Tearaway Unfolded’s gameplay and narrative are woven through by the core mechanics, so if my most basic explanation of the game comes across as cryptic, I’ll try to rectify that here.
Naturally, you assume direct control over Iota/Atoi. You start the game with almost no abilities; you run, you interact, and you carry things around. But as the game progresses, it becomes apparent that the messenger is counting on you to help out.
One of the very first things you’ll do in Tearaway Unfolded is point the DualShock 4’s light bar at the screen and hold down a button. This has the effect of activating a special light that conveniently looks like an inverted triangle. This light can be aimed around by simply changing the angle at which the controller is pointed at the screen, but it’s your primary method of interacting with the world. Parts of the environment that have been transformed into newspaper can be cleansed and restored to their natural states by passing this light over them. Scraps are attracted to the light and will chase it single-mindedly, giving you the opportunity to lure them into traps.
While the Vita’s rear touchpad provided some of the original Tearaway’s best moments, that role arguably shifts to the touchpad in the center of the DualShock 4 this time around.
The touchpad is the primary home for Tearaway Unfolded’s creation tools. Using the touchpad as a writing tool definitely takes some getting used to, much in the same way that using a drawing tablet comes with a learning curve. But for not being a mouse-and-keyboard kind of game, Tearaway Unfolded makes the best possible use of the controller’s buttons and sticks. Before too long, you’ll be sketching, cutting, and gluing to your heart’s content. Even if you lack the art gene (which I most certainly do), you’ll still have fun with it.
Media Molecule has built a name for itself over the last decade, and few developers so competently champion and foster a culture of sharing for their products. This is true of Tearaway Unfolded, to nobody’s surprise. A companion app is available through the PlayStation app, and you (or a friend) can use your phone to interact with the game world through the magic of the creation tools, which make the jump seamlessly onto not only a different platform, but a different operating system. It’s yet another example of a team willing to go as far as it takes to stick to its mission.
Pre-ordering Tearaway Unfolded gets you the Crafted Edition, which comes with the requisite extras. Most of it is cosmetic, as you’d expect: a Gold Leaf and a Gold Stamp to wear on your messenger as a badge of pride, costumes and custom decorations from other PlayStation exclusives, papercraft plans, and a Pig Crown. But perhaps the biggest draw in this package is the soundtrack, which, as I’ve mentioned, is wonderful.
If you’ve got children at home and have been hoping for a way to share your PlayStation 4 with them, you now have a golden opportunity in the form of Tearaway Unfolded. I can’t draw to save my life, and the fact that I love this game is simply a testament to its greatness.