And even so, there are full sections of each level that a second player has to sit and watch because one player has absorbed them into their own character. Unravel Two’s symbolic tether makes this agency more of a frustration than a freedom, as you’re stuck to one another and unable to fully explore any environment without the cooperation of your partner. It required a level of coordination that allowed both players agency, while still needing to come together in times to find and execute solutions. Take something like Portal 2’s co-op mode. It’s a charming way to play on the themes, but I ultimately found Unravel Two’s cooperative side a gimmick that actually made fairly simple solutions more complicated, and when the game is still entirely playable solo, a questionable inclusion. Unravel Two leans into this by allowing the game to be played cooperatively, with two players controlling the individual Yarnies. But as such, it divides the game distinctly into two sections: solo and cooperative. Either character is capable of picking up the other and absorbing them into their yarn, meaning you’re not always stuck babysitting a deadweight partner.
Things that would have been slightly more straightforward in the original game are suddenly more complex because you can’t leave a Yarny behind. High stakes moments like a chase scene featuring a particularly determined bird are more frantic because you have to assure the safety of both Yarnies while also having to switch between the two on the fly.
This addition fundamentally changes the way the game plays. Both characters are tied together, so every puzzle and obstacle requires you to find a way to get both of them out together. Switching between the two of them, setting up solutions, and knowing when to combine the two into one yarn-based being is the key to navigating the world the game sets up. Unravel Two centers around two Yarnies connected by a thread. Unravel Two – Review gameplay images courtesy of EA Games