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- orangutan matter
- orangutan matter
- orangutan matter
- orangutan matter
Unleaving
Released On: Mar 27, 2024
73
8.2
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
73
60% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
40% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
73
60% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
40% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Unleaving is a unique experience that will draw players in with its unique presentation, especially the painted art style, and its lyrical approach to narrative. The title does not try to explain everything but manages to communicate emotions, some of them deep and dark, others hopeful and bright.
The puzzle design is good, although it's easy to struggle with execution after having a clear idea of the solution (do not be afraid to use the hint system). Unleaving is a short and heartfelt video game that showcases the unique vision an indie creator can deliver.
A short-but-sweet art piece, Unleaving leaves a lasting impression that truly immerses players in its artistic world. For those feeling a little lost, be sure to take this journey.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 User Ratings
8.2
80% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
20% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 User Ratings
8.2
80% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
20% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Unleaving is captivating with stunning hand painted imagery. I really enjoyed the immersive experience, and thought provoking puzzles. It left me wanting more! I also enjoyed the fact that it wasn't super simple or very hard either, it allowed me to stop and think about what to do next which I liked a lot & there are hints if needed. 10/10 I would recommend
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PC
There are many reasons why I love playing independently made games. Small studios are enabled to make unique experiences with creative juices dripping over every scene. Unleaving adds another chapter to my book of game love. Unleaving is a puzzle platformer in the spirit of Limbo or Little Nightmares. A certain GO Cast podcast member said, “It looks like Limbo in color,” and he was exactly right. It’s a solo side scroller at heart while each scene contains a puzzle or two that you must solve before moving on to the next scene. I had my hiccups, but, upon credits rolling, found myself enraptured by the creativity and, dare I say, emotional from the abstract poetry of the game.
Poetry in Game Form
The game makers (Orangutan Matter) were kind enough to mention the poem that inspired this game: “Spring to Fall For a Young Child” by Gerard Manley Hopkins. The poem is about how the changing of the seasons is just like life. A tree losing its leaves as Summer changes to Autumn is like human aging. What does that mean through the eyes of a young person?
Unleaving’s puzzles might seem beside the point. They work to give the player something to do to progress to the next segment of the game. They are difficult puzzles, too. Some rely on very specific timing of an action. Trial and error works best, and the player can finally figure out the right way to go about the solution. Other puzzles require very specific placement in order to jump the right way. I think my least favorite puzzle included a light bulb that was pretty far away, in the context of the rest of the puzzles, and didn’t make a lot of sense to intuitively solve it. Thankfully, after dying/failing six or seven times, the game offers you a vague assist. It doesn’t spell out the solution but does just enough to point your brain in the right direction.
Unleaving
The puzzles progress the segments of the game, though. And those segments are gorgeous. Like most poetry, you could allow yourself to think in the abstract. It could mean something different to you. I caught what the game meant to me pretty quickly, though. Being on the B side of the life expectancy mountain, I immediately thought of mortality and how we should fill our lives with value while we’re here. The puzzles and artistry told me to look back at my life’s mistakes with regret and sadness while promoting adaptation and inspiring me to not make the same mistake twice.
The game opens with a young child sitting on a cliff. The child is purposefully androgynous to allow players of all genders to identify with the child’s confusion, curiosity, and adventure. The last leaf falls from a tree, floats a moment, then turns into a moth. You follow the moth until you come across a couple of simple puzzles to introduce the mechanics of the game.
The Weak Spot
I played Unleaving on Steam. That’s how I played it. You can use the common WASD to move in those directions. The other simple (default) controls are space to jump and the shift key to take action; you’re usually grabbing an item to drag it to the needed puzzle placement. I found that the controls on the keyboard were a little soft. Since the puzzles require specific timing or placement, I needed those keys to respond. The split seconds that I felt I was losing made the puzzles more difficult than they already were. I’m sure I could have adapted to this, as well, but I decided that I would rather play the game with a controller. The good ole Xbox controller was waiting for me. Hello, A to jump and X to action/grab. Unfortunately, the responsiveness was still a little soft. I had to adapt but I kept the controller as my device of choice.
Unleaving
Since the game mechanics are rather simple and easy to explain, I’d much rather focus on the bread and butter of this game: the visuals and music.
So Beautiful, It Might Invoke Feelings
I was enthralled by the first scene. The art style is very much like a painting. You can see the canvas upon which Unleaving is drawn. Utterly magnificent. Each chapter of the game and the “cut scenes” (for lack of a better word) were carefully crafted by some artists with tremendous skill. They encapsulate the poetry of the game in art form. Their work had me stopping my progress just to look around and immerse myself in the environment that they created for us, which is precisely what the game tells you to do before it begins. They explain about the thousands of pieces created in a variety of styles: acrylics, pencils, paint, among others. I felt like I was in a museum of art with every step the child took.
Even the puzzles take advantage of the artists’ skills while creating them. The lone “bad guy” of the game is a dog that chases after you in a couple of segments. A few months back, I reviewed a game called Howl, which I absolutely adored. The way this dog was drawn was very similar to the way the wolves were drawn in Howl. That positive connection only enhanced my adoration for this game’s art style. I cannot
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PC
If you enjoy side-scrolling puzzle-platformers, Unleaving is a fun afternoon snack. The esoteric narrative is too clumsy for its own good, but the team at orangutan matter is incredibly talented, and they’ve earned their stripes when it comes to gameplay and design.
Unleaving is a fascinating game to look at and a frustrating one to play. The puzzle design is uninspired and based on a cycle of trial-and-error ideas and, despite the fact that i just lasts a couple of hours, it fails to make you feel captivated and motivated by the gameplay. The art direction and the atmosphere are top notch, but those are unfortunately the best things Unleaving has to offer.
Overall this game is a great opportunity to pick up and play whenever, it may be quite difficult but it’s generally quite a short game. The art style alone is fascinating enough to recommend this game alone. The storytelling is very ambitious but overall wasn’t very engaging and I would have liked to hear more of that beautiful soundtrack. Altogether, I’m still very excited to see what Orangutan Matter makes next.
I was thoroughly impressed with Unleaving. The quality of the art and creativity behind the execution of the puzzles were brilliant. When on the Boss Rush Podcast, I explained how the emotional pull of Unleaving felt a lot like Devolver Digital’s Gris, and yet, orangutan matter has crafted their own identity. And although the game is short, it was one that left me thinking about it for hours after.
Sometimes the puzzles required a level of precision that may hinder some people from feeling true immersion at times, but as long as patience and the expectation of trial and error are set, it should not detract from its quality.
I recommend this game for those that want a true experience of art in video games, for the person that enjoys mulling over the abstract and the existential.
Thank you, orangutan matter, for releasing such a beautiful game!
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PC
Unleaving is a beautifully designed game that seamlessly blends creative hand-painted, pencil, and graphite artwork to create an immersive experience where you can feel each stroke of the brush and emotional undertone as you play through the story.
Referencing back to Gerard Manley Hopkins' Poem 'Spring and Fall: To a Young Child', Unleaving shares an emotional story that plunges the player into its vibrant art style and subtle storytelling paired with thought-provoking (and often quite difficult) puzzle elements.
On its surface, this game tells a story of growth and evolution like a tree losing its trees (unleaving) and as a human living through seasons of life. As you journey through the game, you encounter changes and troubles that you must overcome to free your character from fears, the past, and obstacles that hold you back.
Unleaving also has a nice "hint" feature which helps you when you are stuck on puzzles so you shouldn't be stuck too long like in many other Indie games I have played.
This game is worth playing for the artwork alone and if you're a fan of puzzles, this is a great game to pick up, especially if you're a fan of Indie Games like Braid and Limbo.
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PC
Summary UNLEAVING is a thought provoking puzzle-platformer. Players will explore a surreal world brought to life with hand painted art using a unique painting-animation. The game puzzles and skill-based challenges are tightly knit into the story's fabric allowing the players to emotionally immerse into the experience. Through the gameplay featu...
Platforms:
- PC
Initial Release Date: Mar 27, 2024
Developer:
- Orangutan Matter Inc.
Publisher: orangutan matter
Genres: