Tearaway Unfolded

 PlayStation 4
  • Publisher: SCEA
  • Release Date: Sep 8, 2015
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 322 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 231 out of 322
  2. Mixed: 60 out of 322
  3. Negative: 31 out of 322
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  1. stamito
    May 8, 2017
    7
    A great little platformer game that might feel childish and it is great to play with kids but might also surprise adults if you let it. This game is quite unique in its aesthetic, being all made of paper I couldn’t but be amazed at how some of the environments looked. So graphically speaking I think it is superb, not because of its super-realistic HD graphics (which obviously this gamesA great little platformer game that might feel childish and it is great to play with kids but might also surprise adults if you let it. This game is quite unique in its aesthetic, being all made of paper I couldn’t but be amazed at how some of the environments looked. So graphically speaking I think it is superb, not because of its super-realistic HD graphics (which obviously this games doesn’t have) but because artistically speaking it is beautiful to see and very very unique. The gameplay, was nice but I think that is the right word, nice. It is a relaxing game, quite easy in my opinion, not particularly challenging and kind of slow to medium paced in most areas. I guess it all makes sense if you’re going to play it with children or something, although I found it enjoyable for an adult as well. A thing worth mentioning is that this game has some really really good ideas in terms of gameplay. It integrates the use of the movement sensor, touch pad and the light bar in some really original ways to, for example generate a wind gust or to move a spot light etc., some really interesting gameplay mechanics. The story is not particularly surprising; it is kind of like a fairy tale which goes well with the overall feeling of the game. Finally, there is quite an extensive an enjoyable creative side for this game, where you can draw/cut your own paper shapes to make stuff or to decorate your character; something that creative people will enjoy quite a bit together with the little kids at home.

    Generally, I think there is some really great ideas for a platformer here, but I also feel that the game was more intended for a children audience, me as an adult I enjoyed this game quite a bit because of the original gameplay mechanics, but I also felt it stopped half way on the road to greatness. If you’re looking for a little nice game to play with children, this is definitely something worth getting, I think it would do an awesome job at that. If you’re thinking of getting it as an adult platformer gamer, be warned that although you might feel at times that is awesome (mainly because of art+ original game mechanics) you’ll probably finish the game thinking it could have been something awesome but in the end it wasn’t. The story might also feel a bit cheese or childish. Despite that, I think it is well worth getting as an adult for a fairly reduced price, just stay open minded and expect a bit of silliness and childish stuff.    … Expand
  2. Zorua
    Feb 1, 2016
    7
    Tearaway Unfolded is a beautifully crafted Playstation 4 port of the PS Vita best-seller Tearaway, and it's surprisingly fun. Created by Media Molecule, the creators of the LittleBigPlanet series, the game is set in a paper world which has been invaded by small monsters called scraps, which spawn from a giant hole that's mysteriously appeared in the sky.
    You have to choose between two    Tearaway Unfolded is a beautifully crafted Playstation 4 port of the PS Vita best-seller Tearaway, and it's surprisingly fun. Created by Media Molecule, the creators of the LittleBigPlanet series, the game is set in a paper world which has been invaded by small monsters called scraps, which spawn from a giant hole that's mysteriously appeared in the sky.
    You have to choose between two cutely designed paper 'messengers': Iota (male) or Atoi (female). Their bodies are comprised of an envelope head, paper thin arms and legs and a cute backpack - the design is definitely one of my favourites. The game starts off with some questionable voice acting, before the player has to gain the trust of Iota/Atoi by pointing the DualShock 4 at the screen and using your Guiding Light to guide the character on-screen. The DualShock 4 is used for the majority of the game, luring scraps into traps, interacting with mechanisms and startling NPCs'!
    The DualShock 4's touchpad can also be used as a canvas, and allows the player to draw things and implement them into the game, though sometimes it can be quite difficult!
    The game has a beautiful art style, whose charm is difficult to find in modern games. The world is very interactive, allowing the player to utilise the DualShock 4 to draw things, perform tasks and much more. Additionally, there is so much side content such as creating papercraft structures and using the companion app/website, and the customisation allows you to customise your messenger however you wish using in-game currency - confetti. You can change everything from the colour of the character's body to it's selfie pose! That being said, there are some downsides. The voice acting is some of the worst I've seen, with the two talking 'guides' (one male and one female) having dreadful voices and hardly any expression in their voices. Additionally, some of the tasks like defeating scraps and performing tedious tasks such as throwing apples to activate mechanisms are a little repetitive. However, overall it's a great game and Media Molecule did a good job of porting the PS Vita game - this title definitely doesn't get the credit it deserves.    … Expand
  3. Ishi123
    Mar 11, 2017
    6
    So THIS is where Media Molecule went after LittleBigPlanet 2. Here's where all the imagination LittleBigPlanet 3 threw in the garbage went.

    Tearaway is a lovely little game that's imaginative, creative, and its papercraft styled world is gorgeous to look at. The environments and characters are literally two-dimensional, and the animations that everything has make everything look really    So THIS is where Media Molecule went after LittleBigPlanet 2. Here's where all the imagination LittleBigPlanet 3 threw in the garbage went.

    Tearaway is a lovely little game that's imaginative, creative, and its papercraft styled world is gorgeous to look at. The environments and characters are literally two-dimensional, and the animations that everything has make everything look really pretty and all those things LittleBigPlanet used to be. The art style really does look handmade from paper and glue, and everything from the environment is based on this, including the sky, the sun and moon, and even water.

    The game is centered around the idea that you yourself are the main character, guiding the character in game, named The Messenger, through the world. You are able to interact directly with the world around you, shining light with your lightbar, creating gusts of wind with a swipe of your trackpad, and even drawing new objects into the world. It's a neat concept that fully utilizes all the features of the PS4 controller to an amazing degree, and there are tricks and combinations you can pull off that make the game feel really involved. The game also takes the opportunity to get meta as f*** during the second act, really making you feel like you're an actual character in the story, and going so far as to boot you out into a papercraft version of the PS4's XMB and make you take out little minions crawling around on your screen. Just about everything about the game is imaginative and colorful and nothing less than what you'd expect from Media Molecule.

    The problem is, the game ended three times before it actually ended. And I mean it actually ended, then the game came up with some bulls*** menial reason to keep padding it out. First time I was like "woah, okay, that's kinda cute, and the game really hasn't been that long anyway, so that's alright." Second time I went "wait, what? It's not over? We actually just beat the main villain in the game, how is this not over?" Third time around, I was literally screaming at my TV and telling the game to go f*** itself and just end like it should have. It ends up pulling bulls*** out of its ass three times just to pad out the game, and by the third time, any goodwill and charm the game had eroded away, and the only thing I could think during the latter chapters of the game was "when the hell is this going to end properly?" It wouldn't be so bad if the game didn't actually tell you to go f*** yourself three times and had a cohesive narrative with a start and end like LBP2 did, not a start then end then another start and another end then another start after that one and then finally a real end right after you do this stupid s*** nobody cares about. Padding and padding and padding and padding made me lose all the good feelings I had for the game, and I just wanted the thing to end. The ending sequence made a point to show you how far you've come and try to instill a moment of reflection in you and wants you to think back on how much you've done and everything you've created. The only thing I could think was "oh, yeah, I definitely liked how you punched me in the face three times and you just kept throwing stupid bulls*** at me for the last 5 hours. I LOVED that." We get it, Media Molecule. The Sixaxis control for the Dualshock 4 is cool. Stop padding the run time of this game out.

    I also hate how the game will stop you constantly and force you to draw something with the touchpad or alter your character when I LIKE MY CHARACTER THE WAY HE IS. And then the game will go NOW TAKE A PICTURE, SLAVE. I don't want to, Christ. Stop stopping the entire game just to do some stupid s*** that I'm going to undo the instant I get control back.

    As much as I love the concept of the game, and as charming and lovely and imaginative and all that the game is, the game should've been structured better. Looking at the credits sequence right now, all I can feel is "ugh, thank f*** it's finally over". I'm not left thinking and smiling like I was for LBP or LBP2. The narrative itself is pretty sound, it's just its structure that fumbled, and it really hurts the overall experience for me, despite how much love the game was made with. It's not even the length itself that's the problem, it's just the stupid menial things that the game does to artificially lengthen itself when the story ended three times before. If it was one cohesive narrative with one beginning and end, I wouldn't have even paid it any mention.

    I REALLY wish I could sing this game's praises to the high heavens, but this is the Alien Isolation case, where the game should've ended long before it did, and as amazing as it was to start, all the bulls*** the game pulls just to artificially lengthen itself destroyed all goodwill and amazement I had for the game. Sorry, Media Molecule. I love you guys, but... ugh...    … Expand
  4. gdiego135
    Apr 7, 2016
    6
    Though I loved Media Molecule's first franchise (Little Big Planet) RIP, Tearaway just to me was no where near as great as any of the LBP games, sorry im comparing them but I can't talk about MM without talking about LBP, I even enjoyed LBP 3 more then this and that was a disappointment though it was by Sumo Digital. Back to Tearaway Yes the graphics are very unique and sooooo original,Though I loved Media Molecule's first franchise (Little Big Planet) RIP, Tearaway just to me was no where near as great as any of the LBP games, sorry im comparing them but I can't talk about MM without talking about LBP, I even enjoyed LBP 3 more then this and that was a disappointment though it was by Sumo Digital. Back to Tearaway Yes the graphics are very unique and sooooo original, And it's great that you can create alot of differnent things in the world of tearaway, like a characters fashion, to snowflakes, to a flame. The music is very nice I see MM took some music from LBP I recognized a few songs which was a nice touch, But the story isn't really interesting at all except for the end bit, i think only a child would enjoy this game really. The different Sceneries are really quite beautiful i was taking pictures all the time, and well their was only like 3 voice actors much like LBP which is fine i guess, The main issue i have with this game, is that it's way tooooo easy like no challenge at all ZERO!!!!!!!!! halfway through i just wanted it to all be over, and would be groaning when i thought it was done, but wasn't. This just wasn't for me, and I know a lot of people who really enjoyed this game, but i reccomend just getting it for the kids, or better yet get them any LittleBigPlanet game and play with them, because those games are amazing!!!!! My final score would have to be 6.5/10 Sorry Media Molecule, hopefully Dreams does a better job:)… Expand
  5. Gerard51MX
    Jun 22, 2016
    6
    jugue tearaway en ps vita y me encanto, en cuanto pude jugarlo en ps4 estaba muy emocionado pero no tarde en aburrirme, el uso de las funciones del control, camara y microfono del ps4 es algo que aplaudo y esperaria de otros juegos, sin embargo el juego en si no presenta un reto, lo senti muy lineal, no me sorprendio tanto como el de vita, de la historia no esperaba gran cosa, esta ahijugue tearaway en ps vita y me encanto, en cuanto pude jugarlo en ps4 estaba muy emocionado pero no tarde en aburrirme, el uso de las funciones del control, camara y microfono del ps4 es algo que aplaudo y esperaria de otros juegos, sin embargo el juego en si no presenta un reto, lo senti muy lineal, no me sorprendio tanto como el de vita, de la historia no esperaba gran cosa, esta ahi como pretexto y punto, graficamente muchos hablan de su belleza y texturas y a mi parecer no sorprende demasiado, la musica es buena, el control es muy bueno y la duracion es buena si quieres todos los coleccionables. Lo considero un juego bueno y hasta ahi… Expand
  6. macunix
    Mar 29, 2017
    7
    It is a very interesting idea of the presentation. Very good images. But the big problems are control and camera. The design of the controls and cameras are simply awful. The game itself can be fun and enjoyable. But the controls and cameras annoy you all the time.
  7. TeaFan556
    Dec 19, 2021
    6
    [RU]
    Игра для деток, сори. И это при том, что я фанат нинтендо. Зато игра использует уникальные возможности контроллера, за что ей респект!
  8. Underpants158
    May 11, 2017
    6
    Tearaway has charm and innovation going for it but little else. The graphical style is really neat with everything, world and characters, being made of paper and the narrators are well voice acted and fun to listen to to the point I wish they had more lines in a Bastion sort of way. The gameplay is innovative but I wouldn't call it fun. There is a lot of use of the touchpad to do thingsTearaway has charm and innovation going for it but little else. The graphical style is really neat with everything, world and characters, being made of paper and the narrators are well voice acted and fun to listen to to the point I wish they had more lines in a Bastion sort of way. The gameplay is innovative but I wouldn't call it fun. There is a lot of use of the touchpad to do things like make the wind blow, draw decorations, make drums thump and pop you in the air. My major gripe is that I don't find any of the gameplay to be that compelling. For instance one of the techniques you learn early on for fighting common enemies is leading them around with light (they love light) and making them run into traps or off edges. This is down by holding R2 or L2 and manually moving your controller to move the light. It's a cool concept but I didn't find it or the other gimmicks it uses to be all that interesting after the first couple tries.

    Tearaway is by no means a bad game just sort of middling.    … Expand
  9. wasresting
    Jun 22, 2017
    7
    The paper world is a wonderfully realized facet of the game. As is the different ways you use the controller to manipulate the game, keeping the gameplay fresh and varied. Like when you get to throw a creature inside your controller to hold onto for later and can tickle it by lightly rubbing the touch pad, it's genius. Theres so many cool things you can do, that you can't do in any otherThe paper world is a wonderfully realized facet of the game. As is the different ways you use the controller to manipulate the game, keeping the gameplay fresh and varied. Like when you get to throw a creature inside your controller to hold onto for later and can tickle it by lightly rubbing the touch pad, it's genius. Theres so many cool things you can do, that you can't do in any other game. But then there's the uncreative side of the coin, the side where the game feels like a worn out tire, the combat. It's been awhile since I've played the game but I remember vividly how I felt about the combat. Agitated, in a other wise joyous game. Though some of the platforming especially towards the end was a little wonky, like the way I had to move the controller to open up a platform... now with the controller nearly upside down and turned around I had to get my character to jump on that platform, failing many times because I accidentally moved the controller to much one way, closing the platform. That's about it for the short leg of the game. The real meat is in the many creative ways you can express yourself and make it your own.… Expand
  10. Spidor
    Oct 10, 2020
    6
    A beautiful, ambitious, ultra creative game, that commits so many cardinal sins it offsets almost every last bit of good will. A lot has been said about how creative this game is, and I agree, it's why it doesn't get a 3 for being a functioning piece of software with mediocre platforming.

    It has the dumbest, lamest story, which is one of the laziest examples of meta "this is a story    A beautiful, ambitious, ultra creative game, that commits so many cardinal sins it offsets almost every last bit of good will. A lot has been said about how creative this game is, and I agree, it's why it doesn't get a 3 for being a functioning piece of software with mediocre platforming.

    It has the dumbest, lamest story, which is one of the laziest examples of meta "this is a story about a story" nonsense that rarely ever works. It's not engaging, it's not smart, it just makes the game feel empty, pointless. Whatever the opposite of "epic" is - it is this game. This is supplemented by having no memorable characters and generally no plot trajectory, it basically does whatever it likes. It also forgets to end - it reaches a logical conclusion MULTIPLE times, but keeps on truckin'. It feels as if this whole thing was a bunch of levels stitched together by a miserable excuse for a narrative, except this whole thing is a CHOICE SOMEONE ACTIVELY MADE.

    There's also the matter of the action itself - the platforming itself is adequate, but the combat is total trash. It's unsatisfying, it kills you immediately, it is insanely frustrating for kids who are the target audience. And speaking of being frustrating, the Wandering Gopher side missions? ESCORT QUESTS IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2015??!?! WHAT. Escort missions that you have to restart the whole level if your meager messenger dies or it you miss one of the jumps, often due to wonky controls and clipping unto loose paper? This is Natalya in Goldeneye 64 all over! What is the audience here?? The game designer who came up with this mission type, and made the decision to make the gopher disappear when the quest fails, should be tarred and feathered.

    Overall my kid and I really liked the creative mechanics, the creation of content into the game world, and the beautiful graphics. Those are truly fantastic. It's as if some very good artists with some brilliant artsy ideas came together with a somewhat mediocre software company who made the art bits competently on top of an overall really crappy platform game. I suppose this is why it bombed. That and the fact the protagonist is not memorable and the name "Tearaway" is not catchy at all.

    This game is really infuriating with how much potential is under piles of stunningly poor design decisions. I think if it had slightly more emphasis on narrative and having actually fun gameplay during its design phase, it would've been great. There's a square ton of talent here, and it's clear there's a handful of directors or executives who beefed it completely.    … Expand
  11. njja02
    May 15, 2018
    7
    Still as charming as the original game, this game is hindered by the same problems and with an overly long end portion.
  12. SuperDuck23
    May 28, 2017
    7
    While there’s some fun to be had, the awkward platforming soon becomes dull. It's probably best to play when you've got a spare half hour of so, but any longer and the creative world of Tearaway Unfolded might start to become tedious.
  13. tom974
    Feb 5, 2023
    6
    Not fundamentally bad but nowhere near a solid game for me. From the beginning I had difficulty to get into the universe so this review may be a bit of a subjective one. The artistic direction is quite original with this "paper universe" which is nicely brought. But from there there is nothing quite entertaining for me, repetitive gameplay, the story is a nonsense and the whole thing feelsNot fundamentally bad but nowhere near a solid game for me. From the beginning I had difficulty to get into the universe so this review may be a bit of a subjective one. The artistic direction is quite original with this "paper universe" which is nicely brought. But from there there is nothing quite entertaining for me, repetitive gameplay, the story is a nonsense and the whole thing feels more like it was a game to introduce all of the DS4 features. In the same genre, Astro did a way better job with the Dual Sense.… Expand
  14. sergio123456
    Jun 20, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Juego muy bonito gráficamente, con una estética minimalista pero muy rico en matices. El juego es bastante fácil y corto por lo que no es nada pesado para jugar, echo en falta algún tipo de boss que de algo de emoción al final.… Expand
  15. ThePSButton
    May 6, 2020
    6
    Precioso para verlo y estéticamente es una obra de diez. ¿Jugablemente? No tanto. Tearaway: Unfolded tiene un control que responde y se siente muy mal -cosa que es pecado en un juego de plataformas- y las mecánicas originales que propone son muy anecdóticas. No lo juegué en vita, ¿supongo que ahí funcionaba mejor? Eso sí, valió la pena terminarlo porque el mensaje final me pareció muy, muyPrecioso para verlo y estéticamente es una obra de diez. ¿Jugablemente? No tanto. Tearaway: Unfolded tiene un control que responde y se siente muy mal -cosa que es pecado en un juego de plataformas- y las mecánicas originales que propone son muy anecdóticas. No lo juegué en vita, ¿supongo que ahí funcionaba mejor? Eso sí, valió la pena terminarlo porque el mensaje final me pareció muy, muy bonito.… Expand
  16. illuvatar_1st
    Jul 29, 2020
    7
    This Game for a new commer will probably be an 8-9 but for others no
    Tearaway was meant to be a vita Game and that its why it was design the way it was. When you make a ps4 game about its obviously not gonna be as good as the Og. Do not get me wrong the game is still enjoyable and fan to play BUT in comparison to the OG it faiis. Most of the game is the same as the Vita BUT lands have    This Game for a new commer will probably be an 8-9 but for others no
    Tearaway was meant to be a vita Game and that its why it was design the way it was. When you make a ps4 game about its obviously not gonna be as good as the Og. Do not get me wrong the game is still enjoyable and fan to play BUT in comparison to the OG it faiis. Most of the game is the same as the Vita BUT lands have been expanded and more game mechanics were added. Some of them i liked such as making a craft plane and maneuver around,, some of them not so much so . Its a great effort to mimic every VITA mechanic to a ps4 Controller. Respect on the effort,

    Things i disliked on the ps4 version that ruined my experience:
    1: Camera usage. Plenty of times camera gets confusing because of it being placed the way it was and because every time you move your controller form its position it changes focus
    2: Wind and touch: You use the touch pad to create strong winds but when you need to use the touch pad to make the drum jumps, the wind might make platforming bad
    3: Loss Of iotas weapon in order to use the breaking of the 4rth wall mechanic, yes its good but gets repetitive.
    4: Some levels Don't have the same charm as vitas, such as the sky paper world
    The game passed its prime when it was very expensive, now its worth every pound out of its 15. i would highly recommend it.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Best PS4 Game of 2015
59
#59 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
72
#72 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
  1. Yahoo!
    Nov 18, 2015
    80
    Tearaway Unfolded, like its mobile forebear, is an enchanting adventure. A bedrock of strong platforming mechanics supports a world that recalls The Wizard of Oz’s wide-eyed whimsy. Children will absolutely adore it, but even grown-up gamers with a taste for handcrafted, homespun style should follow the fold.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    Nov 15, 2015
    70
    Serious gamers after a good mixture of challenge, story and mechanics may be left wanting. [Issue#167, p.79]
    Read full review
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Nov 9, 2015
    75
    Sony made a great decision in bringing this charming IP to PS4. Just like the Vita version, Unfolded has the same great feel of utilizing the hardware in an interesting and fun way.
    Read full review
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