Truly exceptional game experiences are few and far between these days. Experiences that from start to finish manage to entertain, surprise, resonate and move players. So when one such game comes along and ticks all those boxes it is something very special. Unravel on the surface is a clever puzzle platformer with a cute character. Underneath, it is all the above and more:
Unravel takes players on a journey along side of Yarny, a character made simply of yarn who will win your heart in the first ten minutes of playing. The game opens in a family home, where an elderly woman is sitting teary eyed at a table looking at photographs and lamenting over family memories. As she retires to bed carrying her basket of yarn, one small red ball of yarn drops from the basket. Out of her view, the character of Yarny appears and the story and player’s journey begins.
At its core, Unravel is a physics based puzzle platformer with levels featuring different environments and hazards that the player must overcome using the abilities of Yarny who uses his own body of yarn to create bridges, swing between points or to pull objects and activate switches. As Yarny uses more of himself in such ways, the yarn and essentially Yarny itself, can run out preventing the player from continuing. Extra yarn is placed through each level and Yarny can replenish in order to carry on.
Where the game stands out is how its core design blends with the story telling, visuals and musical score to create one of the finest game experiences I have enjoyed in recent years, one which I would happily put on par with ‘Journey’ and ‘Never Alone’. There is a photo album on the table that the elderly woman was sitting at. This album should be full of pictures and memories however every page is blurred and distorted. Yarny goes on a journey to retrieve those memories by travelling into the family photographs positioned around the house.
The memory will form the theme and setting for the level. The first level, Thistle and Weeds, has Yarny moving through a garden in spring. The sound of moving through grass, insects and birds in the background as a soothing musical score accompanies you along the way. The player is taught how to use Yarny’s talents such as using right trigger to throw the Yarn Lasso which Yarny can use to swing or attach to points to climb. Yarn bridges can be used to bridge gaps to travel over as well as to move objects to where they are needed. The bridges also act as trampolines to help Yarny reach higher areas. Yarny’s abilities remain the same all through the game with no upgrades or new skills learned. Instead the challenge for the player will come in how you learn to use those skills as the puzzles become more complex through each level.
Being made of yarn means our hero faces numerous dangers from natural elements such as fire and water but from animals and traps. The delicate small details in the animation makes any failure to keep Yarny safe will lead to many heart breaking moments. With no pun intended, at times it really pulls on your heart strings and I genuinely felt that I had let Yarny down. The animation of Yarny is just sublime and just brings the character to life in every visual way and some charming surprises. There is a child like wonder about everything Yarny encounters at first which is cute and sweet which helps the bonding with the player to the point that I cared about where Yarny was heading.
Visually Unravel is a beautiful visual game to play. Every level and its environment is a visual treat for the player, and I spent a good deal of time soaking each one in as I worked to solve each puzzle put in my way. You can feel the passion the developers had for the world of Unravel with subtle details in background activity to create that world for Yarny to explore. It really is just a stunning feast for the eyes that even on replaying certain levels I noticed aspects I failed to see the first time. How Yarny is animated also reflects the environment of the level and you can feel what emotions Yarny is feeling just by letting the controller go and watch.
In a note from the developers right at the start of the game on your first time playing, they explain that the game is about reconnecting. This theme plays out strongly as through Yarny, the player recovers those memories the elderly woman holds most precious. The journey through them is a powerful one, and though no narration or dialogue is used, as Yarny I felt the emotions of why that memory would be held as meaningful by the elderly woman. That level of immersion came as a surprise to me, and it was a welcome one.
What the developer Coldwood has managed to achieve with Unravel is really remarkable and the rollercoaster of emotions I felt during my first playthrough left me in a very different state of being than when I first pressed start. Unravel is an accomplished and challanging puzzle platformer that has a unique gameplay style that is satisfying and rewarding. The main character of Yarny whilst small and cute in stature has a big heart and warm soul that grabs you and brings you along for a very intimate and personal experience.
For only £14.99 Unravel is just incredible value for money but as a gaming experience it offers tremendous story telling that many blockbuster releases fail to deliver. It may only be mid February but this is one title that for me has already set the benchmark for 2016 Game of the Year. Have played the game through twice at the time of penning this review and each time I reached the end of the story I was moved by every theme and message the developers put in the game.
I found myself taking that message to heart and that is why sharing in Yarny’s adventure is a must play experience.
