Unravel
Storytelling Reinvention:
employs yarn as a metaphorical game mechanic to explore the themes of love, family, and connection between people
Game Information
Release Date: February 9th, 2016
Developer: Coldwood Interactive
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Rating: Everyone
Genre(s): Exploratory, Metaphorical, Platformer, Strategy
Price: $19.99
Website: http://www.unravelgame.com/
Unravel was released in February 2016, created by Martin Sahlin and the creative team at Cordwood Interactive. This 14-person team working out of Northern Sweden sought to create a game that stood out from the crowd as being a game with “heart.” Sahlin who, is also the Creative Director at Coldwood Interactive, stated: "I wanted to make something more personal, something with more impact. The game didn’t have to change the world, or even try, but it had to be genuine, it had to have a deeper meaning. It had to have heart."(1)
Unravel’s character, Yarny, is a created from red yarn, which the is the creator’s metaphor for family and the love that binds the family together. The the object of the game is to travel to the end of the game, through the beautiful Northern Scandinavian environment, while overcoming obstacles and solving physics-type puzzles without “unravelling.” Created by a small team, EA is showing that they are searching for games that offer a different type of experience for the user, created by smaller, independent teams (2). The metaphorical aspect of the Unravel takes storytelling to a different level by utilizing its game mechanics to reinforce the story as well as drive the plot.
References:
1. Martin Sahlin. Welcome to Unravel. UnravelGame. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
< http://www.unravelgame.com/welcome-to-unravel.html/ >.
2. Edward Tran. Games Should be More Than Just Entertainment and Escapism, says Unravel Creator. 16 Nov. 2015. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
< http://www.gamespot.com/articles/games-should-be-more-than-just-entertainment-and-e/1100-6432332/ >.
Researcher: Cindy Roadlifer
