Unravel Two (XB1) Review

YARN WITH CHARM.

Unravel was a game I never picked up. It reminded me too much of LittleBigPlanet; a craft come to life in a world of physics puzzles. This wasn’t necessarily what I wanted from a platformer at that time, despite Yarny being a charming character. So when Unravel Two was announced and released during E3 2018, it was odd to find myself suddenly interested. Maybe it was double the Yarnys that intrigued me.

The gameplay of Unravel Two is first and foremost a platformer with puzzles; lots of jumping and object pushing. The key difference in Unravel Two however is that there are two Yarny characters tethered together. In single player I switch between the two Yarnys with a press of a button while in co-op (local play only unfortunately) one player controls each Yarny. The main mechanic in Unravel Two is using these two Yarnys as anchors for one another to swing and climb up on. When not swinging or climbing up each other the Yarnys can be combined into one Yarny for easy platforming both in single player (a necessary function) and co-op (optional to allow one player to perform some platforming sections rather than both players). The controlling of two characters in single player is both extremely easy and intuitive.

PLATFORMS: XB1 (REVIEWED), PS4, PC
MSRP: $19.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $19.99

There’s plenty of accessibility options to help players. There’s an option that can be toggled that allows players to slow time to lower the difficulty of timing swings and platforming. The fact that in co-op one player can take full control to play the platforming sections allows core video game players share this game with people who may enjoy puzzle solving who don’t play as many action games. There are also plenty of hints so players are never stuck on a puzzle. I will be up front and say I never used any of these options but they made it very clear that they were available both at the beginning and during the game when I was taking a bit longer to solve a puzzle or two. Another minor accessibility feature was the frequent use of checkpoints, so if a Yarny died either from environmental dangers or the occasional shadow monster there was very little progress lost and there was little time spent punishing me as a player.

What was punishing was the optional puzzle rooms that unlock new Yarny customization options. While the main game is challenging but not extremely difficult, the optional puzzles are and use the physics of the game in new ways not seen in the main story mode. The main story has a series of vignettes that play in the background and are not an amazing story but gives a connection between levels and reason to some of the actions done in the main game. It’s also important to note that playing solo has its own advantages and disadvantages in comparison to co-op. Co-op requires constant communication to keep the two players in sync (and if the two players have different skill levels of playing games this can become even harder) while solo has one player in full control but both Yarnys can’t move at the same time. This unique balancing situation is something I have never seen before in a game where co-op is definitely a key focus of the game.

With beautiful graphics, a charming and emotive set of main characters, an amazing soundtrack, and wonderful gameplay Unravel Two is one of my favorite games to come out so far in 2018. I think the audience that can enjoy this is almost anyone because there is a fantastic main game for players but those who are not challenged as much as they want to be can find more difficult, optional puzzles. Yarny is still adorable too. This game just radiates joy, and in comparison to similar games like INSIDE, is just made for everyone. The release of this game before the rest of E3 took place may have made a few people forget the fact it came out, but it is definitely not a game to sleep on. Play Unravel Two, especially if you have someone else to enjoy it with.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Stunning visuals
  • Great soundtrack
  • Fantastic gameplay
  • Co-op
  • Yarny is adorable
  • Challenging but fair puzzles
Bad
  • I can’t go into a store and buy my own Yarny
  • No physical copy on store shelves
  • EA isn’t pushing this game enough
10
Classic
Written by
Anthony is the resident Canadian. He enjoys his chicken wings hot and drinks way too much Coca-Cola. His first game experience was on his father's Master System and he is a loyal SEGA fanboy at heart.