PlayStation Experience – Tearaway Unfolded Hands-On Preview – A New Adventure

I loved Tearaway on the Vita. The unique, yet intelligent, use of every feature of the handheld made it a must have game for any Vita owner, so I worried about it being added to the PS4’s catalog. Would it take away from the value of the original? Would it be the same old game over again? Reluctantly, I picked up a controller at the PlayStation Experience and found myself transported into a Tearaway that was familiar, yet also different, and I found a respect for Tearaway Unfolded that I had not had before. 

Beautifully Crafted, Artfully Folded

Tearaway broke the fourth wall in it’s gameplay as you, the player, guided Iota (or Atoi, the female version) on a quest to deliver their message. Tearaway Unfolded is a reimagined Tearaway for the PS4, built from the ground up to utilize the DualShock 4’s featuers, rather than shoehorning the functionality into the existing game. The brief portion that I played was a beautifully rendered new level that guided me through throwing having Atoi throw objects into my controller, and then fling them back into the game with rigorous force to activate catapults, rip holes through paper, and destroy scraps, which are the game’s enemies. 

Seriously, the game looks gorgeous, and if I hadn’t played it myself, I would have hardly believed it began its life as a Vita game due to the wonderful way that they have crafted it for the PS4. From the paper textures, to the lighting in the game, and even down to the smooth stop-motion styled animation, Tearaway Unfolded takes every advantage of its jump to home console from a handheld. 

More Than Just a Remaster

The original mechanics of cutting out designs on paper for both character customization and environmental decoration are still here. This level had me design a sweet mustache for another character that had lost his, as well as show another character what a pumpkin looked like. The great thing about tearaway is that there is no right and wrong answer, so my mustache can look however wild I want it to, and if my pumpkin has a blue stem? Well, that’s just fine. Near the end of all of this I realized that all of this content was new. The level was rebuilt and expanded specifically for the PS4. ‘Inspired by’ might be a phrase that comes to mind, but this is far from just a port, remaster, or copy. 

If you played the original Tearaway and were thinking that you could pass by Tearaway Unfolded, think again. Coming from someone who spent enough time with the Vita game to get the Platinum trophy for it, Unfolded is shaping up to be an incredible reimagining of the Vita title for the living room. I personally can’t wait to see how else Tearaway Unfolded has changed for its leap to the PS4 hardware.  If for some reason you missed the original Tearaway, then you’ll want to keep your eye on one of the most fun and creative titles in Sony’s arsenal.