![]() Moving to Australia, that changed quickly since my arrival, I’ve lived in at least ten different houses or apartments. There’s also a photo mode to take pictures of your houses, and a replay mode, which players are already using to make funny little animated films.I spent my first twenty years in Canada, and while I finished (most of) a university degree in that time, I remained in a single household that entire time. You can finish Unpacking in four hours or so, but there’s scope to come back and do things again to complete those sticker sheets. These little moments of player recognition have so much more value in these constrained and emotional domestic interiors. There was also a love-heart sticker for seating two cuddly toys on an armchair together. I got a reward for putting the cookie jar on the top shelf in the kitchen, keeping it out of habitual snacking range. Throughout the game, players are also rewarded with stickers for experimenting with object placement in interesting ways. All you have to work with is a series of rooms, dozens of boxes. There’s no dialogue, very little text, and no visible characters. Unpacking’s greatest achievement is that it tells a story without any of the tools we’d usually consider essential. It’s not a particularly long game, but moments like that can leave a lasting impression. Other times, it’s not clear what’s wrong - is it really such a big deal if a toaster is kept on a counter instead of tucked away in a cabinet? You can actually disable this feature in the accessibility menu and let chaos reign, but it does have some storytelling benefits, like stashing a photo in a drawer instead of putting it on display. Back to the Cabin UNCENSOREDĪfter all, and guests might find it a bit strange if you store your underwear in the living room. Most of the time that makes sense toilet paper and toothbrushes belong in the bathroom. ![]() There’s almost no wrong way to unpack, although you won’t be able to move onto the next stage if certain items aren’t put away properly. It took me several moves to figure out that the gray lump of pixels I kept unpacking in the kitchen was actually a refrigerator magnet. The only problem I had with the overall look and feel is that it was occasionally hard to identify small items, even when zooming all the way in. Soothing background music and satisfying, clicky sound effects subtly and skillfully complement the retro-inspired whimsical art style. zenĪs it turns out, “zen” is a really accurate description of the Unpacking experience. Though despite this, there is a toggle in the accessibility settings which lets the players place anything anywhere where they would like, hence allowing the player to optionally eliminate the puzzle aspect of the game. Other than the choice of items themselves, where she wants to place certain items helps flesh out her personality a lot and gives the players hints to how she feels about the move. ![]() This helps show the relation the character has to certain items and how it has/will change over the years of her life. Even though there is no specific place for an item to be placed, any item cannot be placed in any spot, hence where the puzzle aspect of the game comes in. Sometimes, the player might not be able to move certain things because they might not be living alone in that house. The girl will then soon get more rooms or move into places like an apartment or even a two story house. The first level is just the character’s bedroom because as a child, that’ll be the only relevant room as far as unpacking is concerned. Each new level might also bring in new rooms to decorate. The player also retains some stuff from previous levels, hinting at the character’s attachment to certain things or ideas. It could be the technology of the time (like the old-styled computer in level two) or it could be trends which will be apparent in her clothes and posters, among other stuff. The game tracks every house or every move with the year that it happened and it is reflected in the items that players unpack. ![]() Unpack a home - from a single bedroom to an entire house Meditative gameplay with no timers, meters or scores Explore domestic environments with all their nooks and crannies while you stack plates, hang towels, and arrange bookshelves Discover a character’s story through the items that come with her to each new home (and the items that get left behind) Soundtrack by BAFTA award-winning composer and audio director Jeff van Dyck. 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. 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.
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