The news that LittleBigPlanet PSP lacks any multiplayer functionality may very well be a deal-breaking decision for some. As powerful as the PSP is, Sony’s hardware simply doesn’t have the grunt to support both multiplayer and LittleBigPlanet’s physics simultaneously, so when it came to a choice between one or the other, it was the ability to play with another Sackboy at your side that saw the axe.

But as unfortunate as this is, the fact that the physics system remains at all is incredibly impressive in and of itself. Gamers may lament the enforced decision to play solo, but the fact that the vast majority of the PS3 game’s features have been maintained for the PSP version ¬– including the create and share mechanics – is reason enough to overlook the lack of multiplayer. Most other compromises are expected, or small enough to be ignored. For instance, visual polish has been understandably reduced, but motion blur and depth of field are still impressively preserved. This is still very much the LittleBigPlanet we know and love, right down to the charming character animations.

The creation tools are the priority, however – they’re LittleBigPlanet’s raison d'être – and although we won’t be able to construct our own inventions with friends, the vast majority of the original game’s tool set and creative options are still available. Sackboys are now able to move on two planes only instead of three, and this will no doubt limit the amount of creativity you have at your disposal when designing levels, but technically the ability to craft almost anything you can conceive remains rather remarkable.

Our main concerns are related to the size of the PSP’s memory. The PS3 put a cap on the amount of objects that could be used to populate any one user-generated level, and even proportionately speaking we doubt the PSP will be able to store a similar amount of stickers, blocks, pulleys and swings within its smaller architecture. We’re yet to know for sure, but we haven’t had enough free time with the game to determine its capacity.

We do know, however, that the create and share ethos LittleBigPlanet championed is happily in place thanks to the PSP’s Wi-Fi, allowing players to distribute their levels wirelessly through a PSP-only LittleBigPlanet community. Unfortunately there will be no connectivity with the PS3 version, but Studio Cambridge believes that the PSP community will easily mirror the hive of creativity currently found on the PS3.

LittleBigPlanet may perform with only a fraction of the processing power of its older brother, but seeing it in action confirms that the core gameplay remains untainted. LittleBigPlanet is not just the perfect game to complement the release of the PSPgo, but also a shining example of just how robust the PSP hardware really is.