Tearaway Unfolded is a Media Molecule game in the same mould as their Little Big Planet series. It has the same type of humour and level and art design as the preceding Little Big Planet games. However, unlike Little Big Planet, Tearaway is fully 3D experience unlike the 2.5D design of Little Big Planet series.

Tearaway follows Iota/ Atoi who need to deliver a message to a hole which has opened in the sky which is where The You is from. Leading to Iota/ Atoi to traverse a range of different environment and challenges in to get to the Hole in the Sky. This means that the events of the Tearaway Unfolded occur in a wide range of different environments from open green field of Maypole Fields to the icy cold of the Gibbet Hill and the hot and hazy environment of The Desert.

As a platformer, Tearaway Unfolded is all about of course platforming. To do this Iota/Atoi must leap, manipulate and traverse the environment, with the help from The You, which can used to light up the environment, interacting with environmental objects to help with traversal and more. While the platforming is the core of Tearaway Unfolded, there is also combat. Combat is done through Iota/Atoi throwing objects at or stunning Scraps, the game’s antagonists. The You can also be used to stun them or manipulate the Scraps’ actions.

Alongside this platforming, the touchpad is used to draw and create a range of different objects with a number of different colours available. These objects are used to complete objectives as well as side objectives. It is very fun and easy to get use to, though I couldn’t quite get my drawings to work as I wanted. Iota/Atoi also has access to a camera which can be used to take pictures, unlock models through photographing discoloured objects or individuals which can be built in real life or the camera can be used to solve puzzles.

Through collecting confetti, either through traversing the world or through finding Red presents or completing the side quests for blue presents. The player can then use this confetti to unlock items such as eyes or mouths etc which can be used when using the Cutting Mat or customising the look of Iota/Atoi. The confetti can also be used to unlock new camera modes and filters which can be used when taking photos.

The core Media Molecule aim of Tearaway Unfolded was to utilise the capabilities of the PS4 as well as the capabilities of the Dualshock 4 much like they did with the original Tearaway on the PS Vita. This they have done successfully with Unfolded. As the touchpad is utilised to direct powerful winds which can be used to do things including unfurling paper or to manipulate the environment as well as being the method in which the player creates things in the environment and more. While the Dualshock gyroscope is used to move the You and manipulate some objects in the latter half of the game. There are several levels which focuses on the Dualshock 4, in which pressing the face and back buttons manipulate objects in the environment corresponding to the related button in game. These design decisions do create interesting gameplay mechanisms and platforming sequences.

While the platforming is great and well tuned, the need for Media Molecule utilise the capabilities of the PS4 for Tearaway Unfolded, does sometimes get a bit too much going on at the same time. As for example, there was a sequence in the Lair chapter which requires multiple face buttons to be pressed in quick succession while also using manipulating Iota/ Atoi. Which one handed is does get a bit crab handed. This required me to be more strategic in when and how long I kept buttons pressed for. There are also other occasions which too many buttons or actions are required to occur at the same time to a lesser extent while moving character. I had issues with this even on the opening sequence in Sogport where you required to manipulate the wind via the touch pad to keep waves at bay while moving character across the beach.

This was a difficult sequence to do one handed as it required making the required gesture continually while manipulating the left joystick until Iota/Atoi had reached safety. Near the end of Tearaway Unfolded, platforms and objects in the environment need to be manipulated with the Dualshock 4’s gyroscope which was quite frustrating to attempt to do one handed. This situation did make me think of abandoning Tearaway Unfolded due to the difficulty of maintaining the correct position of the controller and to move Iota/Atoi in the right direction.

While this doesn’t take away from the overall game, the need to press multiple buttons and the left joystick at the same time is frustrating, as there are multiple sequences where this occurs to both higher or lesser extent then the examples I mentioned which stuck out to me as they are the more egregious examples. It is annoying that relying so heavily on the player being required to do multiple actions or button presses at once as it does make the game harder to play at times than it really should, which does detract from the game being a widely accessible title. However button manipulation issue isn’t isolated to Tearaway Unfolded as there are more games which do the same thing.

Despite the issues of multiple button presses being a negative due to it requiring two hands to play with ease, Tearaway Unfolded is a great platformer with the added benefit of showing off the uniqueness of the PS4, through the creation of gameplay mechanics which can be used to create unique gameplay loops. So yeah, you should play Tearaway Unfolded, it’s very good.