Unravel

A cool little platformer with puzzle elements

Unravel is a cool little platformer with interesting puzzle elements and mechanics. You play Yarny, a character made of yarn that unravels as you progress through each level. The character can unravel to a point that it can no longer move forward. However there are points in each level that will replenish the yarn letting you move forward. This is where is gets interesting as sometimes you do not have enough yarn if you anchor (by trying knots) at certain points in the level. So you have to backtrack and figure out how to move forward.

The game has fifty five collectables made of yarn (I am beginning to see a pattern here), which come out to about five per level. Finding them are fairly easy with a few being well hidden or placed in rather strategic locations in some levels. It can be a little challenging getting these as well as completing each level without dying. Challenging in this sense that it is a fun exercise and not a pull the yarn out of your head impossibility. The level designs and progression mechanics work real nice in conjunction with the diverse environments. The levels and graphics look beautiful as your character makes its way through the world.

Keeping track of the collectibles and not dying is also real easy. You only need to look at the picture frame that is tied to each level. The music is another well executed element in the fabric of this game, although at times it can be somber. There is no real story in this game. You sort of collect and experience memories as you run through the levels. So there is no cohesive story. These memories feel more like fragment or it’s more likely something that has been lost in translation from the Swedish developers. This is in no way a negative, as the story doesn’t take away from the rest of the game which is a good deal of fun.