Game review: Unravel has a scenic setting, spoilt by a shallow plot

The hero of this one, Yarny, is a tangle of red yarn that has been magically transformed into a sentient, catlike creature, and can use his thread as a lasso.

Yarny, the hero of Unravel, can use his thread as a lasso to climb. EA / Coldwood via AP

Unravel

Electronic Arts / Coldwood Interactive

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Two-and-a-half stars

Unravel is the type of game that's been a staple since the earliest days of video gaming, and follows a theme seen most notably, perhaps, in Super Mario Bros: you move left to right, navigating obstacles and avoiding the monsters that want to eat you.

The hero of this one, Yarny, is not a plumber but a tangle of red yarn that has been magically transformed into a sentient, catlike creature.

Yarny can use his thread as a lasso, and then use that to climb trees. He can also create trampolines that let him jump a little higher – if he’s lucky, he might be able to hitch a lift on a passing kite.

On the downside, he's not the most versatile guy – the yarn-based lead character of last year's Yoshi's Woolly World makes him look like a slacker. In addition, the puzzles in Unravel don't have enough variety, even allowing for its relatively short six-hour length.

Unravel does, however, look gorgeous, with vivid landscapes that have been drawn with painstaking detail.

But it is ultimately a shallow experience. Its attempt at ­narrative depth – the yarn connects the memories of a sad old woman’s life – is sentimental hokum.

* Associated Press