Unravel Reviews
Cloying adorability is Unravel's saving grace. Propped up on a crutch constructed from mawkish sentimentality, it gets away with a fair few missteps and manages to claw together a smattering of memorable moments. This pretty shell, however, is undeniably a shell, and no amount of pretty little animations can make up for a total drought of engaging game design.
Two weeks ago I went to a doctor and they told me it might be cancer. Not a thing anyone wants to hear. I came home, told my editor I'd probably take a few days off work, and then launched Unravel. Why? Because I wanted to think about literally nothing at all.
Unravel is an ode to cherished memories, but doesn't create any of its own. It is gorgeous to look at and listen to, but its repetitive, sometimes laborious and frustrating, puzzles undermine the game's relaxed tone without offering much in the way of a challenge.
Despite all of its cutesy posturing and promises, Unravel is still looking to fill some kind of void. And I'm not sure if that void is its shortcomings as a mood board, as a videogame, or a cloying digestible basket of "feels" for EA.
Unravel can deliver some picturesque desktop wallpaper, but when in motion, this 2D platformer becomes a frustrating puzzler that expects you to know more than you've been taught.
Overall I found this to be a fun game to dip in and out of, but because of how challenging it quickly became, I found it wasn't a game that I could sit and play continuously for hours on end. A quicker pace may have helped Unravel to appeal more but potentially at the risk of losing its unique charm and character. Despite this, Unravel is a good game that with a few tweaks could see a much improved sequel come to fruition.
Everything is great except for when it is time to get to the actual "game" portion, and here Unravel sort of, well, unravels.
While the minimalistic and allegorical storyline isn't a traditional one, Yarny's fairytale-ish adventure will surely touch the hearts of most people, and the audio-visuals will leave them breathless, since they aren't fantastic just when compared to the indie gaming world, but fantastic, period. Unfortunately, and although Unravel has a couple of good things going for it, the element of gameplay didn't receive the same love as the rest of the package, as it constantly goes from fun to boring, and from boring to irritating.
Unravel puts all its cards on being cute and charming while having repetitive, lackluster gameplay. If you're looking for a very casual cute game, you might forgive its shortcomings
In the end it feels very much as though EA was interested in adding a game with "heart" to its portfolio, but didn't take the time to stop along the way and ask themselves what that really means. It falls just as flat as Yarny's appeal, and it's a shame. There's the spark of something wonderful here, and hopefully any further excursions with Yarny will reveal a more intimate tale that we can all get behind.
Over the course of my seven hours with the game, it was an enjoyable, simple and easy experience. Unravel doesn't do anything special with its gameplay or narrative, though it does have a magnificent soundtrack and stunning visuals. If you're a person who is a hardcore platforming fan, you will most likely be very underwhelmed with Unravel, but if you're looking for a fun, easy and light experience, then maybe this game is for you.
Unravel is disappointing on several levels, simply because it rarely steps outside the box mechanically to deliver a fun or interesting experience. The narrative is what drives the game, and even some of that feels obtuse at times. I wanted to love Yarny and his adventures, but the game wrapped around it is simply mediocre in design to the point that as brief as the journey was, I simply wasn't having fun pushing through it, which is sad because Yarny appears to have more heart than most bigger-budget games.
Oozing charm and sentimentality, it won't just pull at your heartstrings, it'll tie them up in great big wooly knots, attach them to a boulder and drop them off the edge of a cliff.
The iffy puzzles and tedious backtracking in Unravel sadly cannot be fixed by switching to an easy mode as the game doesn't offer any kind of "just play the story" mode. That's a shame since the world and likability of the lead hero make the kind of adventure I love to get lost in. The price of $19.99 is fair for a campaign that lasts just under seven hours and, if you want to get all the collectibles, can probably go up to ten. I'm not giving up on Unravel, though. I think with better controls, fairer puzzles, and more leniency with the string allotment, Unravel 2: Enter the House Cat could be a real winner.
Frustration tangles up Unravel's better ideas
Unravel tries desperately to create an emotional and impactful indie experience, however it's confusing narrative and irritating puzzles hold it back from greatness.
Like the red fella front and centre, Unravel lacks personality and ultimately feels, well, a bit woolly.
Its puzzles frustrate for the wrong reasons
If you're looking for gameplay that could be called anything better than unobjectionable (or you simply aren't a fan of platforming), you may be better off somewhere else. Yet, even if you fall with the latter, Sahlin and Coldwood Interactive's persona which permeates the title is hard not to support.
Unravel is a stunning and unforgettable game, but its gameplay isn't always as polished as its visuals.