It’s time to see the results of this year’s big contest! Let’s explore the winners and runner ups of each game and see which creators win the Reconnected Crown!
LBP Vita
There were unfortunately no submissions for LBP Vita this year. We hope to see some submissions for Vita next year from our handheld creators!
LittleBigPlanet 1 Winner
The winner of the LittleBigPlanet 1 category is Bridges & Apples by MASTERCRAFTER23!
Created by MASTERCRAFTER23 in LittleBigPlanet 1 on 5/29/2024
“You’re dreaming about apples, bridges and snow. With apples comes worms. You don’t realize you were dreaming until you awaken.”
“cool Level, good luck for the Contest :)..” – PhantomStromLBPU
Since the theme of this contest was ‘you fall asleep on the beach, what do you dream of’, this level has a few challenges ahead of it. For one, depicting a shift between an environment like the Wilderness and the beach is difficult to pull off if you’re relying primarily on the level background to set the tone.
However, this level demonstrates a transition at the end very similar to the one at the end of the Temples theme from LBP1. In that level, the Magician curator transforms the scoreboard area into a Wilderness-looking area that looks very different from the previous Indian-inspired landscape. MASTERCRAFTER23 uses a similar technique with glass and lighting to depict a beach for their scoreboard area.
Another element that contributes to this level’s dream-like vibe is its absurdity. It’s a cold, wintery orchard filled with talking worms. Beyond the talking worms, it seems unlikely that apples would be growing in this environment. If you’re looking for a level that’s quite similar to classic LBP1 story mode gameplay, this is definitely a great level to add to your queue.
LittleBigPlanet 2 Winner
The winner of the LittleBigPlanet 2 category is Beach Kisses by PhantomStromLBPU!
Created by PhantomStromLBPU in LittleBigPlanet 2 on 7/31/2024
NEW Level exclusively created in BeaconLBP and made by PhantomStrom for the #Reconnected2024 Contest. A LittleAdventure with Sackboy in a Beach Themed Level. (1Player-recommended) Thanks for playing and HAVE FUN 🙂
“I forgot what the level was about by the end, but that kinda beautifully matches the theme.” – Anthonymoua
Beach Kisses is a level we can best describe as being really cute! It’s a great blend of LBP1-style sticker and material characters, as well as LBP2’s flavor of platforming. It all comes together quite nicely with comfortable and fun gameplay in a celebration of what summer is all about.
LittleBigPlanet 2 Runner Up #1
The first runner up for the LittleBigPlanet 2 category goes to Sand Castle Climb by Snowquasar1.
Created by Snowquasar1 in LittleBigPlanet 2 on 7/31/2024
Welcome to this summer themed platformer level. Explore a dangerous sand castle in hopes of finding a hidden treasure. I hope you enjoy my entry for the reconnected contest.
“I liked the part with the rising lava.” – earnest_stereo10
LittleBigPlanet 2 Runner Up #2
The runner up prize for the LittleBigPlanet 2 category goes to Yukan Island 3 by chi_chi154_2.
Created by chi_chi154_2 in LittleBigPlanet 2 on 7/13/2024
After the remaining expedition members return to Yukan Island, strange things start to happen, forcing an investigator to message the Sheriff for an interview. When the Sheriff goes missing, the Sackthing ends up in an adventure to stop a powerful group that’s returned to finish what it started. All in the ultimate Yukan Island level! [Level – v1.1, Rating – RGAR ?, LBP2 on PS3 Recommended] [Please restart your game before playing this level!]
This is among the most technically impressive levels of the Reconnected contest’s three-year run. However, it’s not immediately clear that it followed the prompt, as there’s no indication (that we were able to find so far) that the level is about the dreams you would have after falling asleep on the beach.
The level is a direct continuation of chi chi’s previous Reconnected submissions, Yukan Island 1 and 2. Both of these were LBP1 levels, but this level takes the concept to its fullest potential in LBP2 with much more reliable logic. It’s a forage and craft game, requiring you to collect materials to convert into coins that can be used to spend on tools to advance through the level.
There are still a few bugs, but it’s a much more polished creation thanks to the extended control of LBP2’s logic system, as well as increased mobility options like layer switching for tools and other objects. This is a long level, so pack some snakcs on your expedition to Yukan Island!
LittleBigPlanet 3 Winner
The winner of the LittleBigPlanet 3 category for Reconected 2024 is Sailing the Seven Z’s by Steeeeeeeeeeeeen!
Created by Steeeeeeeeeeeeen in LittleBigPlanet 3 on 7/31/2024
“Meet some birds, drink some root beer. The lighthouse isn’t working so it’s not like you’re going anywhere for a while.”
“Really fun. very detailed and overall a good experience!” – Zillionare-w-
This level oozes with Sumo Digital’s LBP3 story mode vibe. The color palette, layout, and other design choices give it that comfy and familiar feeling. However, it still manages to define a niche for itself with a unique gameplay element: root beer cup cannons. In Sonic Unleashed fashion, moving your character near one of these cups will cause you to sit inside, where you can press the jump button to be launched in the indicated direction.
On top of that, the level also has a new paintinator-adjacent powerup that functions similarly to how we’ve come to expect every gun-weapon to work in RWBY — recoil that can propel you in a direction of your choice. You can fire the powerup at objects to break them, or you can use the recoil as a double jump.
LittleBigPlanet 3 Runner Up
The runner up for the LittleBigPlanet 3 category is Cloudtop Cruise by ratalsoni1.
Created by ratalsoni1 in LittleBigPlanet 3 on 6/25/2024
Cruise though the sky in this dreamy steam-punk platformer. After your sackperson falls asleep on the beach, they are whisked away to a beautiful world in the clouds, and end up on the spectacular Cloudtop Cruise. This level is slightly inspired by a dream I once had, but with less singing lol. Enjoy!
“I loooove the designs of the ships, the amps and speakers especially are so cool” – Steeeeeeeeeeeeen
This was a close call!
Cloudtop Cruise is beautiful in much the same way as Sailing the Seven Z’s, with gorgeous flying ships that feel like they might fit in with Disney’s Treasure Planet. It’s populated by lots of great cardboard characters as well that set the tone perfectly.
Thank You For Being a Part of Reconnected!
Thank you to all the creators who participated in LBP Reconnected 2024! We highly recommend taking a bit to play all the levels submitted, because they were pretty good this year, even if they didn’t get a winning or runner up slot! We’re looking forward to seeing what you have in store for our next contest!
