Unravel is a sidescrolling puzzle platform game by an indie developer and published by EA. In the game, you control Yarny, a being made of red thread. Yarny has a very inventive and cute design. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't like the design at all. Yarny has a few abilities, the obvious one being that he is able to jump. His main ability spins from the material he is made off. Yarny can use his yarn to tie onto things and swing from certain points or create bridges to allow him to pull objects across gaps.
During levels, Yarny will unravel as he advances and must collect more yarn in order to go further, these points act as checkpoints. Therefore, you cannot skip a puzzle even though it might look like you can as Yarny will run out of thread and cannot go any further. Unravel has a beautiful presentation, taking place on a smaller scale due to Yarny's size. You'll go through parks, beaches, forests, sheds, snow covered environments and other places. The graphics are fantastic and the environments are bright and colorful. Objects in the 2D plane are crisp and clear while anything in the background (the "3D" parts of the objects) are out of focus. This works remarkably well and gives Unravel a unique look.
The story is minimal but with enough to know what's going on. The game aims for an emotional story, with the serene music at the start setting the tone. We see an old woman looking out the window and throughout your adventure, you'll see memories of other characters. There is an environmental undertone to the story, as Yarny will end up traveling through contaminated and polluted environments. It's made worse when you realize that those toxic green puzzles are actually acid that will instantly kill Yarny.
There are a total of 12 levels, and each level has 5 hidden collectibles. Yarny's aim is to collect red yarn badges at the end of each level, which he adds to a photo book signifying the memories gained. Some of the collectibles are tough to find since they are hidden so well. Even when you know what you need to do to get them, it may require some tricky jumps requiring you to build up just enough momentum to make the massive jump.
Despite the peaceful atmosphere, Yarny can die, sometimes in counter intuitive ways such as drowning in deep water or falling from great height (considering Yarny is made of thread, you wouldn't have thought that to be fatal). On the whole, the game is quite easy. The puzzles never get too hard, although there are some annoyingly finicky ones. The physics of how Yarny moves and the interactions of his threats is what make the game so fun and enjoyable. However, there is a Trophy for completing all levels without dying, and that is where the difficulty comes in if you want to earn the Trophy.
Each level takes 10 to 20 minutes to complete so the game isn't that long. However, it is the perfect length as the game mechanics and puzzles never get old, despite not introducing any new abilities after the first level. Tying two points together to make a yarn bridge that Yarny can use to jump over obstacles never ceases to make a smile on your face. There are even some thrilling sections where Yarny gets chased or he is being targeted. You never realize how dangerous it would be for something that is Yarny's size, where even birds can sweep you away.
Overall, Unravel is an extremely fun piece of platforming game. It never gets too hard, the puzzles won't cause you to spend hours trying to figure out without a guide, meaning you're able to keep plodding along, enjoying the amazing scenery, the surreal music and the charm of Yarny himself.
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