Here’s a lovely thing weave got for you on this fine day. Released in 2016 on PC (no, this one isn’t on Steam, for some reason), PS4, and Xbox One, we have the charming Unravel. It’s a woolly indie 2D platformer adventure and, gee whizz, it’ll make you feel all giddy inside with its mix of beautiful graphics, unique puzzles, and evocative soundtrack. Let’s do this!
Unravel
You star as Yarny. He’s a yarn type individual with anthropomorphic qualities. He’s the creation of Swedish indie developer Coldwood Interactive. It was snapped up EA (a notorious publisher famous for its bloodthirsty approach to earning masses of cash… at least it does some good things) to finalise the project and have it released.
So, yes, you star as Yarny and he has this bit of thread that, as the player, you can manipulate to get around your environment. This is the puzzle solving element to the game, with the plot demanding this need – it’s a sweet tale of Yarny helping to re-connect the memories of a long last family. Naaaaawww.
The plot is an excuse to let creativity rip. Scandinavia inspired many of the environments seen in Unravel, so there’s a lot to gawp at. But the intricacies and cleverness of some of the puzzles will also make one coo like a dove. The game is an example of everyone’s hard work coming together to create a slice of loveliness – that’s all we can say.
Sure, it’s not perfect. It’s not the longest game ever, it’s a tad pricey (£17), and the controls aren’t always on it. The concept isn’t as unique as it thinks it is, too, as the likes of Nintendo’s Yoshi’s Woolly World trumped EA to the idea first – but it doesn’t matter. This is a calming, endearing, and fantabulous piece of gaming. If it looks like your thing, most definitely go for it.
Unravel 2
Yes! There’s a sequel on the way, which was unveiled at E3 (that’s a big gaming conference in America, if you didn’t know) this year. It provides a good opportunity to iron out some of the creases in the first outing – there’s no denying it looks absolutely stunning, but we’re sure the gameplay will receive some added oomph as well. Watch this space, yeah?
