• CVG: 9/10 - Tearaway isn't just Vita's best new game, it's one of the most original things you'll play all year.
• GamesRadar: 4/5 - Tearaway really is the game Vita has been crying out for. It feels like a bridge between indie and traditional, super-polished AAA game design, something reinforced by both the length of the story and the price. There's genuine charm and ingenuity here, and my only real criticism is that I want more of it. So will you, when you put yourself in the centre of Tearaway's magical world.
• Edge: 9/10 - At six to seven hours, Tearaway isn't the longest game in Vita's library, but it packs in more joyfully realised ideas than many games manage in three or four times the runtime. It's a beautiful, brilliant game, but it's more than that: it's the first great Vita game, using the console's gimmicky featureset - its gyroscopes, cameras, touch panels and microphone - to make something that wouldn't be possible on any other system. It's a game that refixes Media Molecule as the misshapen jewel in Sony's wonkily sketched crown, one that shows immersion isn't about story or spectacle but the simple pleasure of play. And throughout it all there's you, up in the sky, gazing benevolently down from the sun, the smile on your face forever unbroken.
• Destructoid: 10/10 - Everything just works so well in unison. The soundtrack is delightful and odd, at times reminiscent of Paprika's parade fanfare with its lively horns. The world, put together in paper scraps, is unbelievable in its artistry and function. Tearaway's paper water and ripples as you walk through it are more impressive than any realistic water graphics I've ever seen. The level of unique detail in the world is staggering. Every moment spent immersed in it is heartwarming. Fittingly, it feels positively handcrafted.
• Eurogamer: 8/10 - These complaints are fleeting in nature and don't do much to dim Tearaway's enchanting glow, however. They certainly won't stop you reaching the end. It's not a long game, but for every section of simple platforming there's a moment of pure creative delight that leaves most other games looking stuffy and sterile, locked away behind their joypads and glass, away from your prodding, inquisitive fingers. Tearaway's tactile world may be no more real, but while you're under its spell it certainly doesn't feel that way.
• Joystiq: 3/5 - Tearaway is cheerful, clever, and colorful, but never quite attains the masterful blend of art and gameplay exhibited by developer Media Molecule's previous efforts, the LittleBigPlanet games. It's crammed full of wonderful ideas that can't quite compete with a control scheme that - apologies - looks good on paper but doesn't work well in practice. Tearaway has a big heart ... if only your fingers didn't keep getting in the way.
• US Gamer: 5/5 - Tearaway has squirrels. Fat, papercraft squirrels who are periodically rather cruel to passing gophers. It also has charm, cleverness and enough heart to make up for five Call of Duty iterations. Tearaway is a 3D platformer mashed together with a creative craft class for adult kids, an adventure that is as close to sandbox-y as a non-sandbox game can get.
• Polygon: 9.5/10 - Tearaway is a rare breed; the kind of game that was engineered to be supremely easy to fall in love with. It's not just the inherent charm of its paper world, its infinitely catchy folk-electronic soundtrack or its cast of quirky characters. It's the way the game involves you at every turn - the way the world moves when you touch it. I never felt like I was beating Tearaway as much as collaborating with it. From cover to cover, Tearway is an engrossing, spellbinding experience.
• IGN: 9.3/10 - Tearaway is a joy. Whether it was a riding a pig towards the sunset or playing basketball with a super-powered accordion, it never failed to make me smile. It sincerely believes that imagination really is the most important faculty, and in turn, succeeded in transporting me back to a time when I built strange worlds equipped with nothing but crayons and card. It does this by using every aspect of the Vita, crafting an experience that I can't imagine being realised elsewhere. It might be short, but it's very special. Please come back soon, Iota.
• VideoGamer: 9/10 - Tearaway is a beautiful title. It represents the importance of stories, manages to create friendships, and is capable of exciting and entertaining regardless of its simplicity.
• The Sixth Axis: 9/10 - Tearaway is the kind of game that the PS Vita has demanded since launch, something crafted and tailored to its form and its capabilities, but rather than feeling forced, creating an easy sense of wonder fun and inventiveness. Continuing Media Molecule's push to unleashing our creativity, it also features a story, a world and creations which delight at every turn, no matter how old you are.
• PlayStation Lifestyle: 9.0/10 - The excellent integration of the Vita's features into its gameplay, the way Tearaway reaches out to the player, the charming and well-developed world, the use of imagination in a medium where imagination is a precious and often forgotten thing - these factors stand above the negative to create an experience you should play at least once.
• Official PlayStation Magazine: 8/10 - Tearaway's is a charming world to inhabit, and it's the perfect host for Media Molecule's insuppressibly playful spirit. Like this year's early highlight Ni No Kuni, it's a great game to share with little ones in your life. Other than the occasional sensation of its design playing for novelty value, combat is the only aspect in which it puts a foot wrong. In a game bursting with invention, Tearaway's head-jumping kills feel uninspired and unsatisfying, and a predictable array of foes does little to alleviate that. Good job combat's something of a rare occurrence, then. All Vita's unique control aspects are exploited brilliantly within another beguiling Media Molecule universe.
• The Escapist: 4.5/5 - Tearaway is just fun. Thoughtful, engaging, and charming in a way that many recent games haven't been, this beautiful world will appeal to lovers of platformers both old and new. And yes, it's a PlayStation Vita exclusive and sure, lots of people don't own a Vita, but the game itself has integrated the PlayStation Vita's functionality so well that housing it on any other platform seems wrong.
• Destructoid: 10/10 - Everything just works so well in unison. The soundtrack is delightful and odd, at times reminiscent of Paprika's parade fanfare with its lively horns. The world, put together in paper scraps, is unbelievable in its artistry and function. Tearaway's paper water and ripples as you walk through it are more impressive than any realistic water graphics I've ever seen. The level of unique detail in the world is staggering. Every moment spent immersed in it is heartwarming. Fittingly, it feels positively handcrafted.
• God is A Geek: 9/10 - For the entire duration of my time with Tearaway, I was beaming from ear-to-ear at the magnificence taking place in the palm of my hands. It has taken quite a while, but at long last the Vita has an original IP that it can truly call a killer app. Apparently, we're currently ushering in a new generation of home consoles, at the moment, but I was too busy revelling in the breathtaking world of Tearaway to take notice.
• Push Square: 9/10 - Tearaway is a handheld masterpiece, and a shining example of how unique hardware features should be handled. Its short running time is mostly overshadowed by its compelling mix of platforming, combat, and personalisation - a brilliantly crafted gameplay combination that'll keep you glued to the wonderful world that Media Molecule has created. This papercraft adventure is easily one of the best that you'll unfold on Sony's portable system.

This may be the game which makes you buy a vita.

I still have my Vita and sadly, it's sitting in my room collecting dust and with the XONE approaching in just two days, I doubt I'll be the Vita much either. With that said, Tearaway looks FANTASTIC.

I hope this game sells well, Media Molecule deserve it. But because I have no interest in handheld consoles, I doubt I will ever get around to playing it :(

The best reason is the insane amount of indie games on there, but it's great to have a good game of it's own that isn't a port.

I love my Vita, I play it near daily. I can't wait for Tearaway to come on Friday so I can try it out for myself. At first I bought it to show support for the system, learning it's a really good game makes it all the sweeter.

Wow, yeah, I wasn't planning on getting this but I guess I'll pick it up when it finally comes back onto the AUS PSN store (disappeared at some point today, I think it'll be back tomorrow for the normal store update day).

EDIT: Tearaway is back on the AUS PSN store, you have to search for it though. Looks like it was replaced with a non-pre-purchase edition and it comes as a trial and unlock.

It's a really good system but sadly, I feel like it's overshadowed by Nintendo's first-party exclusives.

While I think the best reason to get a Vita will always be P4G (as an admittedly biased fanboy of the series), I'm glad that Tearaway looks so promising, especially since I have it preordered. Now my only worry is which of the three games releasing Friday to play first!

This year finally made me realise that I'm done with Nintendo first party exclusives. Their lack of change has worn me thin on them. There's few genres that the 3DS has that doesn't have a just as good counterpart on the Vita...at least not in my opinion.

Glad I ordered the bundle a few days ago, I just hope there are more exclusives like it over the next few years.

Word. I was contemplating picking up a Vita and 3DS not too long ago and it came down to whether I gave a shit about Pokemon anymore and I cannot stand handheld Mario/LoZ. So basically, if I'm going to rock some Nintendo exclusives, I'd rather wait until the Wii U drops to about $200 or something to get my Zelda, Mario, etc fix.

Vita's interface is also fucking gorgeous man. I love that OLED screen and it just feels fantastic in my hands. Even the XL is tiny in comparison and I have goddamn bear hands.

Best reason is Persona 4 Golden, Tearaway might be the second best reason.

This is the first Pokemon game I skipped and I don't feel bad about it at all.

I have pretty small hands and the Vita didn't quite sit right in them until I bought these bad boys. Don't you find yourself catching the rear touchpad a lot?

WHAT.IS.THAT?

The rear touchpad feels a tad bit useless to me, not that it's bad but more so I just don't know its purpose.

I can't for the life of me figure out why they sent Tearaway out to die during new console launches. Coverage will be fleeting despite the incredible scores and nobody is paying any attention to the vita. My only guess is that Sony wanted a sweetener to convince people interested in Remote Play to get one. I do not think it will work very well

Anyway, what does it matter, I can't wait to play it on Friday.

@gerrid: The bundle they are releasing along side it this week is pretty appealing though.

"No one" owns a Vita and the console isn't a priority for Sony. That's probably why. There's just not much profit to be had from a game like this, as good as it probably is, on that platform. Shu said in the GB interview that they're moving all big first party studios away from "the PS3 and the Vita", so it's clear that the Vita is now a machine that will mostly get some indie games and will serve as an accessory to the PS4. If you look at what's coming out for the Vita in the coming months, itsfuckingnothing.gif (almost). Sony lost the dedicated handheld war to Nintendo before it began, and I'm guessing the Vita will be their last handheld.

It's an amazing piece of tech, there's just not nearly enough games for it. Tearaway looks really cool though, hope it comes to the PS4 at some point.

I really want to get it but I am getting four teeth removed today. That shit's expensive.

It looks pretty good but I hear it's super, super short. I don't care how amazing the experience is, I will never pay full price for a 5 hour game.

That said, it does look like a great game and can't wait until I can find it for cheap.

That's the thing though - if it comes out for PS4, and if Sony keeps doing shit like this and letting these Vita-exclusive games go to PS4 and other platforms (AC Liberation), what's the point of even having a Vita? I just bought one and want some exclusives, Sony. Not stuff that I can eventually find on PS4.

What the fuck is that game? How did I miss it? It looks awesome! My vita is getting alot of play using remote play with the ps4, this may get me to use it as a proper portable again

Well then you're in luck because this game is released at a super budget rate (£20 in the UK, $30 in the US I believe).

nope it's $40 here. If it really is £20 in the UK, then that sucks for us (i'm guessing it's £30 as per usual).

I'm buying it either way because it seems like a quality experience. I dont need unnecesary padding to justify the price of a game.

Edit: dang, it really is £20 there... bummer.

Hm, I'd still wait for it to hit cheaper. I just feel guilty when I get home. 5 hours is really too short for me to pay more than $20 CAD for.

The last game I remember being completely satisfied with after buying full price was Alan Wake, because man, that is one long third person shooter.

@jimmyfenix: Worst reason not to get a vita.

IT'S NOT A BUMMER FOR ME. MWA HAHAHAHA!

I would be happy to pay £30 for a sublime 5 hour game though. In fact, I'd rather do that than pay £40 and have a game bogged down with repetition.

Vita already has a bunch of great games. If you don't have one by now I don't see why this would sell you on one.

@samstrife: yup. The price point is definitely not stopping me. Cant wait to play it :)

sure ill need a game for my remote play device for those offline times. glad it reviewed well

My Persona 4 machine can play OTHER GAMES?!?

(jk, It plays DiveKick as well)

Preordered this a while ago. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

I don't know, I played a bit of it at PAX and it did absolutely nothing for me.P4G justified my vita purchase, and as long as PS+ keeps giving me 1 quality vita game a month I have no complaints.

I'll wait for this to be on PS+ in a few months and give it an honest go then.

If only Tearaway were the launch title to showcase what the you can do with the Vita, instead we got Little Deviants. A local retailer slipped up so I got a copy already. I wasn't big on LBP but this is something else, people will do terrible things with the customization.

persona4golden says hello.

@ervonymous said:

If only Tearaway were the launch title to showcase what the you can do with the Vita, instead we got Little Deviants. A local retailer slipped up so I got a copy already. I wasn't big on LBP but this is something else, people will do terrible things with the customization.

Wow. That's user made?

@amyggen: Well not ALL first party are moving to PS4. Sony Japan has a couple games coming out for Vita including Freedom Wars and Gravity Rush 2. I bet they'll keep Sony Bend on the Vita too. They'll also keep up with MLB The Show on Vita. So there's that.

Well you can't really blame Sony for AC Liberation coming to consoles, only Ubisoft. Either way, AC Liberation is such a shit game. Not worth $20. I also highly, HIGHLY doubt that any of the Vita first party games will come to PS3 or PS4.

@samstrife: Yup, there's quite a few ready-made things to buy and slap on characters but nothing's keeping you from making your own. It's a bit finicky but the freedom's worth it.

I've been going back and forth on getting a Vita during all the holiday sales, and this is making that idea even more tempting. I've been super paranoid about screen defects, though.

This has to be the best reviewed game this year right? I mean the lowest so far is 3/5 & 8/10. Everything else is just a point under the top score or is the top score. I really want to buy this but I'm broke so yay!

I think SMB3DW is better reviewed now.

this doesnt seem like a system seller, just a game for people who already own it.

the indie/small game angle didnt sell me the system yet, why would this?

man, seriously want a Vita, that looks amazing. Plus play indie games on a Vita, instead of lugging around a laptop, keyboard, mouse, usb controller, power supply which is how I play indie games through steam if I'm lucky to find a power supply for a bit. Vita looks sweet.

IMO it is a good move to push people on the fence about getting a Vita during this time. With the PS4 launch there are many people considering getting a Vita just for remote play and 2nd screen reasons. Now before they hit the [BUY] button they ask themselves is it really worth it. Now that this game has come along and the scores are high those people will have one more reason to finish that click.

Want this game so bad but I'm afraid it's going to get lost in the holiday shuffle. Between buying a Xone for myself, a Mario Edition Wii U with Mario 3D world and the new Zelda game for the 3DS for my son I just don't have the time to get into this game. Hopefully I can get to it sometime in January.

@blastroid: Yeah I can only guess that is what they're planning, and now with this vita+ps4 bundle rumoured for December it would be a good way to get vitas into hands.

Whether it works or not, though, I love this game. Just so joyful and colorful and the animations are the best. I could spend so long just cutting out and sticking things onto my character and the world.

Tearaway is pretty cool you guys.

Yep... game is pretty awesome indeed. I'm much more inclined to use the creation tools in this because its way more simple than making something in Little Big Planet.

Using my fat finger to draw shapes on the screen is tough but it's still a lot of fun. I took a pic of my guy to show him off and show some of the customization you can do.

Anyone know how to get the pictures? I didn't understand the save interface with the camera. There was a smiley face (which I guessed was perhaps my email but it never showed up) and then twitter and facebook which I didn't really want to use. So what does the smiley face represent?

P4G is still the number one reason to buy the game, but I am interested in this to beef up my Vita

Is this the year of the video game selfie (GTAV, Windwaker HD, and now Tearaway)?

Also, this game is fucking fantastic. MM making a more focused game = one of the best games of the year.

This actually makes me super excited for PS4 now, because it's reminding me of how amazing that development team is and I want to see what they can do with new hardware.

I bought Zelda yesterday in lieu of Tearaway, but it's getting harder to not want to buy Tearway as well. I just know I'm probably going to spend a bunch of money this coming week on cheap games, so I'm trying to be semi-fiscally responsible.