Unravel – A beautiful, little red ball of wool

Unravel is a little wonder, an underrated gem that could be the child of Limbo and LittleBigPlanet. It is the more surprising when you consider that it comes from an unsuspecting Swedish developer, Coldwood Interactive, used to delivering mediocre to average games that no one really cared much about. Unravel, however, was their passion project, their most ambitious game, and it clearly shows.

Unravel is a marvelous work, a stunning creation, and both your eyes and ears will thank you for playing it. Once again, the boundaries between videogames and art are torn to pieces, as Unravel shows that you can convey such a myriad of feelings through a character that doesn’t speak a single word during the entire game.

Yarny is the name of that character and this little devil made out of wool is the string that connects a family through the different stages he is going to traverse. How such a plain and simple creation is able to show such a range of emotions can only be the work of extremely talented developers, as Yarny goes from naive to anxious, frightened, jubilant, shudders when caught under a huge thunderstorm, and uses all of his remaining strength to carve a path in the middle of a devastating snowstorm. Yarny is a lovable character and definitely unique, being way more than just a new face, or a plain gimmick.

The idea behind this charming platformer is to appreciate the bond between family and friends, but also to stop and enjoy the smaller things, those that we often take for granted – for example, the beautiful colors from the leaves and even a gorgeous snowy scenery. The stages that Yarny is going to explore are based on the amazing Swedish countryside, and this will be something you probably won’t forget anytime soon.

Why? Because Unravel has some of the most beautiful and realistic nature visuals that you’ll ever seen in a platformer. Heck, I would go as far as saying in any game altogether.

Yarny is a tiny character barely the size of a guinea pig (you’ll get the chance to compare, don’t worry) and you will see the world through his small, inexperienced eyes. This makes some of the set pieces even more impressive, as you’ll be surprised or even scared by things that you’re used to see and dismiss in real life. For example, birds, crabs, fish, even a moose will look like a gigantic creature in this game, Shadow of the Colossus style. A car will probably give you the scare of your life, but I don’t want to spoil it anymore than I already have. Each level is wonderfully crafted and there is always something interesting, often surprising to look forward to – I can say that at times I was as stunned as Yarny himself to what was happening right in front of my eyes. Unravel truly is a visually stunning adventure.

Starting in a beautiful sunny day, Unravel will take you through different sights, different seasons, changing from spring with its clear skies and butterflies to a lovely autumn, filled with leaves, and onto the colder and decidedly more frightening winter, with ravaging storms and lovely snowy, sparkling landscapes. As the seasons change, so does the mood of the game, going from peaceful and relaxed to a more gloomy, darker tone that is destined to communicate the story of the old lady from the intro. It is, in my opinion, a story about the life cycle and all the challenges that we must withstand, and then it begins all over again – through your children, your grandchildren. The story isn’t fed to you, so you need to “weave” it all together and make sense of it, perhaps even relating to some of the hardships and the good times described in the photo album. The overall message is wonderful and it’s nice to see that Coldwood went through the trouble to create such a backstory for what is a solid platformer to begin with.

What makes Unravel a different kind of platformer is Yarny’s ability to “unravel” himself, up to a point where he is out of wool, just a bare wire frame and won’t be able to go any further. That is why he’ll have to pick up the extra wool that is spread across the stages. To fling a lasso of wool and grapple onto clearly highlighted points is the way that Yarny has to progress through the levels and solve most puzzles. He can pull a Tarzan regularly, but also tie some knots to form a bridge and push some vital objects across it. He can also create some bridges to act as a makeshift trampoline and soar into the air to previously unreachable heights. As it turns out, Yarny is wonderful at rappelling, but he absolutely hates water, so try to avoid it as the little fellow will drown in a heartbeat.

Most of the puzzles are physics-based, involving some wool pulling or pushing, and while there actually isn’t any sight of a proper difficulty curve, you’ll soon get the hang of the mechanics. While Unravel isn’t terribly challenging, there are a few headscratchers waiting for you, and later on you will have to make sure your timing is up to scratch in the factory sections. Five or six hours should be enough to complete this adventure, a length that is fair considering that it offers plenty of variety, both in terms of visuals as it offers in puzzles. I was never bored, quite on the contrary, I was mostly stunned by the beauty of the locations and intrigued by some of the challenges – there’s this one involving a car and a motor engine that wasn’t any obvious at first, among others.

Unravel is a wonderful tale and a game that I deeply regret not having experienced at the time of its release. It clearly is a passion project and that passion is visible in every inch of wool, every little detail in the background of the dazzling stages that you’re going to discover. It also features a lovely story that isn’t spoon-fed to you, and a character that is as lovely as it is unique. It warms my heart to know that Electronic Arts greenlit a sequel to Unravel, and this time I won’t make the same mistake – I’ll be one of the first players to give Yarny a good-wool fashioned handshake.

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