Tearaway Unfolded is one of the newest additions to the exclusive line up of PS4 games and also one of the few games on the system targeted primarily at young children. Tearaway Unfolded is a game based on a previously released PS Vita game called, Tearaway and is a retelling of the story from that game, but this new one is only on the PS4. The game comes to us from the same developers who brought us LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule.
Tearaway Unfolded Trailer
Tearaway Unfolded Review
Tearaway Unfolded is a really nice game, it’s got a very unique and interesting art style, nice music and really nice in game characters that you encounter as you explore the world of the game. Everything in the game is super nice and friendly and is just perfect for very young kids to play as there isn’t anything inappropriate or violent at all in the game.
However for people who are a bit older than say 5 or 6 the game is a bit too nice and friendly to enjoy to a certain extent. When reviewing this game I thought I would imagine my child self playing through this and exploring the world, however I still got a bit bored with it. The game is so friendly and “nice” that it’s like reading a children’s book meant for a 5 or 6 year old kid when you are already 10 years old. It’s a good game, but I think may kids will out grow this title fairly quickly.
That being said, I absolutely adore the art in this game and really liked looking at all the nice characters and scenery which was entirely made out of paper. It’s a very creative game and like LittleBigPlanet, the player is able to create things as they go and use their creations in the games world. For example at one of the early points in the game you are asked to draw a butterfly wing using the touch pad on your controller. I was quite impressed with the responsiveness and how easy it was to draw using the touchpad and it’s impressive that what I drew appeared in the game. It’s something that a lot of kids will really enjoy playing with.
The music in the game is well done, with all themes being very up beat and happy as you play through the game. There’s enough variety that things don’t feel repetitive which is great. The musical themes and sound effects all fit in quite well with the “nice” tone that the developers have chosen for Tearaway Unfolded and everything comes together very well in the end.
In terms of gameplay, you’ll find yourself running around all over the place in the games world as well as jumping quite a lot too as you pass through stages in the game. You’ll also get to ride a pig at one point. The Dual Shock 4 controller is central to much of the gameplay with the touch pad being used to draw certain things in the game, but also as a light you can shine in the games world, which you control by moving the controller around. It’s all quite fun and the kids will likely enjoy the motion control components.
The gameplay is not perfect though and I did notice at a few points in the game during the more busy scenes that the frame rate seemed to drop fairly often which will probably bother quite a few people who do notice and look for these things. But for most gamers out there, they’ll likely not notice this issue at all.
The storytelling in Tearaway Unfolded is a bit of a mixed experience. Much of the story is told to us by a narrator with a fairly annoying voice who seems to talk at the player by telling you what to do, which is a bit annoying to be honest. Secondly, many of the in game NPC’s don’t talk at all, instead muttering noises to the player resulting in having to read what they say through subtitles, considering the game is for young kids, it maybe would be better if the in game characters had voices to listen to rather than having to read everything as you go, especially since I do believe the audience for this game is very young in age.
Overall the game is a really “nice” game that is really for very young kids to play and maybe isn’t what adults will enjoy as much. If I knew someone who was around 5-6 years of age I would get them this game as a gift and they’ll probably really enjoy the motion controls component of it, especially drawing and shining the light in the game world. The art style is quite nice and the paper world is very creative and unique, however, the narration isn’t the best you’ll ever hear and the story while okay, isn’t that engaging. But overall Tearaway Unfolded isn’t such a bad choice if you’re looking for a nice game to get someone young that you know.
