Tearaway is a game that came out awhile back on the Vita and I loved it. I’m playing through the PS4 version now and it’s even better in a lot of ways. It’s still a ridiculously beautiful platformer with some genuinely unique gameplay but it also has a really cool second screen application now. If you have kids in your house this is seriously something you have to try because they will love it. Let me tell you how it works.
The game is designed to look like the entire thing was made out of construction paper. It’s really an amazing effect and the game sells it 100%. Creating new stuff is a big part of the game as well. You can actually draw out designs on the touchpad and see them come to life in the game. One of the first tasks in fact is to design a new crown for the king of the squirrels. You’re given different colors of construction paper and you just get to go to town. Drawing on the touchpad works okay but if you have the Playstation App you can use an iPad instead. This gives you a great big screen with construction paper, scissors, and even the use of the camera. You can use all these tools (or even better someone else can) to constantly change the world while you play.
I gave the iPad to my son Noah while I played through the game. He would draw little designs and then with one button send them to the game where they blow into the level on a gust of wind. He can also use it to design new bits and pieces for various characters in the game including the main one. Don’t like the nose this guy has? Well draw a new one! Using the camera takes the photo you snapped and applies it like a texture to some random part of the level. I was running along a bridge that was all of a sudden plastered with Noah’s smiling face. If you have kids around you know how awesome five year old laughter is and I’m telling you Noah lost it. Pretty soon my level was textured with pictures of the dog, his big brother, my wife and one that I am pretty sure was a picture of his butt. He’s going through kind of a butt phase right now.
We played this way together for a couple hours and it was non stop fun for he and I both. In fact when I told him we had to stop he asked if he could keep drawing in the app. I turned the TV off while leaving the game paused and he just sat and made stuff out of construction paper for a while. If you’re looking for a fun way to play games with your kids, especially little ones this is a fantastic set up. You’ll be playing a stunning/challenging platformer while doing virtual arts and crafts with your kids. That’s a win win in my book.
I will say that the Playstation App can be a little wonky. I had some disconnects and one error that forced me to delete and reinstall the app entirely. When it worked it was awesome and it worked most of the time, just be prepared for some hiccups.
-Gabe out
