Unpacking is a zen puzzle game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration, you are invited to create a satisfying living space while learning clues about the life you’re unpacking.
Over the course of eight house moves, you are given a chance to experience a sense of intimacy with a character you never see and a story you’re never told.
For such a small game, the meaning and intent behind it is large. It made me think of all the things I’d had to leave behind between moves, especially after moving from a small town to a big city. As you progress, you’ll note some stuff that isn’t there in the later moves despite being there for the first couple. There’s also something inherently intimate...
Unpacking is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket as you gently watch the years roll away in front of you. Though much too short, the relatively brief experience that you'll have with deconstructing the emotional narrative of characters that you'll never see via its block fitting puzzles, cements the fact that Unpacking won't quickly be forgotten...
Quote not yet availablThe game nails absolutely everything it sets out to accomplish, with the exception of maybe the controls. While the cursor system functions adequately on a controller, the title is definitely better suited to a mouse and keyboard. Additionally, placing items behind other objects or trying to tuck them into corners will very often...
Unpacking is undoubtedly a game as entertaining and relaxing, as stressful if they suffer from anxiety or some obsessive compulsive disorder related to order. I must also admit that it is not a game for everyone, since the lack of some kind of challenge, extra modes, or even a story with a more interesting presentation, may not be to everyone's liking....
Unpacking manages to do several things very well, all at the same time. It's a touching story told through interaction, it provides the creative play space of a great dollhouse game, and it deftly applies established game design ideas from completely different genres. Its only real shortcoming is the repetition that is a necessary byproduct of landing...
