#littlebite-sizedarchive

This level is super cute, very charming, has a fun little mechanic wiv the controllable SackBot friend, and the Asteroids mini-game you unlock by finding all the secrets is really cool.

It's also been stolen to hell and back.

The creator left the level copyable, and, well, tonnes of folx went and copied it and published it as their own, which is really crummy to do.

We actually played one of the copies on stream, and then by total chance played the original a few streams later wivout realizing. It was only doing episodes for the Streaming Pile that i finally noticed the creator names were different, and started some light digging.

The second time we only played a minute or so, 'cause i thought we'd accidentally repeated the same level twice, so i figured i'd do it up as an Archive video so the OG creator could at least get some late flowers.

Not a tonne to say about these levels except for they're absolutely gorgeous, and go way harder than it feels like LBP2 should have been capable of.

Both of them are relying almost exclusively on hand-drawn paint-mode stickers, wiv just a few necessary gameplay elements (switches and point bubbles mainly), which is just wild. LBP usually struggles wiv having too many stickers on screen, and a lot of times you'll see them getting pixelated, or sometimes not even appearing, but i don't think that happens even once in either level?

It's hard to pick which of the two i like more. RED MACHINE CITY is probably the more fun vis-a-vis playing of the two; it's a big chonky level wiv lots of interactions wiv the environment, and lots of searching around for secrets and progress points.

Buuuuut, Transparent is honestly just shockingly beautiful. To the extent i worry a bit that the video really conveys it, given how YouTub crunches things up, and also i was having to fiddle through a bunch of potential render settings at the time. Hopefully you'll get a good feel for what it's like, but the best option is, as always, playing it yourself, so go grab the both of them off the Dry Archive, eh?

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Our first LittleBite-sizedArchive batch of 2026! Woot!

089 - Caverns of the Lost by LittleBigDes

This one's a real charmer. Very much of a particular type of LBP2-era presentation that i really love. Solid gameplay, wiv a few (not very secret) secrets. Des is a long-time visitor to the Empty Room, and i've been blessed for knowing her. Her daughter sent me fanmail once, and that just tickled me to death. It's a shame this level never got it's promised follow-up, tho'.

119 - The Clock Repairer by Intangir85

A little bit clunky in its added mechanics, tho' certainly forgivable given how difficult it could be to implement those in LBP2. Was really glad to be able to revisit this one, as it was another that was broken when playing in LBP3.

520 - Seaside Hotel by NackedOcelot

A chill little hangout level from LBP1. Lovely design, and a solid build. A little small compared to others i've played, but i think it works better for that; some of the big house-style levels just wind up feeling a bit empty. Love the fireworks display from the balcony. Just all-round a nice level to visit.

521 - Coaster Inc by Pign

This is a really neat one, tho' the size and amount of moving objects really push the PS3 through its paces. There's a weird bit near the end where the coasters just kind of get stuck? Don't know if it's a dThermo loading thing fucking wiv the logic, or a faulty build, but it definitely adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the proceedings. Of course, that's just because it's (barely) escapable. If it softlocked the level, it'd be a very different story.

522 - Grab 'N' Graveyard by r2d2111

Wow... this one is really some kind of wow. Not always in the good way, either. It has a fantastic presentation, and some really fun and interestingly implemented mechanics, buuut... those mechanics can be fiddly as hell. Really easy to have momentum put you where you're not expected to be, and wind up eating a lot of deaths. Still, i never thought i'd play a level that had you rappelling wiv zombie guts, or plucking eyeballs out, so, like... that's cool.

523 - Silent Hill 1 Tribute by KilledByKangaroo

Honestly? This is a pretty decent representation of SH1 wivin LBP1. i mean, you have to be accounting for the limitations of create mode, but still, it was really neat. Even had a UFO ending, so that was cute. Was kind of funny how the creator was very specific about it being a tribute to the game, and not the movie, and i feel like it was in response to another SH tribute level of the era that had the temerity to include Red Pyramid Thing.

524 - THE LITTLEST BIGGEST EXCELLENTEST ADVENTURE [EST] 1 by Redfinio

Despite a title that feels like it's promising a meme level, this one is actually a pretty solid, and decently large early LBP level. A couple of tense bits like the steamroller, tho' nothing too difficult. Had a really good time wiv this one. There is one potential softlock in the level, tho' you have to be pretty unlucky, or playing kinda weird to get stuck in it. Like me. i did get stuck in it.

525 - Ocean Commotion [LBPCC1] by Chessguy

Holy crap, but it is shocking how good this level is. Just absolutely gorgeous, pretty tight, zippy gameplay, a few tricky spots mechanically. There is one section i could quibble wiv the setup some, but overall, just a really fun level to challenge yourself wiv. But even more than all that is just how well it plays even on the PS3. You'd think wiv all the motion and decoration that the engine would start to chug and you'd wind up wiv some nasty lag, or objects popping in and out, but i really didn't see any of that. Super impressive work from Chessguy.

526 - Head in the Clouds by KomodoBrothers

Another solid one from KomodoBrothers here. Lovely presentation, wiv some really nice colour choices, which is something i feel like doesn't usually get focused on as well as it should. Gameplay is fun, although it can be a little confusing getting the hang of just what they want you to do the first time through. It's one level where i'm glad they make the race an option on subsequent plays, instead of throwing you right in it first time; i feel like it'd get real frustrating until you've got a good mental map of things.

527 - Cardboard -NEW- by taka061

Yet another fun, intricate level from taka061. It feels a little more directionless compared to some of their other works, but the exploration works well enough here. i've always been a sucker for well done cardboard levels, and this is a great example of the type; there's lots of nice detailing work to help break up what can be a very bland material when it's used in broad swaths.

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002 - Ghostbusters: The Slime-brary by r2d2111

This one is fine. No better, but certainly no worse. The puppets at the beginning and end are well done, and the gameplay isn't bad (even if it does feel inconsistent), but honestly i haven't given a toss for the Ghostbusters since i was a kid, so it's hard to get excited just for that.

147 - LittleBIG hell by S8N-M

Edgy for LBP1, and kludgy as heck, but not wivout its charms. There is a bit where you've got to get flung up to a platform, and it sure was frustrating as heck.

512 - THE SCARY TUNNEL by ZebraCarDeath

Ok, the tunnel itself? Yeah, pretty well done for an on-the-rails-look-at-stuff. But the level is breaky as heck, especially up around the beginning. Just so many places to fall out, or softlock things, or just get stuck.

513 - Curse of the Orphids by ninpy

This is a really neat one, yeah. Not quite as mechanically intricate as some of ninpy's other levels, but it really nails a feel, and it certainly has a lot of his hallmarks in it. i think about ninpy every now and then. i knew him well enough to talk to, and even did an online create session wiv him the one time. The last i'd seen of him, this would have been around 2020 or 21, he was sliding into some anti-mask/anti-vax posting on the Twitters, and i really hope he didn't get any deeper into that hole.

514 - STARTDUCKS: World's Best Explosive Coffee and Cake Shop! by Five-Ate-Five

i'd grabbed this one 'cause i remembered liking the vibe, and had wanted to use it as a style guide for my stream starting soon screen. Playing it casually, just to get a feel for the lighting and material choices, it's actually a lot of fun. The core mechanic is well-implemented throughout, and at times can be a little challenging. Playing casually, that is. Playing as an archivist, trying to get a run wiv all the secrets, and holy cats was it getting right on my tits. It is super easy to get the wrong trajectory on one of the bomb shots, and blow up a key you need to unlock a hidden area, and then you've got to restart and do the whole fucking thing over again. Just obnoxious. If @hirunda-maxpw hadn't helped me, i'd have never found everything, and that would have left me even more pissed off.

515 - Bathysphere's House of Cake by scuzzy73

This came on my radar on account of @futurefractal leaving a really nice comment on a Streaming Pile video we'd done of it. i figured i'd give it a run through, and it turned out to be an awful lot of fun. Maybe not as ambitious as "Over There and Back Here Again" by the same creator, but a better tuned experience than that one, and probably more fun in the end. Thanks Fractal!

516 - Arcade shooter score challenge by NackedOcelot

This one was by a sometimes stream visitor (and a regular to @holly-baloo 's streams; holly is wonderful, and you should check her out!) and all around delightful kid (kid here in the sense of being younger than me, not actually, like, kid-kid). i always love getting a chance to play viewers' levels, and this was a real nice one to archive. Honestly trying a lot more than anything i ever got up to in LBP1.

517 - Halloween by KilledByKangaroo

Kinda wild seeing the intro to (OG) Halloween rendered in LBP1 style, but it honestly kinda works? The level itself is fine; the presentation of the house is well done, and there are some fun nods to the movie, and generally the build is nice. That being said, the chase is an enormous pain in the butt. i think the obstacles are supposed to dissolve wiv just enough time for you to stay ahead of Michael, but i never really pulled it off, and most of the time i stayed locked in a spawn loop. Still, it was cute enough for what it was.

518 - Sunset Grassland by Alpenglow02

Another strong one from Alpi here, not, perhaps, my favourite (pretty sure that's Syvänne just on the basis of presentation), but it's delightful to look at, and fun to play. An all-around good level. See if you can spot the Kirb!

519 - Frightmares by fotosynthesis1

Why are the spiders so effectively creepy here? Why is that one bit so wet looking? How did foto make that clown actually kinda anxiety-inducing, despite it being a relatively simple boss. Horror levels generally don't really work all that well in LBP for me, but foto did manage to make parts of this one actually sing, and that's pretty darn impressive.

Right, so that's our batch this go about. Some real bangers in there, so head over to zaprit fish and dl the level saves, and take them for a walk around the park yourselves. Let me know which ones really worked for you!

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070 - A Platformer by Woutery

Maybe one of my favourite race levels (tho' you only get the sticker to start it if you find all the secrets). Mechanically it's set up extremely well to keep a strong pace throughout, wiv only one spot where there's maybe a bit too much progress loss if you die. The aesthetic is fantastic, and the music is fun and jazzy (makes sense the music would be solid, as that was Woutery's main focus as a creator). The secrets are well-hidden, but not obnoxiously so. Just all around a good time.

151 - Speculum by StrawberryHeAt

Great presentation, excellent material choices and shaping, lots of mechanical bits; this is another one that checks almost all my boxes for a fun level. It's a lot more challenging to run smoothly than A Platformer above, but not so much that it's a chore to play casually. The bonuses, tho', are way, way more obnoxious, and even wiv a lot of practice i couldn't both get them all in a single run, and manage a decent time on the race. Heck, i wound up having to look at it in Create Mode just to see where a couple of them were.

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These are just native format re-archivings of the LBPC LogicPack's excellent tutorial series

i don't think it's any secret that i've always had a soft spot for LBP1 logic. The need for it all to be physical objects, and affected by all the inherent wonkiness that that implies. The way it can be worked into the presentation of levels (tho' there are those who didn't fuck wiv that, because they're weirdos). Just the puzzle nature of "i can only produce these outputs wiv these inputs, how can i make [x] happen?" i love it all to death.

In concept.

Sometimes the actual practice of it, especially after getting the much more easily testable logic pieces of LBP2 (and especially especially after the QoL improvements in 3), can be dreadfully frustrating. But i still do appreciate it, and appreciate when you can finally figure out how to get something really neat to work.

i don't think this series represents the be-all-end-all of logic setups in LBP1; it only came out in 2009 after all, there would be two whole years before we'd see LBP2, and even after that, some folx still stuck to building in one. However, it is cute, clever, and very well presented. There's also a complementing set of vault levels where players could get every piece of logic produced to play wiv in their own create modes, and that is super cool.

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Y'all are eating well wiv these special drops, aye.

More seriously, i'm thinking of doing the re-archive episodes as periodic one-off drops, and leaving the 10 episodes every two weeks for new-to-the-LBsA levels. i'll still probably do specials for new stuff if there's something super cool i want to show off right now (like wiv Ruins of the Carp), or if i get a request (hint hint hint), so it doesn't wind up going live 3 months after the ask, but it seems like a good way to balance things going forward. It probably won't be obvious until mid-January, since i've already got drops scheduled, but yeah.

Trying this out as a draft so i won't be quite so pressed typing it all up before work.

[024] -Japanese Form- 日々常々温泉郷 by nichijou This is a rearchive, and i'm so glad to finally be able to see the level in its native LBP1. Holy cats, but it looks so dang good; the old school waterfall effect really sells here, but also the use of Horrible Gas to simulate waves and steam. It's quite rare that i've seen Gas used to purely aesthetic effect, especially after they changed the animation in LBP2, so it really stands out when i run into it.

[032] こけぷら ~Kokeshi platformer~[JPN] by Esuki Another rearchive, and here it is. My favourite(?) level. Maybe? i've never been able to pick a number one of anything, and i've played a lot of levels over the years, but this is one my brainmeats always come back to, so it has to be up there. Kokepura just has so much charm. It's, like, oozing from every pore. That the gameplay is also quite fun is icing on the cake. Truth be told, it does go on juuust a touch too long, but it's worth it for everything that's come before.

[486] [LCC1] ペンギンが思う日本とは～What Japan is like in my opinion～by yomesan Another super charming level from the J-side, maybe not quite as strong on the visual presentation and gameplay, but densely packed wiv character. i don't know how old yomesan was when they made this level, but it has such a little kid's cheer and energy as they explain something they love. The fact that they've actually translated everything (and there's a lot here to translate) is super impressive. Double bonus points for the yogurt bit. In the English version, one of the characters says "I have no line in English," which is a little weird, but cute. However, if you play it through in Japanese, and they have this whole chunk of text talking in-depth about this yogurt, and it gave me such a laugh.

[487] Autumn Winds by Ice_Queenme i hardly ever see the blow drier used in levels, and really there's only so much you can do wiv it as a power-up, but it does add a bit to things here. The real stand-out is the visual presentation, tho'; this level just looks really nice. i really dig the use of ambient lighting to give everything a bit of a warm-fuzzy vibe.

[488] So Ugly Without You by sixwantscake So, a bit of an odd one here. As you might know if you've been following, i'm a pretty big fan of Cookietovar's levels. Solid platformers in the LBP1 vein wiv a really nice visual presentation. In the level description for Roasting Oranges 2! she mentions the level was made wiv her girlfriend sixwantscake. So i got to wondering what kind of levels six might make. Aaaand... this kind? i guess? It's not a joke level, or a non-level, i don't want to give that impression, but there's not really a lot of here here to say much about. It was pretty funny that only one of those sled dogs explodes, tho'.

[489] Deceitful Delights by cmh95 i reviewed this level back in The Before, and i loved it then, and coming back to it, yeah, it still holds up really well. Great material selection, pleasing shaping that definitely inspired some of my aesthetic, and some tricky (tho', to be honest, not really deceitful, per se), enjoyable platforming. Just a joy to play through. i tried, real hard, so many times, to Ace this level for the archive, but it just wasn't happening. Saaa....

[490] The Broken Safe of the Forgotten Archipelago by Sackboy_Power754. Oh my gosh. This level, folx. i have so much to say about it that i'm probably going to make a separate post about it eventually. i actually want to make a video about it, it impressed me so much. For right now, @internet-toon has done a remarkable job cramming a 3D platformer (a good one! If you're not conversant in the community's attempts at 3D levels, you may not quite get the shock here) into LBP3's peculiar set of limitations, and 95% of the time it works so smoothly you wouldn't notice what a feat that is (5% of the time, well... there's a lot of complex logic going on here, and the game doesn't always love that). i really have to stop talking now, or i won't shut up about it.

[491] dream of stars & cacti world (platforms) (medium) by npartworl1011 This one is a lot more charming than it really has any right to be. i don't know, i guess i just have a thing for cartoon cacti? It's not a bad level, i don't want to slag on it by any means, but minus the visual presentation, and it really does go on a lot longer than its gameplay can carry. But, it does have that visual presentation going for it. The boat ride, in particular, really struck me. Good job there, np.

[492] Grab Gully by JaceThePro Presentation-wise this one hews to a similar theme to cacti world, but i think it manages to pull it off a bit better for the LBP1 style, than cacti's slightly more generic LBP3 platformer environment. It does lack the character charm, tho', so there's that. The gameplay, tho', is much tighter and more challenging, making for a strong, if at times frustrating, platforming experience. There is one bit where you need to do a fire bounce off a moving object to get to a checkpoint that, frankly, was kind of bullshite. Mostly 'cause i kept blowing the Ace there. Phrasing. i guess.

[493] Gooblets Attack!!! #LBWSBR by LBP_Ghost_Hunter i'm not really super interested in archiving the private server levels, to be honest? i mean, they do deserve archiving, but i've got my hands full wiv what i'm doing now, and the dross/"repubbing another creator's level" to original content that's good ratio is pretty out-of-whack. Which, like, if we're going to be totally honest, was always a problem wiv the OG servers too, so what am i even drawing lines about? Anyways, i actually played this level back when it was pubbed, because i was helping judge the contest it was made for. i don't think it was my top pick, but finding those notes is a bit needle in the haystack right now. i do remember it being quite good, and that impression has held true. i also remember it being longer, and at least you can see a continuation past the scoreboard so i don't have to start questioning my already spotty memory. i can only guess the creator felt it'd gone on too long in the original, and capped it wiv a new scoreboard partway through? i've seen more questionable creation decisions, but i would love to see what's past that scoreboard again.

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And that's the that for this block. Taking the time to write this as a draft, and... gods and fish do i ever run on at the mouth. At any rate, even if i'm skipping work today (that is Tuesday, not today when you read this, which will be at least Friday), i still have a dozen things to do, and i ought to get on them.

Take care of yourselves out there!

Another hot and piping load? That can't be right. Do loads pipe?

This one was a cute, little spy action-y kinda deal. Fairly tricky at parts, but satisfying to finish. The level shifting to a one life win-or-lose style at the end feels a little bs, but they do warn you, and it was neat to see them implement the alternative failure scoreboard.

Another one from AAAlone, this one reminds me a bit of Trindal's Heart of the Flip-side. You've got that everything's shifting around feel to it. Not quite as ambitious as Flip-side, but not quite as draggy either. 's fun.

These are the rest of the Essence of platform series from Rikiriki-ita, and they're all a hoot. Real solid design, and largely a well-maintained flow throughout. The first one up there, still alive, is kinda weird 'cause there's this whole side-section wiv a little race in it, that the player can't only not access, but can't even see. Like, it's implied that something's down there, but to go and build out a whole bit that no one's going to be able to interact wiv is totally wild to me. i suppose Rikiriki could have given the sticker to unlock it personally to friends or something, but otherwise, yeah.

i'm pretty sure reviewing this level is how i met @hirunda-maxpw way back in the day, so it has a bit of a special spot in my heart. Even wivout the sentimentality it's a pretty solid level, and the conceit of giant, speeding airship-thing is well-sold. It kind of gives off the vibe of 100man Ton no Barabara. There are a few bits of wonkiness wiv slides, but Sumo never quite managed to get those working properly anyways.

This one's trying, and there are definitely bits that are neat-in-concept, if i'm to be 100% honest, it's kinda a nothingburger.

This one from the same creator at least has a lot more going on in the presentation department. It's really quite pretty. Some of the gameplay, and how it interacts wiv the cameras, is deeply unfun, but the trip is mostly worth the aggravation.

<long, low whistle> i don't know why it was so difficult for me to read those pistons, but damn if they didn't take forever. Like, unless i'm getting a real banger of a run right out the gate (banger more from the perspective of how well is this video showing the level, not so much from a played wiv perfect efficiency standpoint) these levels are usually recorded at least a couple of times until i get a few videos i feel good about, and then i'll pick the one that works best, and clip extra add-on-at-the-end footage from the rest. This one, tho', sooooo much recording, 'cause the pistons ground every recording to an absolutely halt. Still, the concept is a neat one. It could use a bit of polish, mostly to make sure the lighting changes are happening correctly (it was getting confused if you swapped too fast), but you could easily build a pretty neat level wiv the concept. hell, to think of it, it's basically Guacamelee for LBP.

This level was a bit of a holy grail to me. i'd reviewed it pretty early in the Roughly 15 Minutes Fresh series, and really really liked it. Then when i tried to show folx on stream this cool level i remembered, it Failed to Load. And it would continue to Fail to Load ever after. It was super frustrating. The level itself well lives up to my memories. The high-contrast colour-scheme gives it a crisp, distinct look. There are some real nice bits of small animation, like wiv those dice launchers. Gameplay has a good momentum to it. And it manages to be just long enough to be satisfying wivout lingering into the overstaying its welcome territory.

Right, that's it for this batch. Some real fun ones in there. A few clunkers. You know. The usual. If any of y'all are still running LBP, i do hope you'll check at least a few of these out.

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Gonna try and get a thing done today. Don't know if it'll work out, but making my best shot at least.

Tonight's our 1000th stream, which is still a bit absurd and unbelievable to me. The idea that folx would not just drop in on and off, but that some of them would consistently make time every time to hang out wiv me, and not just once and awhile, but three times a week for seven(?) years... like, how do you even start to process that?