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Unravel

Unravel is a game that everyone should experience. It will pull you in from the moment you enter to the moment you have to let it go.
Unravel Game Cover
81%Game Brain Score
story, music
grinding, stability
87% User Score Based on 2,684 reviews
Critic Score 74%Based on 34 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SPCXbox Game PassPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxEa OriginWindowsPlayStation
Unravel Game Cover

About

Unravel is a single player arcade platformer game with a kids theme. It was developed by Coldwood Interactive and was released on June 4, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Unravel is a physics-based puzzle platformer featuring Yarny, a character made of yarn who unravels as you move. With yarn, swing, swing, and swing from tree branches, or hitch rides on kites, as you explore and solve puzzles in the stunning landscapes of Northern Scandinavia. Through an adventure about love, hope, and journey, Yarny reconnects lost memories of a family in a story told completely without words. Remote Play requires additional hardware.

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87%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,684 reviews
story334 positive mentions
grinding12 negative mentions

  • story
    714 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Unravel" is a poignant and emotional journey that unfolds through stunning visuals and music, without any dialogue, allowing players to piece together a narrative about family, love, and memories. While many players praise its heartfelt storytelling and beautiful art, some criticize the coherence and depth of the plot, suggesting it can feel fragmented or simplistic at times. Overall, the game is celebrated for its ability to evoke strong emotions and create a captivating atmosphere, making it a memorable experience for those who appreciate narrative-driven gameplay.

    • “Unravel is an exquisite masterpiece that effortlessly weaves together captivating storytelling, breathtaking visuals, and a heartwarming soundtrack.”
    • “The story is touching and emotional, yet simple.”
    • “Not only were the visuals and atmosphere in this game stunning, but the story had a way of tugging on my heartstrings.”
    • “The story was the biggest let down of the game because there was none, at least not a coherent one.”
    • “The game would have been much better if there was one overarching story, instead of smaller ones, which you could not care less about.”
    • “The story is close to non-existent; I can't say I had a chance to properly pay attention to those visions and the meaning behind them with how bad the level design is.”
  • music
    584 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Unravel" is widely praised for its emotional depth and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its beautiful orchestral and folk influences. The soundtrack is described as soothing and immersive, perfectly complementing the stunning visuals and storytelling, although some players noted it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the music is considered one of the standout features of the game, contributing significantly to the overall experience.

    • “Beautiful game, story is amazing, and the music is outstanding, 10/10”
    • “The music is beautiful and helps tell the story by giving each level a distinct emotional tone.”
    • “Unravel is an exquisite masterpiece that effortlessly weaves together captivating storytelling, breathtaking visuals, and a heartwarming soundtrack.”
    • “The music is so incredibly repetitive, monotonous, and sappy that I can't roll my eyes hard enough.”
    • “The soundtrack is really annoying.”
    • “The music was boring and I turned it off halfway through the game because it made me sleepy and without the music I could cope with the game a lot better.”
  • graphics
    582 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning beauty and artistic style, often described as breathtaking and immersive, with many players noting the detailed environments and charming character design. While some critiques mention issues with clarity and occasional pixelation, the overall consensus is that the visuals significantly enhance the emotional storytelling and gameplay experience. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke feelings through its visuals, making it a standout feature despite some gameplay frustrations.

    • “Unravel is a beautiful game – from the outright gorgeous graphics, to the fantastically animated and impossibly cute main character, and the brilliantly subtle story it tells via small clues and metaphorical imagery that tugs at the heartstrings.”
    • “The graphics are incredible and the soundtrack makes it all the more immersive.”
    • “The visuals are beautiful and the soundtrack fits the game perfectly.”
    • “The art style is too grainy/blurry/dark, and you can't change any of that.”
    • “One big flaw with the visuals is that I, as well as others, had problems figuring out if something was supposed to be part of the foreground or in the background.”
    • “Under the cute graphics and sentimental story, it's a really poorly designed and frustrating platforming game with poor controls and inconsistent physics, full of sudden failure states that make you retry simple puzzles instead of simply enjoying them.”
  • gameplay
    530 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by its simple yet engaging mechanics, primarily revolving around the protagonist's unique yarn abilities, which allow for creative puzzle-solving and platforming challenges. While many players appreciate the therapeutic and enjoyable nature of the gameplay, some express frustration with its repetitiveness and occasional inconsistencies in mechanics, leading to a mixed reception overall. The visuals and music complement the gameplay well, creating a charming and immersive experience, though some players feel that the mechanics could have been further developed to enhance variety and depth.

    • “The gameplay is very fun and enjoyable in my opinion, it's not too challenging but not too easy either, it's very therapeutic.”
    • “The gameplay is simple but challenging, with clever puzzles and well-balanced platforming challenges.”
    • “Unravel offers a distinct blend of platforming, puzzle-solving, and emotional storytelling, showcasing the remarkable potential for creative and immersive gameplay found within the game.”
    • “Give up the headache of trying to turn on this game as anyway even when you get to open its gameplay is nothing special.”
    • “The gameplay itself can also become tedious and repetitive, and is saved only by the heart-warming story that comes with playing through the game.”
    • “The controls are incredibly frustrating and counter-intuitive, which ruined the gameplay for me.”
  • emotional
    312 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of "Unravel" is widely praised, with players highlighting its heartfelt storytelling, stunning visuals, and evocative music that together create a deeply moving experience. Many reviewers noted that the game effectively conveys powerful emotions without dialogue, often leading to moments of nostalgia and reflection on personal memories. Overall, "Unravel" is described as a beautiful and touching journey that resonates with players, making it a standout title for those seeking an emotional gaming experience.

    • “Unravel is an exquisite masterpiece that effortlessly weaves together captivating storytelling, breathtaking visuals, and a heartwarming soundtrack.”
    • “The story is touching and emotional, yet simple.”
    • “When I finished the game initially, I cried because the story was so touching.”
  • atmosphere
    160 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, charming music, and emotional depth, creating a captivating and immersive experience. Players appreciate the blend of nostalgic and melancholic elements, which evoke personal memories and enhance the storytelling. While some find the music repetitive, the overall ambiance is described as soothing, beautiful, and integral to the game's appeal.

    • “Not only were the visuals and atmosphere in this game stunning, but the story had a way of tugging on my heartstrings.”
    • “The game really nails the atmosphere and the environments are really evoking memories of my own childhood, which in a way is a bit spooky. The pure coziness of the Scandinavian cottage core hub mixed with the various landscapes makes for a varied journey while never getting over the edge on nostalgia.”
    • “The player is transported to Yarny's world from the first minutes of the game, thanks to the enchanting atmosphere and intuitive gameplay mechanics.”
    • “The music is also really repetitious and just adds to my frustration rather than creating an atmosphere.”
    • “Having to go through each level over and over to get the no death achievement kinda took away from the story and atmosphere of the game.”
    • “You don't need to do everything in a single run, but really, redoing levels kills the main selling point of the game, the atmosphere.”
  • grinding
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be quite tedious and repetitive, often requiring significant time investment to collect missed items or progress through levels. While some players appreciate the engaging story that helps alleviate the monotony, many feel that the gameplay becomes increasingly laborious as they advance. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a major drawback, with several users humorously suggesting that it feels like needing a "second life" to complete it.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Medium level of grinding.”
    • “The gameplay itself can also become tedious and repetitive, and is saved only by the heart-warming story that comes with playing through the game.”
    • “Game was good for the first couple of hours but slowly became more tedious as the levels progressed.”
    • “My only complaint, as a completionist, is that the collectibles are sometimes tedious.”
  • stability
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent crashes and complete freezes that require hard resets to resolve. While some users noted minor glitches, the overall experience is marred by game-breaking bugs that detract from enjoyment and make troubleshooting frustratingly time-consuming. Despite its appealing graphics, the instability has led many to question the game's value.

    • “It completely freezes the game, and I have to close it from Steam.”
    • “Well, that was pathetic. The controls are so unintuitive - like opposite to good - that it makes this all but impossible to enjoy... but the worst part is the game freezes up the computer and deactivates the keyboard and mouse - so the only way out is to hard reset the computer... I want that last 20 minutes of my life back.”
    • “Game constantly crashes on launch to the point where everything I've tried doesn't resolve the issue and I'm not spending hours trying to resolve a buggy game.”
  • optimization
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is generally well-optimized, with many users reporting smooth performance on high-end systems. However, some players experience significant performance issues, particularly related to the Origin integration, which can be mitigated by disabling the overlay. Overall, performance varies widely among users.

    • “A well-made and well-optimized game.”
    • “Make sure to disable the Origin overlay to get the best performance out of it.”
    • “I have no problems with performance; the game runs very smoothly on a 3700x, 32GB, 2070s at 3440x1440.”
    • “My only problem with it is that the Origin integration kills quite a bit of the performance.”
    • “Terrible performance.”
    • “Overall impressions & performance: A well-made and well-optimized game.”
  • humor
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is characterized by lighthearted moments that reflect the ups and downs of life, complemented by a charming and likable main character with cute emotes and movements. Players find the character's antics, especially at the end of the thread, amusing, making it a delightful experience for those seeking both heartwarming and humorous content. Overall, it successfully blends humor with emotional depth.

    • “The main character is super cute, and I find it funny when you reach the end of the thread and the character is so thin...”
    • “If you want a treat for both the heart and the sense of humor, this is the game for you.”
    • “The character is likable and has some cute and funny emotes and movements.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game has been criticized for its low replayability, with users noting that despite a substantial initial playtime of around 30 hours, there is hardly any incentive to revisit the game after completion.

    • “Replayability - 8 (30 hours!?)”
    • “Playability & replayability”
    • “Playability & replayability”
    • “Hardly any replay value.”
    • “Replayability - 8 (30 hours!?”
    • “Playability & replayability.”
  • monetization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of games like Unravel is viewed positively, as they reflect genuine passion and effort rather than being mere cash grabs, contrasting sharply with the perception of EA as a company focused on profit over quality. Players appreciate the success of such heartfelt games, which leads to sequels and further development.

    • “This clearly allows us to understand why EA is such a cash grab entity.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is noted to be minimal, with some reviewers highlighting the charm of the character Yarny, despite a lack of depth in character design. The overall aesthetic combines a cute character with a realistic environment, but it seems to fall short in providing substantial character growth or complexity.

    • “Not much in the way of character design, but Yarny is cute enough.”
    • “This game came with a cute character design along with a realistic world.”
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7h Median play time
6h Average play time
6h Main story
13h Completionist
5-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Unravel is a arcade platformer game with kids theme.

Unravel is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

The main story can be completed in around 6 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 13 hours to finish. On average players spend around 6 hours playing Unravel.

Unravel was released on June 4, 2020.

Unravel was developed by Coldwood Interactive.

Unravel has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Unravel is a single player game.

Similar games include Spirit of the North, RiME, Unravel Two, LIMBO, FAR: Lone Sails and others.