Ragdoll physics and comedy – name a more iconic slapstick duo in gaming. UNABLES takes these ideas and tries a relatively unique idea, utilising the PS5 gyroscopic controls. However, when trying something new and experimental, you can run into problems with game design that can undermine the very fabric of your game. This is what I wrestle with whilst playing UNABLES.
Each level in UNABLES is like a diorama trapped inside a snowglobe. You have no direct control over your character (which changes every level) but the goal in each level involves sliding your lazy character around the level to get it to touch various objects highlighted in the level. Whilst you can use analogue sticks to twist the level around, for a rarity in gaming, the gyroscopic controls work better and make more sense. This is because to throw your lazy ragdoll character around, you need to turn the level upside, on its side, roll it around and shake it about. Most of the items in a level are untethered too and so they fly around with your character too, making it a chaotic physics driven experience.
UNABLES strength outside of the gyro controls is that every level is uniquely themed and different. Aside from moving things around, each level also has a contextual button for to perform a move. One has a knight rolled up like a marble rolling around a garden maze with the button triggering a cannon to attack a dragon. Another has you playing Godzilla destroying all the buildings with the trigger allowing a fire breath. A film noir murder mystery lets you trigger lightning to play with electricity. Another is on a school bus where you need to open and close the bus doors to throw passengers out at the right times. Some levels are more gamey than others, such as floating robot parts around a zero gravity rat maze to join the robot together. Others have specific deaths to avoid such as drowning in the swimming pool or stabbing your vampire in the heart. UNABLES is a graphical and thematic treat and feast for the eyes. It deserves a lot of kudos for its variety. A “comedic” narrator of your actions is the sole common thread whose quips miss as much as they land.
In many ways UNABLES has the potential to be a cult classic but the actual gameplay has a lot of issues with it.
Its biggest issue is just how random and lucky driven the whole thing feels. As everything is flying about like a crazy tornado of debris, you can’t really see or tell what’s going on and if you are doing it right. The lack of visual feedback and clarity plagues the game and part of that problem is because you sometimes can’t see the level. Almost all levels need tipping upside down and shaking the level about and you can only see the floor. The dioramas feel like they have a concave bubble around them so depth of field becomes a bit of an issue too. So as a player, you are desperately trying to manipulate a soupy mess of objects through a lens you can’t really see through perfectly nor control. It just becomes incredibly frustrating and that’s made worse by each level having a 60 second time limit. New levels are unlocked by touching most or all of the items you need to find but the items are so small and sometimes you have to do things with them. None of that is explained and its a trial and error exploration on top of all those visual problems. I could marvel at the ingenuity of the concept. I could scream about its implementation.
I don’t think patches would improve UNABLES much because fundamentally, all the levels need to be played upside down and blind and the whole chaotic nature of it is down to the level design. It is a shame because we need unique and interesting games that try new things and break new ground. UNABLES deserves a lot of praise for that. I just feel like if you cannot actually or perceive what it is that you are trying to do, that’s a fundamental faux par that a developer shouldn’t need to be reminded of.
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