Tearaway (2013)

Tearaway is a visually stunning game that utilizes the Vita's innovative mechanics in various ways (some good, some... not so much). I feel in love with the Paper Mario-esque design, soundtrack and story, even though simple, had a very beautiful message.

I have three major gripes with the game:

• Rear touchpad: I bought a second hand Vita so I'm not actually sure how much (or even if, assuming it was well taken care of) it can affect the touchpad responsiveness. Several times during my gameplay I had issues where the console simply didn't register my fingers. Dragging and tapping the read touchpad was a hassle throughout the game.

• The camera: It really annoyed me to no end. I admit I suck at platformers, even more so when I can't even move the camera in an intuitive and responsive way. I died countless times trying to jump from one place to the other.

• The final levels: Having to tilt the console to move platforms, while still trying to see what I'm doing. It felt like a long puzzle like section from some TloZ: Breath of the Wild's shrines (playing the Switch on handheld mode... a true nightmare).

Overall I really enjoyed my time playing Tearaway, even though it was a relatively short game it got the job done well with some rather frustrating gameplay issues. It was an excellent way to discover what the Vita's truly capable of.

If you have a PlayStation vita, this is an absolute must play particularly because of how it showcases all of its features. This is very much a gameplay and art design driven game. It utilizes plenty of the vitas features, including its camera, touch screens, back buttons, motion etc, to help solve puzzles and what not. It’s very easy to play, but does provide some challenges later on. However, it does get a bit repetitive. At its heart it is a fun puzzle platformer.

Story wise, it’s simple, yet has a lot of charm. You play as a piece of mail and are working to reach the sun in the sky. Along the way, you do meet several creatures, all of which have their unique charms. Often they’ll ask you for help, which usually goes to you designing things for them. It’s a very creative game and if you like a bit more artsy, this is one to try.

If there was ever a game that could act as the PS Vita's ambassador then Tearaway would be a serious contender. For starters, its story about the journey of a origami-like messenger trying to deliver a message to you, the player, is a tale that anyone of any age can enjoy. Admittedly for older players, the plot won't hold any serious revelations but the message that the game delivers is one that I think people need to hear from time to time.

Then there are the gameplay mechanics. Tearaway just loves to show off all of the Vita's features, from the touch screen to the camera to motion control. In your journey through the world of Tearaway, you will use every element of the Vita. This makes the gameplay rather unique, amongst platformers, howvere some of the Vita's features don't allow for the finer control that Tearaway sometimes wants. This does lead to the occassional death but the overall unique gameplay experience is enough to mitigate teh frustration of the odd death.

As Tearaway is a platformer, it has a number of different collectibles for you to find and collect. Some of these do require you to explore the levels quite thoroughly to locate but , apart from a handful, most were easy to find. By hunting down these collectibles, you will be able to see everything that the game has to offer, as well as it gives you the opportunity to practice the gameplay mechanics before the final levels, which you will be thankful for.

Finally, Tearaway is an absolutely gorgeous game to look at. The choice of a papercrafted world makes it bright and unique. The fact that you can physically recreate the various creatures and environments from the game, using just paper, shows hwo much thought the developers put in to creating this fantastical world.

Overall, Tearaway was a fun game to play and I would highly recommend that any PS Vita owner should add it to their library of Vita games.

Vita Memories from the 10s

Part 4: Video Games are Magic

What is the best 3D platformer you've (probably) never played? It's Tearaway for the PS Vita! This game pretty much always gets recommended in "top 10 Vita games" lists, but citizens of Grouvee Dot Com, I gotta say. Tearaway absolutely lives up to all the hype.

There are two titles that immediately come to mind for me when I think of a video game that instilled within me a true sense of childlike wonder while playing it -- the first one was Nights into Dreams for the Sega Saturn -- and the second would of course be this. Tearaway is a breathtaking joy to play through from start to finish. It wasn't the game's inputs that won me over (but rest assured, the game's use of cameras, front and back touch screens, and gyroscope are all pulled off perfectly). It was the game's giddy and heartwarming atmosphere. The art direction, the music, the narration, the cute and colorful characters, the sure and steady pacing always providing new and surprising things to see, do, and experience -- everything just comes together so seamlessly, it legitimately feels like magic.

In a better world, this game would've not only moved millions of Vita units, it would've been touted as a wonderful new "Minecraft" for kids to explore a world fueled by their own creativity and imagination. Tearaway isn't just for Little Big Planet fans, and it isn't just for those crazy Vita fans. It's for every gamer who doesn't mind feeling young at heart for a few hours, and just experiencing some pure, vibrant charm in video game form.

An updated/remixed port was later released for the PS4, called Tearaway Unfolded. I've pretty much never seen anybody in any PS4 online communities talk about it. It's a good game -- I had a fun time with it. But it's not Tearaway on the Vita. Go get a Vita, and make Tearaway one of your first Vita games to play through. (If you haven't already~)

Previous posts: Muramasa Rebirth -- Sound Shapes -- Danganronpa