Unravel (video game)

Unravel
Developer(s) Coldwood Interactive[1]
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Director(s) Martin Sahlin
Engine PhyreEngine
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Release date(s)
  • WW 9 February 2016[2]
Genre(s) Puzzle-platformer
Mode(s) Single-player

Unravel is a physics-based puzzle platform video game developed by Coldwood Interactive and published by Electronic Arts. It was announced on 15 June 2015 at EA's E3 2015 conference. The game stars Yarny, a small anthropomorphic creature made of yarn.

Gameplay

The game centers around its protagonist, Yarny, a small, apple-sized creature made of red yarn. Yarny explores the world around him that makes small everyday things look large due to his small size. By using the yarn his body is made of, Yarny creates rope to form bridges, pull things, swing from items. His yarn is the main medium used to solve complex puzzles.[3][4] As Yarny moves, the twine which he is made of unravels, creating lines that the player must use to solve puzzles to progress through the game. It also serves as an extra challenge, because if he walks too far, he will unravel into a basic frame. This frame can be refilled by interacting with balls of red yarn in the game.[5] On this mechanic, Sahlin has stated, "It's always fun to play with physics. It's not just about solving puzzles. It's also a big part of how you move. Sometimes it's just traversing, navigating. Since you always leave this trail behind you, you can always grab it and climb on it and swing on it. You can do these really cool things when you combine stuff."[5]

Story

During the game's introduction, an old woman is seen looking out her window, before she adjusts a picture of a baby and picking up a ball of yarn.[6] As she proceeds upstairs, a lone ball of yarn rolls out of shot.[6] Yarny, an anthropomorphic creature made of red yarn, and the game's protagonist, then walks into shot, and is visibly staring around in wonder of his environment.[6] According to Sahlin, the yarn that makes up Yarny represents love, and that the character unravels as they travel away from what they love.[4][7]

Development

Although developer Coldwood's previous works received unfavorable critical reception, Unravel reportedly showed enough promise for EA's DICE to arrange a publishing deal with EA.[5] Subsequently, Unravel was announced at EA's E3 2015 conference by the game's developer and creative director, Martin Sahlin.[6][8] During the game's presentation, Sahlin was noted to have "reacted to his on-stage appearance like most of us would: with shaking hands and a warbling voice."[9] Sahlin's nervous and excited presentation of Unravel was met with a positive reception from the conference's audience.[10] Following the announcement, Sahlin became the focus of well-circulated appreciative posts and fan art on social media website such as Twitter and Tumblr.[9][11]

The game itself, especially its aesthetic, was also well received after its announcement;[12] VG247 claimed Unravel was, "the most visually-impressive game EA showed".[13] Initial reactions to the game also drew comparisons to Limbo and Sony's LittleBigPlanet series.[8][12][14]

The game has been announced to be in development for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[3][1] On 14 December 2015, EA announced that the game is set to launch worldwide on 9 February 2016.[2][15]

The game's backgrounds and puzzles are inspired by the landscape of Umeå, Sweden; Sahlin drew inspiration for the game after creating a Yarny doll out of tire wire and yarn during a family camping trip in northern Sweden.[16][17] Sahlin has elaborated, "We live in the sticks. It's a very small town, very far north, close to the Arctic circle. There's not a lot of people, but a whole lot of countryside. I wanted to share some of that, some of the places that I love. I think you don't really see enough of that in video games. You tend to see more fantastical stuff."[5]

In addition to its design, the game runs on Sony's PhyreEngine.[18]

On 21 January 2016, EA abandoned the "Unravel" trademark after their application was rejected by the United States Patent Office.[19] Despite this, the company confirmed that the game would retain the "Unravel" title.[20]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(PS4) 81.71%[21]
(XONE) 76.93%[22]
Metacritic(PS4) 80/100[23]
(XONE) 76/100[24]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid10/10[25]
EGM8.5/10[26]
Game Informer7.75/10[27]
Game Revolution[28]
GameSpot7/10[29]
GamesRadar[30]
IGN8.3/10[31]
Polygon6/10[32]
VideoGamer.com7/10[33]

Unravel received positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 4 version 81.71% based on 26 reviews and 80/100 based on 45 reviews[21][23] and the Xbox One version 76.93% based on 14 reviews and 76/100 based on 17 reviews.[22][24]

References

  1. 1 2 Dyer, Mitch (15 June 2015). "E3 2015: Unravel Is a Cute, Yarn-Themed Platformer From EA". IGN. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 Makuch, Eddie (14 December 2015). "EA's New Xbox One/PS4/PC Indie Game Unravel Gets Release Date, New Trailer". GameSpot. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 Conditt, Jessica (15 June 2015). "'Unravel' is the adorable new game from a small Swedish studio". Engadget. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 Corriea, Alexa Ray (15 June 2015). "Unravel Is E3 2015's Most Adorable Game". GameSpot. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Campbell, Colin (15 June 2015). "Unravel strings players along in a pretty 2D world of stone and water". Polygon. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Karmali, Luke (17 June 2015). "E3 2015: Unravel and Yarny Have Stolen My Heart". IGN. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (15 June 2015). "EA reveals adorable new IP with puzzle platform Unravel". Eurogamer. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  8. 1 2 Plante, Chris (15 June 2015). "Here's the first look at Unravel, EA's new puzzle-platformer about an anthropomorphic ball of yarn". The Verge. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  9. 1 2 Romano, Aja (17 June 2015). "How 'Yarn Guy' instantly won over the Internet at E3". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  10. ↑ Smith, Nicole (16 June 2015). "Martin Sahlin’s "Unravel", or E3 2015’s Most Adorable Game". Emertainment Monthly. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  11. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (18 June 2015). "Forget Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo — Yarny won E3". Polygon. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  12. 1 2 Plant, Mike (19 June 2015). "E3 2015 in a nutshell: Hurry up Hoth, and plenty to Unravel". The Register. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  13. ↑ Saed, Sherif (18 June 2015). "Unravel’s gameplay looks just as incredible as its reveal trailer". VG247. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  14. ↑ Figueira, Matthew (15 June 2015). "Check out Unravel – a new IP showcased at EA’s E3 conference". Lazygamer. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  15. ↑ Livingston, Christopher (15 June 2015). "Yarn-based lifeform solves puzzles using his own string in Unravel". PC Gamer. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  16. ↑ Mitre, Dan (15 June 2015). "Introducing Unravel, Coming to PS4". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  17. ↑ Moore, Bo (15 June 2015). "Bit of Yarn and Wire Inspire a Delightful Puzzle Game". Wired. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "E3 2015 - Exkluzív interjú az Unravel kreatív rendezőjével" (in Hungarian). GameStar. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  19. ↑ Chalk, Andy (21 January 2016). "EA abandons Unravel trademark application after USPTO rejects it". PC Gamer. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  20. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (21 January 2016). "EA's Adorable Indie Game Unravel Isn't Changing Names". GameSpot. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  21. 1 2 "Unravel for PlayStation 4". GameRankings. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Unravel for Xbox One". GameRankings. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  23. 1 2 "Unravel for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  24. 1 2 "Unravel for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  25. ↑ Cooke, Caitlin (8 February 2016). "Review: Unravel". Destructoid. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  26. ↑ Campbell, Spencer (8 February 2016). "Unravel review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  27. ↑ Marchiafava, Jeff (8 February 2016). "A Poignant Journey With An Endearing, Undersized Hero - Unravel - PlayStation 4". Game Informer. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  28. ↑ Paras, Peter (9 February 2016). "Unravel Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  29. ↑ Crossley, Rob (8 February 2016). "Unravel Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  30. ↑ Blain, Louise (8 February 2016). "Unravel review". GamesRadar. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  31. ↑ Krupa, Daniel (8 February 2016). "Unravel Review". IGN. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  32. ↑ Gies, Arthur (8 February 2016). "Unravel review". Polygon. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  33. ↑ Orry, Tom (4 February 2016). "Unravel Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 4 February 2016.

External links

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