Poor old PS Vita. Despite launching with an impressive slate of games (the sleepless night inducing puzzler Lumines, and the madcap roll 'em up Touch My Katamari, to name but two), it has to be said that Sony's handheld has been struggling somewhat since it's launch. Never one to give up without a fight, however, Sony have put their money where their mouth is, and invested in a slew of new games in an attempt to change the console's fortunes - with the charming Tearaway being the first to its their luck.
Say hello to iota, saviour of the PS Vita and papery monster smiter extraodinaire
With more personality in a single screenshot than other games can manage in a lifetime, Tearaway is a platform-come-adventure game whose most unique feature is it's innovative use of the PS Vita's rear touch screen. As the papercraft world unfolds before your eyes, you'll be able to tear holes in the scenery with your fingers in order to solve puzzles, open new paths and defeat enemies. In a land small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, your god-like digits are needed to help the plucky protagonist deliver an important message - to yourself. It's suitably odd-ball and immensely charming, in a way that we've come to expect from the folks behind the amazing Little Big Planet series, Media Molecule.
There's even a choice of two main characters to choose from - either the balding male iota or his female counterpart atoi (even if they do look suspiciously similar) - but the variety did leave the developers with something of a dilemma. If they're both equally important characters, then who should appear on the front of the box? Especially seeing as the PS Vita boxes are so incredibly tiny, there'd never be enough room for both... The solution? A reversible cover, one showing iota and one featuring atoi, so players can choose for themselves. Awesome.
atoi is basically iota in a wig though...
Tearaway hits the PS Vita on the 25th of October - which seems like an awfully long way away if you're dying to get creative. While we contemplate the potentially amazing pre-order bonuses shops might offer (your own oragami character perhaps?), why not check out the new trailer, which shows off one of the regions from the game - the sticky, fishy, fearful town of Sogport:
