Playback: Tearaway was the PS Vita at its interactive best

thesixthaxis.com:

If there’s one thing we know and love Media Molecule for, it’s pushing creativity and experimentation within its game design. The studio burst onto the scene with PS3 hit LittleBigPlanet, before taking the concept of in-game creation to new heights with Dreams, but nestled between those projects was something a little smaller, something that you could fit in your pocket. I am, of course, talking about the paper-folded platforming adventure of Tearaway.

Tearaway is certainly a more conventional game that the rest of what Media Molecule has made. Sure, LittleBigPlanet had its Mm created story and was a side-scrolling platformer, but those were an introduction to the potential that the level-creation tools could offer, and had the unique quirk of multiple planes. By contrast, Tearaway is a rather traditional 3D platformer.

But that meant that the team could go all-in with using the PS Vita’s additional features, perhaps most distinctively the rear touchpad. This was used for all sorts of gameplay mechanics, from piercing through the game world to move platforms and flick away enemies, to drumming on platforms to help Iota/Atoi jump higher to reach higher locations in the world. The touchscreen, meanwhile, is used for the game’s crafting where you can trace designs on pieces of paper that are then cut out, as well as place accessories on different characters.

The PS Vita’s camera has a central part to Tearaway too, as your face is in the game’s sun, basically turning you into the baby from Teletubbies. You are watching over the world at all times. The camera also brings parts of the world back to life where the Scraps, the enemies, have stripped all colour from different items and characters. Take a photo of them and you will bring back their features. Finally, the microphone lets you record little messages and sound effects, when prompted, to add your voice to Iota/Atoi’s world.

Sure, they’re all gimmicks, but they tie in with the overall charm and whimsy of the story that