I don’t really know how to describe my experience playing Unleaving, and I mean that in the best way possible.
The debut title from Toronto-based indie team Orangutan Matter is quite literally playable abstract art. Impressively, every frame has been painstakingly hand-painted by artist Sura Karnawi, giving the game an absolutely mesmerizing visual style. That artwork is the primary means of storytelling, with the only other direct form of narrative coming from enigmatic on-screen phrases like “you yearn for a candle to burn beyond…”
I quickly appreciated this unorthodox poetic approach, though; like any good piece of abstract art, it challenges you to draw your own conclusions. All you really know, at least from the outset, is that there’s a little girl that you must guide through this strange dreamlike world. Truthfully, seeing the girl run past withered treehouses, shattered circus equipment and strange mechanical constructs evokes a strong sense of melancholy. I was lamenting the loss of a world I didn’t know, a testament to the masterful artwork and understated music by Alicia Enstrom.
Of course, Unleaving also has more traditional “game” elements in the form of Limbo-style 2.5D puzzle-platforming mechanics. This means you’re generally only running left to right with the occasional jump and object interaction, like moving a box or flipping a switch. The mechanical simplicity is welcome, as it allows you to better absorb the meditative atmosphere created by the stunning visuals.Conversely, puzzles can, unfortunately, make things a bit too complicated at times, with some even requiring rather precise timing to avoid death. This is offset somewhat by an optional hint system that appears after several consecutive deaths, providing a small illustration to offer a clue without, mercifully, outright spelling it out for you like other games frustratingly do. The brevity and variety of the puzzles means they never feel grating, but I did sometimes find myself wanting to quickly get through them so I could make it to the next majestic scene.
Indeed, my occasional frustration with some of the puzzles, if anything, speaks more to the quality of the paintings. Over the course of the roughly two-hour-long experience, I was constantly eager to find out where I’d be transported to next, even if I wasn’t entirely sure what it all meant. As I played, I reflected on a quote from Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan. When promoting his mind-bending spy thriller Tenet, the English filmmaker suggested that audiences “don’t try to understand it, just feel it.”
With Unleaving, Orangutan Matter has created a stirring work of art that will elicit different, yet equally potent, reactions — feelings, if you will — depending on the player. It’s an impressive debut, and I’m eager to see what Orangutan Matter does next.
Unleaving is now available on Steam.
Image credit: Orangutan Matter