So I successfully feel like an emotionless monster.
After repeated warnings of how touching I would find the story and how much the charm of the game would reduce me to a squealing child, I just wasn’t moved.
This is not to say that I didn’t get it. I see the charm of the world-built-as-paper, and the emotion and charm others see in the game is totally justified. Something about how the game’s mechanics end up in a weird middle ground turned me off. It probably comes down to how slowly all of the standard platforming abilities are doled out to the player. How long was it until I could jump? By the end of the game I was having fun with the crazy level design and challenging, yet enjoyable gameplay. I just kept asking myself why the game wasn’t this fun earlier, back when seeing my face in the sun stopped being cute and entertaining.
I suppose pacing is a concern, but the way the fun of the game is back-loaded leaves the people not charmed by the art and design twiddling our thumbs for a little too long.
I feel like this review is basically you trying to bait me into writing for the site. (I think it’s working…) 😛
Shame you couldn’t connect with the game. I personally felt like the game gave you access to the abilities as needed – those opening hours weren’t lacking even though I was stuck on the ground for most of them. I can understand where you’re coming from – touchpad gimmickry aside, the core design isn’t revolutionary – but I think you have to let go of those expectations. Just take the world in. Look at how the world was constructed. Explore the game’s many nooks and crannies. Tearaway is very much “more than the sum of its parts.” (For the record, it was my #1 game last year.)