First, a disclaimer: Little Big Planet 2 is an incredibly deep game and it will take even the most skilled and dedicated players weeks – at a minimum – to achieve 100% completion on the included levels.

That does not include user-generated content, which will likely be created for years to come. As a result, this review does not cover all of the content; it only covers the content I was able to unlock. LBP2 offers Move support but, due to a lack of hardware, I was not able to assess Move accessibility.

As both a parent and a disabled gamer, I would strongly suggest renting Little Big Planet 2 before buying it to make sure that it is sufficiently accessible for your family. Considering the incredibly deep content generation engine, it will still be a value purchase even after factoring in a rental fee because the LBP community will be creating new levels and games for some time.

With that noted, let’s get into specific accessibility concerns.

Little Big Planet 2 – despite having age-appropriate content for children and feeling less difficult than Little Big Planet – is a challenging game. It requires a combination of puzzle solving, pattern and shape recognition and matching, and dexterity that will likely make it unplayable for some disabled children, and very difficult for some disabled gamers. Like Little Big Planet, LBP2 is a platformer, and despite being more forgiving than other side-scrolling games, it still requires quick reflexes and precise motions.

The single most critical concern in Little Big Planet 2 is mobility. Gamers with motor function concerns or who only have use of one hand will likely experience significant problems. Puzzles require holding buttons and moving sticks simultaneously. Players have to leap over gaps which expand and contract. Fighting bosses often requires timing jumps to avoid danger (i.e. fireballs, electrical shocks, etc.) while leaping and throwing items at the boss. Players will need to use bounce pads for higher or longer jumps, and often will need to hit a specific spot to reach the next location in the level.

In addition, some levels are effectively timed with the player having to run ahead of danger and make rapid, precise jumps and grapples in quick succession simply to complete the level, often having to ignore unlockable content in the process. Furthermore, in some levels, any error will require the player to start over. Although I was eventually able to complete the last level of the factory, a level which requires players to remain ahead of danger, it took me approximately 20 minutes and numerous restarts to do so. Precision, in short, is critical. Little Big Planet 2 feels more forgiving in this aspect than Little Big Planet, but it is still a challenge for people with limited dexterity.

Little Big Planet 2 has extensive subtitles. However, it was difficult for me to tell whether subtitles are enabled by default since LBP2 allows players to import data from Little Big Planet and I had subtitles enabled in my save game. Regardless, LBP2 is subtitled and subtitles can be easily activated. Narration typically appears in a white sans serif font with a black shadow around the text for legibility and readability. Instructions in levels are typically provided in speech bubbles using black text on a white background.

One significant flaw in Little Big Planet 2 which was also present in Little Big Planet is the use of a klaxon to warn players that they are on their last life. There is no subtitling for this alert or any warning for players who require subtitles, except for the save point changing from white to red. This is not always an obvious change, and gamers who need subtitles may experience difficulties with LBP2 as a result.

Likewise, gamers with a form of color-blindness may experience a similar challenge as gamers who need subtitles. While the color change is from white to red and it is accompanied by an audio alert, it still may present difficulties.

A specific concern that parents of disabled children may have is that Little Big Planet 2 usually doesn’t offer any kind of hint or help mode. While some puzzles feature sketches of what to do and some levels have arrows pointing toward the next goal, it can be difficult to figure out how to pass an obstacle. In this case, particularly for parents who may not be gamers, some sort of adaptive hint mechanism triggered by standing still or a certain number of failed attempts, or even a mechanic which allowed players to skip past a puzzle after a number of failures, would have been a significant accessibility accommodation. While parents can always check the Internet to see how people made it past an obstacle, an in-game system to address repeated failures would have been helpful.

Finally, while Little Big Planet 2 saves content (objects, stickers, etc.) that players unlock regardless of whether the player successfully completes the level, players must complete a level before moving on to the next one. In the case of Little Big Planet, some levels took me half an hour or more to complete. While, again, Little Big Planet 2 seems to have levels which require less time, parents need to be aware that there is no way to save progress in the middle of a level, and that quitting the game at that point will require replaying the level from the beginning.

Ultimately, although Little Big Planet 2 is a charming and enjoyable game, it is not recommended for disabled children with motor function concerns or with use of only one hand. While the lack of a visual warning to accompany audio warnings makes the game less accessible for deaf children, Little Big Planet 2 should still be playable. Children with a form of color-blindness should not experience any significant problems, other than the above-noted issue with the save point changing color from white to red.

Likewise, adult gamers with disabilities involving motor functions or with use of only one hand are likely to find this game frustrating due to the twitch reflexes, button pressing and stick movements necessary to solve puzzles in the game. Adult gamers who require subtitles or have a form of color-blindness should not experience any other problems than the ones noted above.

At A Glance

Precision: Recommend rating of 0 out of 10.
Players will need a significant amount of precision to play this game. Simultaneously pressing buttons / triggers and moving sticks is often required to solve a puzzle, and levels may feature multiple puzzles like this. Players need to carefully control Sackboy’s speed to avoid running off ledges, and sliding into pits and traps. Like most platformers, this game requires a significant amount of dexterity and twitch reflexes.

Deaf Gamers: Recommend rating of 7 out of 10.
For the most part, Little Big Planet 2 is subtitled. However, when a player is on their last life, a klaxon sounds as a warning, which is not noted on screen. The save point turns from white to red, but this is an insufficient accommodation when compared to the audio alert that other players receive.

One-handed: Recommend rating of 0 out of 10.
Little Big Planet 2 frequently requires gamers to move sticks and press buttons simultaneously, as well as in rapid succession. Players often have to leap, move, and hold and release triggers at the same time in boss fights while dodging attacks.

Subtitled: Recommend rating of 7 out of 10.
The game is subtitled in a sans serif font with a white shadow behind it. Subtitles are not letterboxed, but are highly legible and readable.

Color Blind: Recommend rating of 7 out of 10.
The levels I was able to unlock did not use red or green for meaning as parts of puzzles. However, when a player is on their last life, the save point turns from white to red as a warning. A klaxon also sounds, which should alert players with a form of color-blindness that they are on their last life.

Checkpoint / Save System: Recommend rating of 5 out of 10.
Little Big Planet 2 saves unlocked content such as materials, objects and stickers regardless of whether a player finishes a level. However, each level must be completed before a player can begin the next level, and there is no way to save in the middle of a level.