Unravel (2016)
Unravel is a three dimensional side scrolling puzzle solving platformer. The game follows Yarny, A tiny piece of, you guessed it, yarn, on its journey of avoiding ‘monsters’ such as crabs and other animals along its path. We are introduced to Yarny as we see an old woman drop a ball of wool from her basket as she walks up the stairs. We begin our journey as Yarny in a room with sunlight coming in through a window. This area acts as a ‘hub’ we return to at the end of each level. From this area we navigate down the room to find pictures on a shelf which act as levels. Pressing onto one of these levels will transport you to the setting of the level(beach, docks, etc.).
The level design and animations are beautiful. Everything is portrayed so realistically with an added artistic touch to immerse you in this world. The music in the game is extremely pleasing and matches the mood of the level/part of the level the game is trying to put the player in. Each level is packed with moderate to difficult to solve ‘puzzles’ wherein you have to find objects from the surroundings or hidden levers or buttons or use some of Yarny’s ability to sling yarn to progress. All this is to be done mindfully while finding checkpoints to ensure that Yarny doesn’t run out of yarn. Each level contains collectibles that’ll give you trophies if you collect all of.
Sometimes the difficulty of the puzzle was too high for me, not because of the puzzle itself, but because you had to perform a certain task beforehand to complete it. For instance, in one level to use a sea-saw to jump over a certain obstacle, I had to weigh down the sea-saw on one end. For a long time I couldn’t figure out what to use. Turned out that I needed to form a bridge of yarn to carry up a block from a lower platform and then need to place it on another sea-saw and then release another higher placed object onto the other side of it to catapult it onto the required platform. As I mentioned, very complicated. For a couple of levels, I was stuck on a certain part for an hour as I just couldn’t figure out what I had to do to cross it and I was unwilling to take the help of a guide, not wanting to ruin the experience of the game. When I did end up solving the puzzle at hand, I was filled with a level of satisfaction that will probably never be matched in my life. Other than a few areas though, the difficulty level was not so hard that it would annoy you, but it was just hard enough for it to feel rewarding to play and complete.
I, myself, haven’t been that big in the side scrolling platform genre, and so was skeptical about spending time on this game, but it proved me wrong. Right from the get-go the game was immersive. Once I began playing, I didn’t feel like putting the controller down. The story was interesting, the levels were well divided, and each level was set in a distinct setting to its predecessor. The difference in atmosphere in each level is what kept the game interesting by adding a ton of variety. Different setting meant different obstacles, different “enemies” and overall a different vibe altogether, but while maintaining the beautiful graphics that are simply pleasing to the eye.
The game is more than just problem solving, though. While getting through the level, you have to perform various actions, such as slinging yarn, tying it to form a harness or a bridge to get you across a body of water, etc. and the story builds upon the setting of family, love, and memories, which gets more evident towards the end of the game.
In conclusion, according to me unravel is a must play game, especially if you are looking for something different to your average game choice. It adds variety to your normal gaming as it is something less action packed, and more relaxing and pleasing to play- right from the graphics and background to the music.
