Unravel was first revealed to the public on the E3 2015 stage. It was a strange little gem on the EA show. Among games like Star Wars: Battlefront, tons of Sports games and a new Garden Warfare came Unravel. A cute little platforming/puzzle-solving game featuring an adorable protagonist. Now, the mysterious game finally released for consoles and PC and it’s something we couldn’t prepare ourselves for. Unravel grabs your attention from the first until the last second.
Unravel her memories
The game doesn’t feature a traditional story or structure you might find in other games, but it does manage to touch your heart. You play as the adorable Yarny, a cute little creature made of a single strand of yarn. You wake up in the house of an older lady. Without spoken words, it’s clear that this woman lost a lot of her memories. It’s up to the cute Yarny to relive the memories of the woman and bring back those precious moments.
You can bring back her memories by entering photographs of important or precocious memories. You’ll enter dense forests, colorful beaches, mine facilities, snow-covered hillsides and a lot more. You aren’t entering artificial environments in Unravel, everything looks incredibly real so you’ll connect with it in seconds. Playing as Yarny in those ‘real’ environments makes you feel very small. It makes you feel like you’re just a small piece of a bigger picture. Going on this adventure with Yarny feels very special and the rewards you get from the game are heartwarming.
Unravel the past
The reason why Yarny enters the photographs is to bring back an important item. An item that will make the blurred photos sharp again in the precious album of the old lady. Although it’s never said, it’s a game about dementia, a game where you need to bring back memories that seemed forever lost. Seeing those beautiful photographs becoming sharp again touched me in a way that’s hard to explain on paper. Of course, the story is open for a lot of interpretation but I’m sticking with the dementia story. It’s not a game for children; they won’t understand the deeper layer of the story. If you’re up for an unforgettable journey however, there’s no other game like Unravel.
Bringing back memories isn’t easy
Once you’ve lost a memory, it’s not easy to get it back. Completing levels in Unravel therefore isn’t easy. The most difficult part of the levels is the fact that Yarny is made of a single strand of yarn. Once the yarn runs out, you’re unable to advance your story. You’ll really need to think about the route you’re taking, if you use too much yarn, you’ll never make it until the end. Processing through each level isn’t easy and will require a lot of thinking on the player’ part.
The focus of the platforming and puzzle-solving is, of course, the use of Yarny’s strand of Yarn. Yarny can use its strand to swing across open areas, rappel up or over obstacles, create small bridges to reach higher grounds, grab items and more. But keep in mind that you only have one strand of yarn. If you use too much yarn on bridges or didn’t go with the shortest route, you’ll run out of yarn and need to backtrack to find the better route.
At first, this doesn’t happen that much since the game offers more yarn in crucial places so you can continue your adventure. The more you advance however, the more difficult everything gets and it will happen multiple times later on in the game that you’ll need to go back and find another route.
Smart puzzles
The entire game is filled with smart puzzles that demand a lot of the players. The game never gives visual hints on how to get passed a certain point. Most of the time, it’s easy to figure out what you need to do but that’s not always the case. We got stuck on certain parts of the game only to find out the solution was right in front of us. These free-form puzzles are both the strength and the weakness of the game.
Since it never explains you what to do, you’re able to connect a lot more with Yarny but it can also lead to ‘I will bang my head against the wall’ moments. We do understand why Colwood Interactive went for the silent approach but some extra hints won’t hurt the experience that much if you ask us.
That being said, Unravel manages to stay interesting from start to finish. The puzzles offer the needed challenge and variation without ever becoming boring. The platforming is rather basic but reaches new heights thanks to the single strand mechanism. Unlike other platforming games, you’ll need to think about the shortest route in order to advance. These mechanisms combined with the gorgeous environments transform Unravel from a mediocre platforming game to a true classic.
Yarny will steal your heart
The true power of Unravel is in its presentation. It’s hard not to connect with Yarny and we’re sure a lot of players won’t forget the protagonist for a long time to come. Unravel combines gorgeous settings with a solid soundtrack and impressive visuals. Unravel isn’t just your regular platforming game, it’s a game that’s filled with emotional and unforgettable moments. It’s Yarny’s task to bring back precious memories, but at the same time, he’s certainly creating unforgettable memories for the players at the same time.
Conclusion:
Unravel offers a truly unique and unforgettable experience. It’s a visually stunning adventure filled with creativity. The small Yarny will steal your heart from the first second and won’t let you go until you reach the end. The game is filled with interesting challenges and although it fails at some points, it succeeds way more. If you’re looking for a unique and unforgettable game, be sure to get Unravel but be warned; Yarny will stick with you for a very long time to come.
