player gradually picks up speed over time, and the placement of hazards becomes more difficult the longer they survive. There is also no time limit, nor opponents to beat. Additionally, the player is revived for free during the first 30 seconds of a given run; if they die after this grace period, they must either pay gems or watch an ad to be revived.
Players can earn rewards the longer their runs last: coins are passively gained at a rate of 0.1 coins per metre, or one coin for every 10 metres. Better rewards, including costumes, larger coin payouts, gems, and even loot bags are awarded for reaching certain score thresholds.
Marathon
Marathons are timed events in which players can complete missions to unlock rewards. Every day, the player is given six missions to complete, and each one awards flags which gradually advance the player to the next milestone. The rewards list is split into two halves, with one set of free rewards that all players can earn, and another set that's included with a Season Pass, which must be purchased with real money and includes better rewards and additional tiers omitted from the free pass.
Daily Duel
After placing on the podium three runs in a row on a given day, the player can participate in a Daily Duel, in which they have one attempt to earn more points than their opponent. If the player wins, they will receive a Loot Bag containing one of their opponent's costume pieces the next day. Otherwise, they will lose their win streak and must build it back up to try again.
5 A Day
Every day, the player can win pieces of the Sacknana costume by collecting five Prize Bubbles containing slices of fruit. The prizes increase in value for every consecutive day the player collects the five fruit, up to seven days.
Below are the prizes and their corresponding days:
- Prize 1: Sacknana Legs
- Prize 2: Sacknana Jelly Time
- Prize 3: Sacknana Head
- Prize 4: Champion's Bag
- Prize 5: Sacknana Peels
- Prize 6: Sacknana Skin
- Prize 7: Sacknana Body
Development
In March 2021, Ultimate Sackboy was soft-launched in the Philippines, being labelled as "Early Access" at the time. However, it wouldn't be discovered until late April when concept art for the game was uploaded to ArtStation by illustrator Javier Corzo. The title given to the concept art on their personal website, "Little Big Planet 2019" suggests that it formally entered development sometime in 2019.[1]
On May 6, 2021, former XDev Director Pete Smith replied to a Twitter user confirming the game's existence, stating it is "just early access at this stage." When asked, he also confirmed that an iOS version was planned for release.[2]
On November 24, 2021, the soft-launch was extended to Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore and Sweden.
On March 18, 2022, Pocket Gamer revealed that the game was scheduled for release in Summer 2022, stating that Exient had "ramped up its hiring process over the past 12 months [making] 20 key hires to gear up for [its] release." [3]
On August 21, 2022, Ultimate Sackboy's Google Play Store page was updated with new screenshots and an early version of the game's trailer, with the game being soft-launched in Canada and Australia three days later. The trailer was taken down on August 22, however, a revised version of it would later surface on Exient's official YouTube channel on September 6.[4]
On September 6, 2022, Ultimate Sackboy was soft-launched on the iOS App Store in New Zealand.
On January 18, 2023, a press release was sent out announcing that Ultimate Sackboy was available for pre-registration on the Google Play Store, ahead of its worldwide launch on February 21, 2023. [5]. A dedicated Twitter account for the game, which had been registered on August 31 of the previous year, began tweeting about it around the same time.
On February 17, the social media accounts created for Ultimate Sackboy began posting images counting down to its release, indicating that the game's release date had been brought forward to February 20.[6]
External links
References
- ↑ Little Big Planet Mobile Phone Version - ArtStation, April 24, 2021
- ↑ Pete Smith - Twitter, May 6, 2021
- ↑ Exient brings on former United Nations specialist Hunida Busefi - Pocket Gamer, March 18, 2022
- ↑ Ultimate Sackboy - Trailer - YouTube, September 6, 2022
- ↑ Ultimate Sackboy is coming to a mobile phone near you! - Exient, January 18, 2023
- ↑ Ultimate Sackboy - Twitter, February 17, 2023
LittleBigPlanet games
| |
|---|---|
| Console | LittleBigPlanet (2008) • Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves (2010) • LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011) • LittleBigPlanet Karting (2012) • LittleBigPlanet 3 (2014) • Sackboy: A Big Adventure (2020) |
| Handheld | LittleBigPlanet (2009) • LittleBigPlanet PS Vita (2012) • Run Sackboy! Run! (2014) • Ultimate Sackboy (2023) |
| Browser | My Sackboy (2008) • Sackboy: Race the Unexpected! (2012) |
| Unreleased | LittleBigPlanet (Studio Liverpool) • LittleBigPlanet Star Wars • LittleBigPlanet HUB |