Unleaving review

We always think we have more time, often taking precious seconds for granted. Putting off a meeting with a friend or family member; booking off that holiday you’ve always wanted; fixing that broken shelf on the bookcase. Sometimes life passes you by until it’s too late and you realise all those things you meant to do never happened because you missed the opportunity. Unleaving is about the fragility of life – of time – and as you watch the seasons change or the years add to your tally of existence, you’ve not been able to admire the true value of life or of living.

Art is subjective, both in its meaning and its appeal, yet it is always beautiful. Sometimes it’s harder to appreciate depending on your preferences, but there’s always great emotion to be found in a painting, whether it’s Van Gogh’s ‘Old Man in Sorrow’ or any one of Bob Ross’ happy little accidents. From start to finish, Unleaving is utterly breath-taking. Stunning works of art that change and remain static, fluctuating with elegance and purpose as you make your way through the different levels, constantly in awe of just how remarkable the brush work and creativity is.

There’re seldom words scattered on the screen and no dialogue. You are supposed to spawn your own meanings from what you’re watching unfold, and that’s part of the beauty of it. I seldom use the word masterpiece when writing reviews, but the art style is certainly that. I’ve not seen a game that floored me with its design quite as much as this did, and I found myself not even playing at times simply to admire the hard work that went into the effort and passion put into these hand-painted worlds. It might not appeal to everyone, but it’s hard not to at least admire the way orangutan matter have crafted such a gorgeous game.

As for the puzzles found un Unleaving, much life the themes hidden within its story, they’re about time be it timing a jump or timing the pulling of a lever. Precision in your decisions are key to making sure you succeed, and it can be tricky to get it right at times. One of the puzzles took me a while to work out exactly when I needed to jump because I kept falling to my doom. Let’s just say I don’t want to return to that dilapidated Ferris wheel any time soon. Still, there’s plenty of variety in how these puzzles are built, and are challenging enough to keep you working to succeed.

The mirroring of the main character where you jump and they jump underneath you; trying to break a large mirror with the help of a black bird; using electricity to move platforms and elevators. There’re plenty of ideas in Unleaving that are executed well as long as you get the timing right, and sometimes the window is smaller than you’d like. It isn’t a particularly long game, but through the puzzles and its philosophical nature, it never outstays its welcome or frustrates you to the point you feel like giving up. While it takes inspiration from games like Limbo, its visuals are some of the best I’ve ever seen.

Unleaving is a moving tale of living your life to the fullest and appreciating it as best you can. Others might take away another message or meaning from it, and that’s part of the beauty of its appeal. If you die, you’re loaded right back into the action which takes away the frustration of long loading times, and it won’t take you long until you can work out what to do. It’s not as complicated as Braid yet it has the same variety in the design of its puzzles you can’t help but be impressed. Not it’s on Xbox, there’s no reason why you can’t give it a chance. You won’t be disappointed.