Beautiful artstyle and narrative, but overly frustrating at times
At the onset this game looks both interesting and beautiful, and much of the game offers a fun challenging experience. The visual style and gameplay mechanics (with the yarn) are the two standout features, they are what make this a truly unique game. The story is memorable and emotionally impactful despite not giving you much detail, opting instead for snapshots of a bigger story. It's beautifully illustrated, and I think many of us can relate to it in some way, in some aspects. The game should keep you busy for at least 5-7 hours, should you decide to buy it. Each level also has collectibles, which can be really challenging to find and fetch.
Where the game stumbles is in the level design. It feels somewhat uneven between the different chapters, especially in the middle and very end. There's a couple of chapters where the level design is infuriatingly difficult, throw-your-controller-into-the-wall frustrating. These include the "swamp" chapter and the later "snowstorm" chapter. I like the idea of what these chapters do, but the execution is too unforgiving in comparison to the rest of game. It throws the game off balance.
There's also a couple of inconsistencies pertaining to how you play the game. For example, things you can hook your rope to are always clearly market with a red hook, yet for some reason the developers neglected this in Chapter 11. I had to consult a walkthrough because the mechanics did not work, only to discover that I should hook something with my rope that I otherwise should not be able to hook (in the previous 10 chapters!). There was no marking of any kind to signal this. While the majority of the platform puzzles are intuitive, there are some that are far too vague in their solution.
My patience nearly ran out in Chapter 11, after 20+ attempts at the level, literally. I had to consult a walkthrough because I was only getting angrier and angrier at the game. I think it is far too punishing and it wasn't a fun experience to play this chapter. As I wrote before, it throws the game off balance because it doesn't match the rest of the game in terms of difficulty.
On the whole though, with 9 chapters being enjoyable and only 2 not being fun, it's still a good ratio. I'm glad I played the game, it was engaging, interesting and quite fun to play. The storyline felt close and personal since I could relate to a number of the things being narrated. I think it's well worth a look if you are attracted to the Visuals or the unique gameplay style, or maybe both. Keep a walkthrough at hand though, because a couple of the chapters will really test your patience.
