Tearaway
- Platform: PlayStation Vita
- Price: $39.99
- Genre: Adventure
Common Sense Media says
Amazing, creative adventure melds real and virtual worlds.
- Platform: PlayStation Vita
- Price: $39.99
- Genre: Adventure
Tearaway gallery
What parents need to know
Positive role models
Ease of play
Violence & scariness
Language
Consumerism
Privacy & safety
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Tearaway is a 3-D platform adventure game starring a little paper messenger. Although there's a bit of combat that sees the protagonist hopping on, rolling up against, and throwing various papery minions, the focus here is much more on exploration, discovery, and, especially, creativity. Players get to create and customize objects within the game, take photos, record their voices, and interact with the world in unusual ways. They also can recreate the characters and objects they see in the game by downloading dozens -- and dozens -- of printable paper models and their corresponding instructions, which are unlocked while they're playing. It's a great outlet for creativity both on and off the gaming console.
What kids can learn
Subjects
Arts
- playing
- sculpture
Hobbies
- building
- collecting
Skills
Thinking & Reasoning
- solving puzzles
Creativity
- imagination
- making new creations
Tech Skills
- digital creation
Engagement, Approach, Support
Kids will love the game's unique look and feel, the ease with which they can learn to play, and the ability to use real paper to accurately model many of the things they see in the game.
Kids will learn about paper-crafting by experimenting with cutting and pasting virtual paper during the adventure and then later build real paper models by following detailed instructions provided by the game.
Tearaway offers plenty of coaching whenever new abilities are unlocked, and the blueprint files provide all the instruction necessary for budding paper-crafters. You also can expect to find kids sharing tips online.
User reviews
Parents say
Kids say
What's it about?
TEARAWAY is a colorful paper-craft adventure that tells the story of a small paper person journeying through a fantastical, three-dimensional paper world to deliver a message to you, the player, who appears to the paper people as a god-like entity in the sky. Available only for PlayStation Vita, it makes use of several of the system's interface features. Players can touch the console's rear panel to poke their fingers through into the game world and interact with objects. The front touch screen is used to interact with shining silver paper, which shows up as bows that can be pulled off presents and paper paths that can be unrolled. It also can be drawn on and used to cut out pieces of virtual paper to customize objects. Players use the console's motion sensors to shift things in the game world into place and the microphone to record their voices, which get played back to them at key points in the adventure. The rear camera is used to take pictures that appear on certain surfaces in the world or to capture textures that get applied to various paper creatures. The game also employs the front camera to project the player's face into the world -- for example, making him or her appear like a face within the sun. What's more, players can take pictures of creatures and objects to unlock their schematics, which they can then download and print, allowing them to recreate scenes they see in the game in real life.
Is it any good?
QUALITY
Tearaway is very likely the most original, daring, and just plain entertaining game yet released for PlayStation Vita. Everything in its beautiful paper world stays true to the game's paper theme, from glue-coated walls that give Tearaway's hero the ability to walk along them to virtual currency made of confetti. The three-dimensional adventure, filled with memorable characters in need of the messenger's help, is a delight from start to finish. Even more remarkable, though, is how players can capture pictures of characters and objects with the game's camera and then download their blueprints and instructions so they can print them out and build them in the real world, recreating specific scenes from the game or creating their own. It's a terrific and wholly unique melding of the real and virtual worlds that acts as a terrific bit of added value and will ensure players young and old never forget this one-of-a-kind adventure.
Families can talk about...
Families can talk about paper-crafting. What sorts of things have you built out of paper? Did this game provide you with new paper-crafting ideas? Is there anything in the game you wanted to build but for which you couldn't find and unlock instructions?
Families also can discuss the game's unusual meditations on message and story. What do you think is the "message" referred to throughout the game? Whose story do you experience while playing, yours or that of your little paper messenger?
Have you played other games that are equally creative?
Game details
| Platforms: | PlayStation Vita |
| Price: | $39.99 |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Developer: | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Release date: | November 22, 2013 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| ESRB rating: | E for Mild Cartoon Violence (PlayStation Vita) |
Great handpicked alternatives
For kids who love adventures and creative games
Browse more games
Top advice and articles
What parents and kids say
Share your thoughts with other parents and kids Write a user review
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines
QUALITY
my favorite vita title
this game is a fantastic vita franchise using all of the vita a highly recommended game
What other families should know
Great role models
Too much violence
Safety and privacy concerns
Was this review useful?
QUALITY
Fun game!
This game promotes creativity as well as hand eye co-ordination! It's a very sweet game but manages to be entertaining at the same time and even when it finishes there is likely still stuff to complete! The real life papercraft feature is good for learning too!
Whilst it may be suitable for those around 7 I would recommend it for people much older (I am 17 and I loved it!)
What other families should know
Great role models
Easy to play/use
Was this review useful?
Poll
What are the different ways that you access Common Sense Media ratings and information? (Check all that apply)
What are the different ways that you access Common Sense Media ratings and information? (Check all that apply)
Total votes: 761