Tearaway

Tearaway is an adventure platforming game by Media Molecule for the PlayStation Vita. The game opens with its two narrators introducing you to a papercraft world of ancient legend, old tales and tradition, before asking you to choose a messenger to join you on an epic quest. Whether you choose iota or atio, you and your envelope-headed hero or heroine are about to embark on an adventure that’s definitely worth writing home about.

Tearaway's story is as much about you as it is about your messenger. There's a captivating dynamic between fragile, paper iota and you: this powerful, god-like being that's appeared in sun above him via the Vita's front-facing camera. iota responds to your every action and the world subtly reacts to the slightest movement of the Vita in your hands. These small details instil you with a great sense of responsibility and the feeling that your messenger really relies on you.

Your adventure takes you and iota through a range of fantastic-looking settings. Each chapter has a unique visual style, while remaining faithful the game's distinctive, papercraft aesthetic. Tearaway continually surprises with the types of environments it's able to explore while believably maintaining the suggestion that everything you see could be made out of paper. This is particularly true of the later stages where the visuals, music and sound design converge to create a masterfully engrossing finale.

For the most part the game's controls are responsive but I was occasionally frustrated when the camera would be taken out of my control and fixed to a predefined angle. Though irritating, these moments are fortunately rare.

In terms of gameplay, many of the staples of a Ratchet & Clank or Spyro-style 3D platformer are here, but Tearaway really shines when it’s making use of the PS Vita’s unique features. In some sections you use the rear touch pad to poke your fingers up into the game world to defeat enemies and move platforms, or use the front touch screen to unroll bridges and peel open passageways like pages of a pop-up book. All of these interactions feel remarkably natural, intuitive and, crucially, make sense in the context of this paper world.

Like Media Molecule's previous titles, Tearaway encourages players to get creative and leave their mark on the world. As you progress through the game you collect confetti to unlock decorations which you can use to customise your messenger or certain objects and characters in the world around you. In addition to the pre-made objects, players can use the craft mat to cut-out and paste together their own decorations. Although these mechanics are brilliant fun to use and offer as little or as much depth as players wish to take from them, the way they're integrated into Tearaway's narrative sometimes feels a little ham-fisted.

More opportunities for creativity come from the camera your messenger carries. I spent an inordinate amount of time snapping Instagram-style photos of elk-riding gophers and acorn-throwing squirrels. Photos can be shared through the game's companion website, Tearaway.me, which is also where players can print-out any papercraft plans they've unlocked on their journey.

Tearaway is an experience that can (and should) be enjoyed by players of all abilities. After completing the main story in five or six hours, I was itching to jump back in and chase some of the tougher Trophies, find some of the better-hidden collectibles and just spend more time in its wonderfully charming world.

Tearaway is an absolute joy and is the best thing I've experienced on my Vita. I can't imagine anybody playing it and not succumbing to its irresistible ability to raise a smile on anyone who picks it up. Other developers take note: This is how you do a PS Vita game.

[This review was originally posted on my blog]