Unravel Reviews
Unravel took me on a surprisingly thoughtful and reflective journey, which encouraged me to appreciate the small and the insignificant with every step. As a puzzler it has charm due to Yarny's engaging skills, but as a platforming experience it's less remarkable. But to judge it solely on these mechanical aspects would be to overlook its greater achievement: the way it provokes subtle and complex emotions through the use of nature and nostalgia. It all makes for a sincere, warm-hearted, and extremely likeable adventure.
Stunningly rendered close-ups of nature make Unravel's somber fable and irritating death traps just worth surviving.
Coldwood Interactive's plushy puzzler may warm the heart, but it rings hollow once the novelty of the yarn mechanics has faded.
An astoundingly beautiful puzzle platformer, that's a little too frustrating in practice but far from the twee family game some may mistake it for.
Unravel's appeal goes far beyond pretty levels. Beautiful, poignant and with an iron grip on your heart, Yarny manages to effortlessly deliver a wonderful platformer and a bittersweet message.
While the puzzles get repetitive, the ever-changing environments and heartfelt narrative see you through to the end of the journey
Unravel's wonderful sights and sounds won't escape your own memory so soon. But assessed purely on gameplay, it's everything I tend to fear about indie projects; Beautiful, heartfelt, but like Yarny himself, not robust enough.
Frustration tangles up Unravel's better ideas
For all its various shortcomings it remains memorable. A loving, personal game.
Unravel is a solid (if flawed) puzzle platformer wrapped up in beautiful visuals and emotional moments. It's like a Christmas sweater. It's not perfect, but you're compelled to love it just the same.
Unravel cherishes the best moments in life while recognizing the hard battles we sometimes face as families, all wrapped up within delightful gameplay and stunning scenery. The atmosphere is so compelling that I couldn't help but feel like a piece of my own story was wrapped up in the game with the rest of the photo album. It's rare but a special thing when a game manages to impart a story that touches strings deep in the heart, and Unravel manages to meet and exceed this feat. Get ready to have all the feels.
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.
In many ways, Unravel comes as a surprise. For one, EA isn't exactly your go-to publisher when it comes to smaller, riskier projects such as this. Then there's the developer, ColdWood Interactive, itself. Based in Umeå, Sweden – which explains a lot about Unravel's artistic influences – the team has worked on titles such as PlayStation Move Fitness and The Fight which, although serviceable, haven't bag them many accolades.
Unravel strengths lie more in its heart-warming story than offering compelling gameplay. Even though there are some thought-provoking puzzles, they're few and far between. There's no doubt Yarny is quite the adorable little mascot who has good intentions, but a video game can't succeed on good intentions alone.
Unravel Two is still an experience worth playing. The introduction of cooperative does not hurt the solo experience and the challenge levels give an idea of how far the seemingly simple mechanics of the Yarnys can go.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Unravel wastes little time and offers a lot of satisfaction. Buy it.
Unravel is a romantic and funny platform game in which emotions and beauty are tied tight with simplicity.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Unravel is an endlessly surprising game in so many ways that it's tough to pinpoint exactly what makes it all work so well. It feels like the game equivalent to your favorite art house movie, where it speaks a message that is both universal, and yet completely personal to you. Even beyond the artistic, the game functions well on a technical level, delivering both great graphics and fantastic music, while also hitting on some great gameplay. Trial and error deaths get in the way, and some puzzles might frustrate, but overall Unravel is a triumphant experience from start to finish.
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.
You'll want to love Unravel even before you've made it beyond the level hub.