Take a look at the biggest games released for this Christmas and it’s easy to spot a recurring theme.

I’m talking about Assassin's Creed Unity, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, Far Cry 4 and Grand Theft Auto V.

Aside from being sequels rather than original works, the theme that runs through all them is killing – lots and lots of killing.

For more wholesome family entertainment over the festive period there really is only one choice – and that is LittleBigPlanet 3.

Yes, it’s yet another sequel, but this latest whimsical adventure in a fantastical world featuring lovable knitted hero Sackboy still offers PlayStation gamers something vastly different from anything else that’s out there.

This is so much lighter than all the other games I mentioned – platforming and puzzle-solving rather than shooting and stabbing.

Your Local Guardian:

It’s an easy game to make friends with, thanks to its layers of likability, charm and cuteness. Listing these qualities may make it seem like LBP3 is aimed primarily at kids but I don’t think it is. While it’s suitable for young players, it’s got a lot for grown-ups to enjoy – at least when viewed with minimal cynicism, without a grumpy-wumpy attitude and with your imagination fully charged.

Like the customary Disney movie on Christmas Day, LBP3 is actually a perfect game for mums, dads and kids to sit down and play together.

Joining creative forces with my 12-year-old daughter is how I like to approach LittleBigPlanet.

Starting with hers, here are our thoughts on the game.

Your Local Guardian:

A child’s verdict

The game is fun and exciting because the different levels are challenging as you have to jump around the platforms, complete tasks and dodge obstacles.

I enjoy the creative side because the levels you complete to progress are inventive and quirky.

There is also a moon where you can create your own levels or mess around with all types of items.

The game is bright and colourful and the graphics are clear, vibrant and fun. The objects and characters are crazy and very random – a lot of the game has no theme but the objectives are still clear.

The voices, music and sounds are exciting and set the scene well.

I have a lot of fun playing with other people because we can help each other and also mess about.

Overall, I enjoy this game a lot because it is interesting, exciting, difficult but not frustrating, and also very happy.

By Sophie Bull, age 12

Your Local Guardian:

A dad’s verdict

My daughter’s summed it up shorter and sweeter than I can, but here goes.

As with its two predecessors, LBP3 is a side-on platformer taking place in a bonkers world that looks like it’s been thrown together from bits cut out of storybooks or found in toy boxes.

Once again, the main character is Sackboy, the adorable little dude who is becoming to Sony what Mario is to Nintendo.

The game comprises two main parts – well, two and a bit.

The first is adventure mode which sees Sackboy on a quest to restore creativity to the land of Bunkum. This takes the form of a series of beautifully crafted colourful and surreal levels comprising heaps of head-scratching challenges. There is a lot of running, jumping and climbing to do, while Sackboy can also grab objects to help him get around obstacles and use a range of gadgets such as the Pumpinator which blows air and the Blink Ball which is a kind of Portal-like teleporting device.

Your Local Guardian:

This time Sackboy is not alone as there are three new playable characters. Dog-like Oddsock has fast-running and jumping abilities, bird-like Swoop can fly around levels and pick up objects or other characters, and then Toggle can switch between being a big strongman and a small version that can fit into tiny spaces.

The new characters freshen things up and add some variety to the play but it’s a bit of a shame they are fully utilised in the adventure mode. Even after unlocking all three, most of the time is still spent as Sackboy. And when you’re going in for the fun multiplayer madness to beat the levels, everyone has to play as the same character for the most part rather than getting to choose who they want to be.

Audio is a big part of LBP’s appeal and throughout the adventure there is always a catchy song or tune playing. There is great voice work too such as from Hugh Laurie, who plays the scheming lightbulb-headed Newton. Laurie’s old comedy partner Stephen Fry is on hand again as the game’s narrator, and is on his usual form that feels like you’re being given a cuddle whenever he speaks.

Your Local Guardian:

The ‘bit’ part outside of the two main areas of the game is the Popit Puzzles. These are fun to play but most importantly serve as an interactive tutorial for the creation mode by teaching players in a gentle way how to use the numerous tools that they’ll later get to mess around with when making their own levels.

The creation mode, the second main part of the game, is even more humungous than before with its whopping 250 tools available for level-makers to use.

As before, players are able to create levels completely from scratch and then share them with others. For once it’s no exaggeration to say the possibilities are endless – those with inventive minds really can let their imagination run wild, building whatever they desire on just about every imaginable theme.

Unlike adventure mode, there are no limits on how the different characters can be used.

Your Local Guardian:

No limits is actually a great way to describe the create zone overall, as can be seen in the millions of levels already made in LBP3 and imported from earlier games.

Being artistically challenged and lacking the commitment needed to really throw myself into being a creator, I mainly dabble in what other people have built – the resourcefulness and skill shown are truly staggering.

My daughter fares much better than me with the creation tools, particularly revelling in assembling massive slides for Sackboy or things that blow him up.

The third main entry in the LittleBigPlanet series has had Sumo Digital on lead developer duties rather than Media Molecule but this hasn’t made any noticeable difference to the quality. Other than not advancing the series very much in terms of graphics and gameplay, and failing to fix the occasionally floaty and fiddly movement that can blight the platforming, it’s hard to think of any criticisms to level at Sumo for the work it’s done.

LittleBigPlanet remains a wonderfully warm and light hearted game packed with delights that younger and older gamers alike can find pleasure and amusement in. Playing it is the game equivalent of a cosy winter’s night in, curled up on the sofa with the heating cranked up and a comforting mug of hot chocolate nearby.

It’s well worth putting those guns down and packing those hand grenades away for a change to enjoy some of LittleBigPlanet’s ‘play, create, share’ loveliness.

9 out of 10

Out now for PS3 and PS4