Release Date: 09/02/2016
Played On: PS4
Available On: PS4 / Win / XBO
Time Played: 4h 45m
Progress: Completed.
Developer: Coldwood Interactive
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Sometimes a game comes along that defies all expectations, but not in the way that will blow your mind. Instead it's the circumstances surrounding a game's existence that brings hope and potential to an otherwise ordinary experience.
I remember hearing about Unravel during that time when all the big publishers were scrambling to gain a little street-credit by supporting smaller games. Ubisoft did the same with their independent initiatives, and all the latest consoles have been scrambling to host more indies than the competition.
It's great for little developers, who often have the freedom to create something unique and interesting, but are cursed with relative obscurity. When massive corporations like EA and Ubisoft trying to appear a little less heartless, we suddenly saw a bunch of money thrown at these little games. I suppose the thinking was that if a company like EA (that was voted the worst company in the world) can show some grass roots support for games that don't traditionally make much money, they might seem a little human.
Time has told the cold story though, as most of the enthusiasm from these big companies has died down in the years since the hype. In fact, there have been studios closed by the big boys because they eventually changed their minds. Apparently the big corporations actually prefer to make money over respect, which is met with an immense lack of surprise from anyone playing along.
Thankfully though, we did see a few little gems get released within that eager window of indie endorsement. It's even the case that there appears to be more small indie games available on current consoles than on the previous generation. Whether this is because of focused initiatives or simply the benefit of more streamlined digital distribution is anyone's guess.
At the end of the day though, more games on more platforms is better for everyone, so there's probably a silver lining after all. I mean, it's the whole reason I browse digital stores regularly and pick up a heap of small games that are cheap to access and potentially interesting.
Unravel is one such titles that I found on the PSN store and figured it was worth a try. Even though it holds the ominous descriptors of "puzzle" and "platformer"; the combination of which is like my own personal kryptonite.
The mechanics are pretty standard, as you're tasked with platforming your way through a two-dimensional landscape. Aside from running and jumping, the gimmick in Unravel is that you're playing a small creature made of wool (or 'yarn' as the Americans call it). While traversing each level, your wool unravels (get it) and both limits and expands your movement along the way.
In fact, one of my favourite things about Unravel is how the checkpoint system is handled, as you only have enough wool to make it from one to the next. Upon reaching a checkpoint, you pick up another skein and can go on your way. I don't know why it stood out as a cool idea to me, but as I was playing it always felt good to reach those checkpoints and load up on more threads. Other times I would immediately know that I had taken the wrong path, as I didn't have enough wool to make it all the way to the next checkpoint. Sure it's a pretty basic gating system, but it really makes sense within the context of the game and its mechanics.
Being a little ball of wool doesn't only limit you from wandering too far off the track, but it also means you can find interesting ways to climb and puzzle your way through the game. Certain points can be grappled to with a good throw of thread, allowing you to climb heights or rappel down sharp edges.
In other spots, you can tie some thread between two points to create a bridge to either move objects across, or use as a trampoline and leap to out of reach areas. The levels are constructed in such a way that it often feels like there are multiple paths through each obstacle and location, which makes the world feel much larger than it probably is. Throw in a bit of back-tracking, and you have a bit of distance to travel from start to finish.
It's not all yarn and thread driven gameplay though, as Unravel manages to maintain a solid foundation of physics based puzzles and platforming. There's water that needs to flow from one area to another, boxes to push and pull, and a whole variety of systems we've now grown used to in physics engines.
Unfortunately the pixel-to-pixel platforming is far from tight enough to prevent some of these physics puzzles to be anything other than frustrating. One in particular has you balancing on a floating platform as you raise and lower the water level to avoid obstructions. It's a nice idea and one of many potentially enjoyable puzzles, but I quickly lost interest as the game lagged behind my inputs and repeatedly missed jumps.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a platforming savant, and I take full responsibility for my mistakes, but I rarely enjoy fighting the game controls instead of game design. In fact, Unravel feels like there was a bit of a misunderstanding between those that designed the game, and those that designed its systems.
The vast majority of Unravel is spent in a somewhat slow and pondering atmosphere, far from white knuckle speed gaming with millisecond input demands. More often than not, Unravel lets you stop and have a look around, soaking in its aesthetic and pondering its light narrative. In these moments, the controls work well and there's no need for super fine tuned responses and visual feedback. Except that every now and then the game throws a sequence at you that requires some precise timing and button presses, which is where it all falls apart. Suddenly the controls feel sluggish and the action on screen lags behind your inputs.
Nothing about this surprises me all that much, as it's essentially the reason why I tend to avoid platformers in general. I can't stand the frustration that comes from feeling like you're in an argument with a game to simply get it to function, so often it's best to just steer clear. However, despite Unravel failing to stand out mechanically in a line-up, it certainly sells itself visually.
The art is an odd mix between photographs and realistic rendering. It has that sheen of something that is getting so close to realism that I think of it as "hyper-real". At times it looks as fake and constructed as ever, simply because it succeeds so well in its goal of visual clarity.
What's more, the little ball of wool you control is a pleasure to look at as they jump and swing through every up and down. The animations are smooth and polished, placing this strange little character well within the world around them. There's a definite sense of continuity through each environment passed, while keeping it interesting and changing the palette often enough that you I never got bored of what I was looking at.
So even though Unravel has its share of problems and won't make it into the small and exclusive club of platformers I really get hypes about, there's value to be found. Obviously a game can win me over with its visual style, just as this one has. Even when I was about to throw my controller at the screen because the little woollen bugger wouldn't do what I wanted it to do, the game still looked fantastic.
Thus, Unravel finds its way into the category of: worth it for the art, but not a lot else. Fortunately it's not all that long, so I really think it's worth a playthrough for its presentation of gorgeous visuals, a light and entertaining soundtrack, and a calm pensive tone. Just don't get hyped for awesome puzzle platforming mechanics, as they're basically non-existent.