Review - Tearawayby Jon Evans
Format reviewed on Vita |
Developers; Media Molecule
Publisher; Sony Computer Entertainment Formats; Vita Release Date; 22/11/13 |
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Tearaway is Media Molecule's latest game on the Vita and has all the hallmarks of Little Big Planet in terms of highly polished cuteness and simple, fun gameplay. It is plain to see that a lot has been learnt since Sackboy and Media Molecule have produced a game that's totally worthy of the handheld device.
You play as Iota (or Atoi if you choose the female character), who is a messenger in a land made entirely of paper. A schism has opened between the world of the player and Iota's, releasing the antagonists of the story, the Scraps. Iota has been tasked to deal with these miscreants, but also to deliver a unique message to ‘The You’. The Player is ‘The You’ and you actually take part in the story, by the means of the Vita's camera, mic and touch inputs as well as the standard controls. As will be detailed, Tearaway feels like the first game to actually make relevant, good use of the various inputs of the Vita, but also to actually make you look forward to using these tools. |
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Aiiiieeeee!!!! It's horrible!
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Your face appears, via the camera, above the world on many occasions, peering out through the corona of the sun, Teletubby style, while you can also physically manipulate objects in the environment via texture-based clues. Objects with the iconic playstation symbols, like the ones found on the Vita rear touchpad, let you push up or thrum against them in the environment to help Iota’s progress in the game with a disconcertingly real finger pushing through from your world. Occasionally you are asked to record your voice into the game too, with eerie effect, which is used well within the environmental sounds of the game and tends to come back to haunt you. Other objects, such as the collectible parcels, are hidden around the world and these have a tactile looking, shiny waxed paper texture; a cue that you can ‘pull’ them apart with your fingers on the touch screen. Bridges, roads and other arching structures follow this theme, allowing you to ‘un-peel’ or squash and drag along folded hinges to make your way through the environment. The variety of mechanics is varied and interesting, and never becomes a chore due to the different ways they are presented to you.
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You will also meet quirky characters on your way, who sometimes look completely white, with all their colouring washed away. Forming part of another collectible system, these are victims of the Scraps, who have stolen their colour and left them whitewashed. Iota has his own camera with a range of lenses and filters, all bought with a monetary system of collectible floating ‘sparkle swirls’, much like Mario Style stars or Sonic Rings. As you buy these items, you can produce instagram style pictures of the world around you, but also bring colour back to these poor blanched victims, unlocking a papercraft model of said character which you can print out from the Tearaway website and build in the real world. Other characters you meet, might demand you build them a new item of clothing or design a hat or badge. You are presented with a desktop with layers of paper and a pencil. Dragging your finger over the paper lets you draw a shape, cut it out, and give to the character. This might seem like a slightly cynical filler activity until you see your item atop the head of the squirrel. I’ve never felt so proud about designing a crown for a squirrel. This system extends to self personalisation of your character, allowing you to cut out and create any type of adornment for Iota. Other characters demand that you paint them with something from your own, real world environment, by taking a photograph. My Tearaway world became populated by Elk with coats made from the terrible design of my lounge upholstery. I loved it.
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But never mind the real world, it is the World of Tearaway that completely astounds. Everything is made of paper. Everything. This could lead to a flat and lifeless place to explore, but the inventiveness bundled into every nook and cranny of Iota’s land is a sheer joy. The Media Molecule team researched every item in the game by making them as real paper models first. This informed them of the limits of what paper and card can do, but also meant that the paper-based world is utterly believable, full of life and remarkable fine detail. I can see why Iota’s camera is such an important part of the game, I couldn’t stop taking pictures.
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Storywise, Tearaway is presented by two god-like figures, who narrate the adventure, but also cryptically hint at what lays ahead for Iota, in the style of soothsayers or mystic will-o-the-wisps. Iota has to deliver his message, which once delivered, makes for a truly remarkable ending. Initially, Iota has limited mobility, for instance he is unable to jump in the first few sections, relying on ‘The You’ to bounce him along by tapping drums under his feet with the rear touchpad. Later he gains more abilities, and even a weapon in the form of an accordion, which can suck and blow away enemies. Iota has to also fight the scraps, bringing in the basic combat and conflict to the narrative. This isn’t a vast challenge, and becomes more of a series of mini games, but doesn't detract too much from the game. This was never the focus of tearaway, which is more about delighting in creation and collecting, but adds some tension to the story and allows Iota to save and help other characters he meets. There are a few varieties of enemies, all based around mutations of the scrap character and how you kill them depends on their form.
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More interesting by far is the platforming. Media Molecule have perfectly balanced challenge and variety so that the player is constantly encountering new ways of moving through the world, without ever getting bored of doing the same thing. Whether you are moving items with your ‘god fingers’, pushing or unfolding boxes, or flaps, unfurling curled pathways, or finding hidden paths up walls and along ceilings covered in sticky PVA glue, there is always something new and exciting to do. It is as if Media Molecule have looked at all the ideas from the community built levels of Little Big Planet and celebrated this breadth and variety in one package. Towards the end of the game as Iota gets closer to his goal, the camera to the real world is used cleverly and adds an element of mystery and intrigue to hint at what the ultimate conclusion could be.
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My only complaint is that I was left wanting more. At between 6-8 hours in length it is a shorter game than most, however looking at my collectibles, it is obvious I have skimmed through the game without hunting for all the paper craft and hidden gifts, and need to go back to all the replayable chapters to hunt down my missing items. Despite this, so much is packed into the game, it holds within its papery shell more fun, inventiveness, wit and joy than many longer games.
Tearaway is a remarkable achievement from a developer who has made a game into which they have obviously poured their hearts and souls. It is the first game that uses the Vita’s array of sensory inputs to the full without any hint of gimmick. If you own a Vita, this is a must have game, it is also one of the few PSN titles that is actually realistically priced as a digital download at an extremely fair price. Buy it now. |
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Wrap up
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Good - a beautiful game with great use of the Vita's resources, excellent platforming and intriguing and compelling story. Constantly inventive.
Bad - The length of the game could be longer. |
4.5/5 |
Preview copy bought by reviewer
Images provided by publisher. Screenshots from Tearaway Camera, reviewers own.
Images provided by publisher. Screenshots from Tearaway Camera, reviewers own.
