Tearaway: Unfolded

released on Sep 09, 2015

A remake of Tearaway

Journey through a vibrant, living papery world, with a plucky messenger who has a unique message to deliver - to you! Choose to guide either atoi or iota on this adventure, each a bold courier with an expressive personality and a unique message for you locked away inside their envelope head. In order to read it though, they're going to need your help to deliver it!


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unfortunately does not come close to the greatness of its predecessor

A game with 10/10 aesthetics and presentation. Absolutely adored the art style, music, and craft. Unfortunately can't say the same for the entire gameplay expierence as its (ahem) paper thin and too long with not enough ideas for the kind of game it is. If its length was cut in half this would have been a significantly more impactful gem of some of Media Molecules strongest flourishes in creativity that are vividly brought to life on its center stage. A shame Mm spent all this time after the fact on Dreams and never took a swing like this again.

(I hear the Vita version is better but not sure by how much)

Between this and LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule are the masters of making games I play for 20 minutes, go “wow this is charming”, and then put down and never play again.

Kind of a crushing playthrough I’m not going to lie. The art style is definitely very adorable and heartwarming. Some really creative uses for the controller and clever implementation of fourth wall-breaking. Unfortunately though, all of the glitz and glamor wears off very quickly, revealing a mundane, padded out, mediocre game that, to be frank, overstays its welcome.

The art direction is genuinely great. The world feels adorably handmade and it’s really cute that they make you draw certain elements of the world. Making each player’s playthrough visually distinct. I love that that creativity also goes for the characters too, you can make them look however you want them to look.

I really like that as the player you’re guiding the messenger throughout the story and the game establishes that you are not the same entity. You, the player, and the messenger are working together through this journey to reach the end. I like the detail of having the messenger grow to trust you in the beginning of the game leading into the two of you relying on each other by the end.

I feel like there’s a gem buried in here for sure if all of the padding is removed. The game definitely feels longer than it’s supposed to be and it doesn’t help when there are long repetitive sections that don’t really have much going on. The platforming is basic, the pacing is not the best, and it doesn’t help that the back half of the game takes place in bland areas with nothing atmospherically interesting going on for long stretches of time. I feel sorry to say it but I really was having a miserable time in the last 1/3 of the game. I thought it might be just me but through looking at the trophy list, I saw that only 7.4% of players actually finished the game in the 9 years it’s been out. That should tell you everything you need to know.

I will say though that, thankfully, the game wraps up in a very heartfelt and adorable way that ultimately made me not regret going through the journey. I can’t help but think if the Vita version would’ve been infinitely better as it would feel like a much more intimate experience, which is clearly what they were going for. But, alas, Tearaway Unfolded ends up being an alright time I guess.

Pros: Extremely charming and creative. Visually beautiful, and makes excellent use of the PS4 controller both for game mechanics and as a story element. Drawing things that then show up in the world like butterfly wings and snowflakes gives you a surprisingly potent sense of personal investment, like you've put something of yourself in the game. Phenomenal ending.

Cons: Beneath the impeccable style and charm is a fairly mediocre 3D platformer in terms of level design and mechanics. Definitely has some good mechanical ideas, but the game's style is really carrying the experience overall.
Controls are slightly less precise than they should be, they aren't a problem 97% of the time, but a 3% problem rate is more than this type of game should have.
Game is a bit too long, feels like it overstays its welcome a bit. Eventually, even the delightful style becomes normal and you're left with just the platforming. I think the game would benefit a lot if it was 20 or 30% shorter.