Media Molecule serves up another huge slice of whimsy in its latest offering, Tearaway Unfolded.

The same delightful silliness and playfulness that ran through the developer’s enchanting LittleBigPlanet creations and the original Tearaway game are very much evident here – and taken to a new level.

Tearaway Unfolded is essentially an extended and expanded remake of the 2013 hit on PS Vita that is considered to be one of the very best games available on the portable device.

The new version of the third-person platform-adventure on the PS4 home console brings with it a better looking and bigger papercraft world, with new areas to explore, new anthropomorphic handmade-looking characters to meet and gameplay mechanics to wrap your hands (and head) around.

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Of course, the relentless cuteness of an environment and cast that look like they have been made during a kids’ arts and crafts class may start to grate after a while.

But even if you are put off immediately or eventually by the game’s colourful and quirky papery setting, you surely can’t help but admire the inventiveness it constantly shows off.

The original Tearaway game on Vita stood out for the way it made use of all the device’s various functions, such as the camera and touch pad.

The PS4 retelling does the same. All the DualShock4’s abilities are utilised during the game, including the light bar and gyroscope.

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During your journey through Tearaway’s magical world to deliver a special message, you can use the controller’s light bar as a torch to help guide the character you’ve created – at least that’s the illusion the game performs very well. When you’re using the controller as a torch, a light appears on your TV screen within the game – as your move the controller around, the light moves on the screen. This gives the impression that you’re actually shining a light through the screen, and it’s very cleverly done.

The touch pad on the Dualshock 4 can be swiped to create gusts of wind within the game – useful for moving obstacles out your way or blowing enemies off cliffs.

Another cool feature is how the controller can be used to ‘catch’ items that are thrown ‘out’ of the screen, and then used to throw these things back in. It reminds me of the EyePet games I played on PS3, only without the need for the camera.

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As well as appearing to interact directly with objects inside the game world, players can also help shape the world itself. Using the touch pad, or a tablet/phone via the PlayStation app if you prefer, you can draw designs or cut out shapes that then become objects on the screen – a snowflake, a crown, a moustache, stars and decorations to go on animals being just some of the things you can create or provide images for.

To Media Molecule’s credit, this wide range of design requests and control inputs do feel like part of the game and not just tacked-on gimmicks.

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Occasionally dodgy camera angles and a sense that the game is much more linear than free-form don’t detract much from the overall quality.

While its oddness isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste, Tearaway Unfolded provides a unique experience on PS4 that’s bursting with imagination and ingenuity. I would suggest it’s aimed more at younger players but there is enough to keep adults interested too.

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If you want something different from the norm that uses the console’s controller in unusual ways, this is a paper trail worth following.

7.5 out of 10

Out now

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