Tearaway

Tearaway is one of those rare games that gets exponentially better with its ending.

With Tearaway, Media Molecule is showing us how good they are at the 3D platform genre. Even surpassing their own work in LittleBigPlanet, they offer us an excellent product, thanks to an incredible display of imagination, with some of the most remarkable visuals and gameplay we have seen on PlayStation Vita so far.

Sure, Tearaway's depth is more an emotional one than of gameplay. But you only need to take one look at that permanently grinning face in the sun to know: In the end, that's what it's all about.

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.

At its best, Tearaway is a wonderful celebration of Vita's creative potential. [January 2014, p74]

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.

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.

One of the best Vita games available. Think little big planet but with less emphasis on creation and more emphasis on the world the messenger lives in and his/her journey. This is a prime example of using the hardware of the Vita correctly. The graphics look great and the way the game is designed around using the unique features of the vita like the touch screens, microphone and accelerometer all work fantastically. This is a must play if you still own a Vita.

One of the best games I've ever played, regardless of platform. Looks great, handles better and uses all of the Vita's features. The story is really captivating and fresh, accompanied by fantastic music and funny dialog. Voice acting is superb, on level with God of War! If there is one game you have to play on the Vita, it's this one.

Tearaway is jewel ****. Coming from the makers of Little Big Planet it’s has the inevitable adorability and charm that made that former so enjoyable. It pits you as Iota or Atoi (depending on gender preference), a small paper person with an envelope for a head, travelling through a paper world with the aim of delivering themselves, the message, to you. The Vita’s features are fully integrated within the game. Touchscreens, cameras and the six axis are all utilised in a way that mostly feels natural, an issue with past Vita titles. The only part I found awkward was destroying the evil scraps through the rear touch pad. But this doesn’t really matter in world that crafted as beautifully as this. It’s not the prettiest game on the PlayStation Vita but its distinct art style and charming soundtrack speak for themselves. The paper craft world is wonderful to explore. Cute little touches are aplenty, such as opening the collectible presents with the touchscreen and seeing your face as the sun (using the front camera). The collectibles aren’t a grind either, they’re fun to collect and collecting the paper craft ‘planes’ with the in game camera unlocks Origami models on ****. I’ve even made my own Iota, just because I can. The issue with Tearaway is that it’s over too quickly. I was able to complete the game in less than five hours and all the collectibles only added an extra hour or so onto the play time. When you have awesome games like Guacamelee on the store for £7.99 it seems hard to justify the price of a full title. Tearaway is beautiful game, the story is cute and charming and adults and children can both enjoy it. It’s short and overpriced for the length of the game, but it is the first game that has used the Vita’s features in a fun way.

Ok, the game is really pretty and original and you can check there is a lot of work behind it. Sometimes it's a little bit boring and childish. Sometimes you get stuck if you don't have enough "money" and you need to go back..

To be honest for me it was just a really dull experience. I get it that ps vita have a lot of inputs options... But whole game is built around that unnecessary inputs like blowing into the microphone or rubbing back screen. The gameplay is nowhere near great platformers, like those from nintendo for example. But it's kinda fresh though... Only for an hour.