Tearaway launched on PS Vita in 2013 has now made its way to PS4 as Tearaway Unfolded, an expansion/remaster. It is without a doubt one of the most wonderful and original games you will play on your PS4 this year! It’s colorful, charming, creative and entertaining for all ages. It uses all the features your PS4 was built for and makes use of PlayStation camera and implements everything the Duel shock 4 can do.
You play as a messenger called Atoi or Lota and are tasked with delivering a message to you, the player, but to do that you must first go on an epic journey where there is danger, wonder and squirrels! It’s without a doubt one of the most heart-warming games I’ve played, the aesthetics, the music, the world and its characters are just fantastic. It’s the most Nintendo like game on a PlayStation platform.
Everything in Tearaway is made from paper, and I mean everything, and you can basically remake what you see in this game in real life, there are even instructions you can unlock to create your personal paper craft models. You can also create things in tearaways world too, such as customizing your very own battle pig, the world inhabitants and that’s just the start. You can then go on to create your own clouds, snowflakes, butterflies and more. Seeing your very own creations come to life in a video game is utterly brilliant. This can be accomplished by using the d-pad and a cutting tool or using the PlayStation app as a second screen; where you can send pictures to edit in your game. You can get extremely creative here creating your own personal experience shaping the game’s world around you.
There are several new features in Tearaway unfolded that weren’t in the Vita version, not to mention lots of brand-new content. The PlayStation camera acts as a portal to your world, essentially putting your face in the game. You can use your Duelshock4 to shine light illuminating the darkness, use the touch pad as a drum or send a breeze to blow down obstacles, you can even throw characters into your controller (such as squirrels of gophers) and hear them rattle around, purr as you stroke them, or in some cases, they will sing! You can then fire them back out destroying an obstacle or enemy. Enemies come in the form as nasty little scraps that are hell-bent on destroying the world and stopping your quest, but they can be defeated in many ways such as rolling into them, throwing squirrels at them or hypnotizing them with your light and then throwing them down a pit!
Tearaway is also a brilliant platformer; in fact, it’s easily the best platformer on PlayStation 4 at the moment. As you progress, you unlock and learn numerous abilities to help you tackle various situations, sometimes you will need to roll, jump or glide to victory and some of these moments are simply spectacular. Such moments are also accompanied by a brilliant musical score that adds to the zany world of Tearaway.
There are a few downsides to Tearaway which has more to do with the Pre-Order incentives which aren’t available to players who didn’t pre-order and there’s no telling when these will become ready for use and whether they’ll be free at a later date. Both GAME and PlayStation had different incentives, which included extra costumes and other additions to play around within the game, so no matter what version you buy you’ll be missing out on some of the content. I just wish such content would be made available for everyone on day one.
You can also take pictures in the world of Tearaway for various purposes, including giving color to certain aspects of the world around you bringing them back to their former glory, upon doing so you get an unlock for some real-life paper craft. There are lots of collectables to find on your adventure, and you primarily collect confetti which acts as currency; which can be used to buy new paper craft pieces and picture filters. Once you beat the game you can go back to certain chapters to finish side quests you missed during the first-time round, and find the rest of the collectables!
Tearaway Unfolded surpasses its Vita version in every way; it’s bigger and better than its handheld counterpart. There are more tools that let you be even more creative than before, it’s accessible and easy to pick up and play for players of all ages, it’s hard not to enjoy what’s on offer. I just wish some of its content wasn’t cut out for pre-order incentives. Overall Tearaway Unfolded is a unique and enjoyable experience that makes it an essential purchase for PlayStation 4. From start to finish Tearaway is a special experience, right up to its incredible ending.
Pros:
+ Creativity in spades
+ Great Use of Duelshock 4
+ Brilliant ending
Cons:
– Pre order Incentives
– Requires PS camera and companion app for the best experience.
Verdict: 5/5
Tearaway Unfolded is the most Nintendo like game on a PlayStation platform and is an essential purchase for any platformer fan and a lover of all things creative.
Title: Tearaway Unfolded
Developer: Media Molecule
Format: PS4
Genre: Platforming adventure
Resolution: 1080p
Release date: 2015-08-09
Difficulty: Easy
Spent time: 12 hours
Average grade internationally: 82.50% Gamerankings.com
PEGI age rating: 7+
Price: £29.86 Amazon Price check
Sharn Daniels
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @SharnOfTheDEAD
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Tags: Media Molecule, PS4, PS4 review, Tearaway, Tearaway Unfolded, Unfolded