A multitude of new games have been introduced in 2016 already. Some of the most popular ones are “Fallout 4,” “Fallout Primal,” “Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India,” “Final Fantasy Explorers” and “Rise of the Tomb Raider.”
However, I would like to bring attention to a much smaller and less popular game recently released: Unravel, a nostalgic experience of past memories and adventure.
Unravel is a platforming game available on PS4, Xbox One and PC that depicts the protagonist, Yarny, setting out on the journey of a lifetime. Made completely of yarn, Yarny moves through the story collecting snapshots of memories, unraveling all the while.
Yarny is clumsy, accident-prone and panicky, but he is the hero of our story. His tools are created through his own body of yarn. The amount of yarn is not unlimited, meaning the player must make well thought out decisions and strategies within a frame of time to complete each level. According to the creator, the yarn that makes up the protagonist represents love, which unravels as they travel away from home.
The amazing quality of the graphics establishes intimate detail and a strong sense of place. The game takes place in northern Scandinavia, which is why the environment is so beautiful and vibrant in color.
The player interacts with the game’s environment by swinging across gaps in trees or throwing yarn up to climb heights. The controls are simple, but the puzzles a player must complete are complex. There is a complete lack of spoken word within the game, yet the musical audio makes up for this as it is filled with the sounds of violins, panpipes and inspirited Celtic folk music.
The official Unravel website, unravelgame.com, says, “Unlock a heartfelt story re-connecting the memories of a long lost family. The tale is told completely without words, and Yarny is the bond that ties everything together.”
The gameplay of Unravel follows Yarny as he moves between each memory through a series of photographs in a home. This supports the metaphor of Unravel. He literally becomes the cord linking the present to the past.
Imagine Games Network (IGN) gave Unravel a score of an overall 8.3 as the game syndicates nature and reminiscence with a general melancholy theme. The game easily achieves its main focus: to “provoke subtle and complex emotions through the use of nature and nostalgia. It makes for a sincere, warm-hearted and extremely likable adventure.”
This is a relaxing game filled with emotional moments and beautiful, detailed scenery. It is not a game meant for challenging your brain or thumb reflexes, nor is it one concerned with kill scores and stats. Instead, the highly relatable game leaves you considering your own past, and the memories we leave behind.
