5 Things You Should Know About ‘Unravel’

Just one look at this stunning game and its charming lead character is enough to capture the imagination of gamers of all ages.

Unravel from EA and ColdWood Interactive is a gorgeous puzzle platformer now available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Here are 5 things you should know before you bring Yarny home to the family.

The game stars Yarny, a character made of yarn. There’s no dialogue or a single spoken word in the game, but Yarny will charm you from the get-go. Who knew a little ball of yarn could be so expressive? Along his journey to mend a broken heart, you’ll be able to tell when Yarny is tired, frustrated, or even gentle and caring. It’s magical.

Unravel is a puzzle platformer. Yarny uses his yarn to hop from platform to platform and to remove obstacles in his path. You’ll throw and tie yarn to get up tree branches, over rocks, and more. You have to reach balls of yarn placed throughout the level to keep going, otherwise poor Yarny will unravel before your eyes.

Some of the puzzles are so challenging, you and your kids might be tempted to simply Google the solution. But keep at it! This is one of those rare games where every puzzle you solve makes you feel like you’ve actually accomplished something.

Kids might be surprised by the challenge. If “puzzle platformer” makes you think of gaming in days gone by, you’d be right. “This is hard!” declared my 7-year-old. “So this is what it was like playing Super Mario when you were a kid?”

Actually, yes. You’ll miss jumps and fall to your doom and not be able to immediately figure out how to get past a certain point. But thanks to well-placed checkpoints, it’s easy to try, try again.

The music is soothing and haunting. You won’t hear cute little ditties that will be stuck in your head or pop music with a unending beat. The violins and piano are more than beautiful—according to the developer, the soundtrack is the “voice” of the game.

This isn’t your typical adventure game. Tinged with nostalgia and melancholy, this is more of a quiet, thought-provoking experience than you might be used to with a family adventure game. But that’s what makes Unravel special. And have I mentioned it’s gorgeous?

Unravel is available on February 9 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One for a retail price of $19.99.

GeekMom received a promotional code for review purposes.

Top Image © EA / ColdWood Interactive