My OCD has been pleased.
This dopey trout has three pairs of underwear and five hundred journals. What are you writing about? Swamp ass?
What's fairly interesting to me about this game is the ambient storytelling explored as you progress through the acts. What the faceless and wordless protagonist chooses to bring with her and return to as she travels through time, and the wear & tear they each experience as they cling to their passions through young adulthood. A fresh new undecorated house offering you free reign to personalise as if you've just bought a new Habbo Hotel apartment would often be preceded by a move with roommates, where the living space is shared and belongings need to be negotiated and respected. Unpacking really can be surprisingly stressful for a game that purports itself to be a zen little experience.
What ultimately holds the game back for me is the bizarre rules you're made to follow before a level counts as clear. As the last box is unfurled, red highlights activate throughout the house and they rarely ever seem to be for good reason - you can't even leave mugs on coasters.
What's fairly interesting to me about this game is the ambient storytelling explored as you progress through the acts. What the faceless and wordless protagonist chooses to bring with her and return to as she travels through time, and the wear & tear they each experience as they cling to their passions through young adulthood. A fresh new undecorated house offering you free reign to personalise as if you've just bought a new Habbo Hotel apartment would often be preceded by a move with roommates, where the living space is shared and belongings need to be negotiated and respected. Unpacking really can be surprisingly stressful for a game that purports itself to be a zen little experience.
What ultimately holds the game back for me is the bizarre rules you're made to follow before a level counts as clear. As the last box is unfurled, red highlights activate throughout the house and they rarely ever seem to be for good reason - you can't even leave mugs on coasters.
A so-called zen decorator hampered by rules devised by the most maniacal of Feng Shui practitioners, Unpacking isn’t so much an easy-breezy meditation on passion and what we leave behind as we age, and more a reflection on the apparent issues of how I, as an individual, design and decorate.
While the assumed narrative follows a nameless, voiceless protagonist through their life, across break-ups, move-ins, and start-overs, the real story of the game hinges on you, the player, as you realize by way of accursed red-outlines that everything you know about interior design is fucked up and evil. Plates that refuse to go with other plates, lest you be judged, coasters that scream foul if you place mugs atop them, egg timers that rain misery on you for daring to place them a few inches away a cutting board, the inherent madness of owning an air fryer.
Combine weird systematic flaws in what is deemed right or wrong (something that seems bound to happen when working with something as nebulous and personal as interior design) with a storyline that basically equates to “quirky art student goes to college, dates a guy, hides her passion, breaks up, regains passion, dates a girl, there’s nothing to gleam from this game other than the introspection inherent to being told, time and time again, that your mind goblin-addled thoughts are deranged and objectively wrong. It's weird, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s not the takeaway I expect from a game that claims to be a chill, downtempo type experience.
Edit 1: Corrected Typos (11/28/2021).
While the assumed narrative follows a nameless, voiceless protagonist through their life, across break-ups, move-ins, and start-overs, the real story of the game hinges on you, the player, as you realize by way of accursed red-outlines that everything you know about interior design is fucked up and evil. Plates that refuse to go with other plates, lest you be judged, coasters that scream foul if you place mugs atop them, egg timers that rain misery on you for daring to place them a few inches away a cutting board, the inherent madness of owning an air fryer.
Combine weird systematic flaws in what is deemed right or wrong (something that seems bound to happen when working with something as nebulous and personal as interior design) with a storyline that basically equates to “quirky art student goes to college, dates a guy, hides her passion, breaks up, regains passion, dates a girl, there’s nothing to gleam from this game other than the introspection inherent to being told, time and time again, that your mind goblin-addled thoughts are deranged and objectively wrong. It's weird, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s not the takeaway I expect from a game that claims to be a chill, downtempo type experience.
Edit 1: Corrected Typos (11/28/2021).
would've loved for a longer gameplay, maybe different photo albums telling different stories, the game is really cute and relaxing (except when it decides NOTHING can go on the counter) and excels at storytelling with little details.
this game is really cute. it has really good mostly subtle storytelling about the protagonist's life as they continue to push through it, from one place to the other. It would be nice if at some point there would be more of this kind of thing with different stories. Plus the gameplay is just really nice
Extremely cute, and charming. Its short length is perfect for what kind of game it is. Never gets tiring and its story is concise and all told through the environment. A fun experience that is endearing, definitely give it a try.
A very well-crafted short story for such a simple puzzle game. There's a lot of different ways to set up a scene, though maybe a little bit limited on the amount of unique areas you can customize. Kind of addicting.
The art style is absolutely breathtaking from the very first to the very last second.
It looks so, so incredible. What an experience.
It looks so, so incredible. What an experience.
Un juego cortito, muy bonito y muy original que te cuenta una historia de una forma relajante y muy creativa.
Es súper satisfactorio de jugar, precioso estéticamente y activa ese rinconcito del cerebro que se pone contento cuando las cosas están ordenadas.
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A short, gorgeous and very original game that tells you a story in a relaxing and very creative way.
It's super satisfying to play, aesthetically beautiful and it triggers that little corner of your brain that becomes happy when things are tidy.
Es súper satisfactorio de jugar, precioso estéticamente y activa ese rinconcito del cerebro que se pone contento cuando las cosas están ordenadas.
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A short, gorgeous and very original game that tells you a story in a relaxing and very creative way.
It's super satisfying to play, aesthetically beautiful and it triggers that little corner of your brain that becomes happy when things are tidy.
definitely worth a checkout on gamepass, very relaxing
> plays game about unpacking boxes
> starts crying
> starts crying
Such a lovely little game. The story is heartwarming and the visuals are detailed enough to feel realistic without losing its charm. Short enough for replayability while still giving a challenge to collect all the stickers!
This game is lovely. It takes about 3 hours to 100%, but despite the short play length, it has a lot of heart and passion. The game is very relaxing and the story is touching.
By the way, the story is pretty much only told through you moving and you learning about the person you are unpacking for by seeing where they move, and what they move with them.
Gameplay...well, it isn't complex at all. There are literally only 2 buttons used outside of moving the cursor around. Not a bad thing at all as the purpose of this game is to not be complex. Just simple, relaxing fun. The game is light puzzler where you try to find out what should go where and how it should be organized.
Also, the pixel art is lovely.
By the way, the story is pretty much only told through you moving and you learning about the person you are unpacking for by seeing where they move, and what they move with them.
Gameplay...well, it isn't complex at all. There are literally only 2 buttons used outside of moving the cursor around. Not a bad thing at all as the purpose of this game is to not be complex. Just simple, relaxing fun. The game is light puzzler where you try to find out what should go where and how it should be organized.
Also, the pixel art is lovely.
Unpacking is a super cute and straightforward game where you just open boxes, pull out objects, and put them in whatever place you think they go. It looks good and the audio and physicality of everything is very satisfying.
Mechanically there isn't much here, but it isn't really depending on that. In a way, Unpacking plays like a walking simulator.
You are unpacking the same person over the course of their life, so you get to see when they move away for college, move in with roomates, have kids, etc... The narrative conveys more than you might expect and the story is surprisingly well told for only utilizing the objects the person owns.
There are a couple of especially clever story moments that the game tells by simply preventing placement of objects in certain locations.
There isn't quite enough here to really grab me, but the game is short and heartwarming, so there isn't much reason not to check it out!
Mechanically there isn't much here, but it isn't really depending on that. In a way, Unpacking plays like a walking simulator.
You are unpacking the same person over the course of their life, so you get to see when they move away for college, move in with roomates, have kids, etc... The narrative conveys more than you might expect and the story is surprisingly well told for only utilizing the objects the person owns.
There are a couple of especially clever story moments that the game tells by simply preventing placement of objects in certain locations.
There isn't quite enough here to really grab me, but the game is short and heartwarming, so there isn't much reason not to check it out!
I recognize all the gamecube games
50% chill and comfy vibes, 50% digging up where the world's most esoteric feng shui practitioner would place a roll of gift paper because the game doesn't let you proceed otherwise. $20 for 4 hours of this is also kinda lame
A delight.
Simple, very pleasant, satisfying, relaxing game.
The most relaxing stress-inducing game I've ever played. Short and sweet, and absolutely doesn't overstay its welcome. Came at a time when I absolutely needed it.
Juego muy original, simple y relajante. Un ejemplo de cómo hacer un indie interesante en un mercado totalmente plagado de quintuagesimoseptimas copias del clásico inalcanzable de antaño y del que solo algunos elegidos salen bien parados. En este caso Unpacking brilla con luz propia.
Sin más pretensiones que las de ser un juego sencillito de puzzles relajante, consigue meterte en la piel de la chica de las mudanzas y ver poco a poco, año a año, como su vida se va transformando.
Juego muy recomendable, aunque quizá a los 20€ que lo han puesto de salida no. Para alguna futura rebaja, o aprovechar que está en el Game Pass.
Sin más pretensiones que las de ser un juego sencillito de puzzles relajante, consigue meterte en la piel de la chica de las mudanzas y ver poco a poco, año a año, como su vida se va transformando.
Juego muy recomendable, aunque quizá a los 20€ que lo han puesto de salida no. Para alguna futura rebaja, o aprovechar que está en el Game Pass.
I unpacked and yea
PLEASE play this game, it was clearly crafted incredibly lovingly with an amazing amount of detail put into its environments. the storytelling in this game is genuinely amazing.
Gay Y furbo
In many ways this game is a warm bath of cozy gameplay. From its cute and detailed pixel art style and its soothing music, thats a great start but to have a game tell so much story with barely any dialogue to carry it is great. In this game you unpack a series of boxes, putting items away in relevant places and sorting out each move the main character makes from place to place.
As you go along, there's certain items that carry along with wear, tear and repair, certain items that hint and later outright weave a tale about the main characters hobbies, career, love life and more. You get the feeling of a whole live lived and as each move arrives, you wonder what's been added, what's changed and why and it feels incredibly rewarding. Its a charm.
The game isn't without its pitfalls though. One is item recognition. Sometimes the game can be incredibly picky in where it wants certain items. Sometimes this is fine as its story related (like a certain awkward photo...). Other times it feels arbitrary and you can occasionally be one item off moving along with little clue as to why. Its also difficult to sometimes get what an item is supposed to be. I wish the game had a little way to just quickly say what items are as that would solve some of the item location confusion.
Finally I have to mention the price. I get this is a controversial topic but the content here is 'just' not quite enough and while its a lovely experience, its not quite a £20 experience. I get that feels a bit on the mean side but I can probably say if I did buy on full price vs getting it on games pass, im not sure I would feel quite as charitable towards it as I do. £12-14? I would consider that a more reasonable pricepoint for whats offered here. £20? Pushing it a little over the line.
That said, if pricing isnt an issue for you and you just want the gaming equivalent of a nice hot scented bubble bath then this is perfect.
As you go along, there's certain items that carry along with wear, tear and repair, certain items that hint and later outright weave a tale about the main characters hobbies, career, love life and more. You get the feeling of a whole live lived and as each move arrives, you wonder what's been added, what's changed and why and it feels incredibly rewarding. Its a charm.
The game isn't without its pitfalls though. One is item recognition. Sometimes the game can be incredibly picky in where it wants certain items. Sometimes this is fine as its story related (like a certain awkward photo...). Other times it feels arbitrary and you can occasionally be one item off moving along with little clue as to why. Its also difficult to sometimes get what an item is supposed to be. I wish the game had a little way to just quickly say what items are as that would solve some of the item location confusion.
Finally I have to mention the price. I get this is a controversial topic but the content here is 'just' not quite enough and while its a lovely experience, its not quite a £20 experience. I get that feels a bit on the mean side but I can probably say if I did buy on full price vs getting it on games pass, im not sure I would feel quite as charitable towards it as I do. £12-14? I would consider that a more reasonable pricepoint for whats offered here. £20? Pushing it a little over the line.
That said, if pricing isnt an issue for you and you just want the gaming equivalent of a nice hot scented bubble bath then this is perfect.
A very good combination of puzzle placement gameplay and great use of show-don't-tell storytelling, using your possessions and environments to help tell the story of your unnamed house hopper.
Would have been nice to see a few more levels, or maybe an almanac of all the in-game items (some of them are weirdly hard to identify and locate an appropriate room for) but I can give some leeway here due to the size of the team.
Would have been nice to see a few more levels, or maybe an almanac of all the in-game items (some of them are weirdly hard to identify and locate an appropriate room for) but I can give some leeway here due to the size of the team.
Cracking little game, has nice storytelling through what you unpack, it's not too fussy or demanding when it comes to what you put where.
Honestly wouldn't mind more of this again some day.
Honestly wouldn't mind more of this again some day.
It's an easy breezy two hours of organizing stuff and putting stuff away. The way the game uses the things you put away and the spaces the things inhabit to tell a life's story is very well done. The only thing the game really needs is item descriptions so you can better tell what something actually is but also to give hints on some of the more obtuse item placements.
Cute, relaxing, colorful, simple, satisfaying, lovely... It's the abosulte opposite of moving in real life and I think that's beautiful.
As you play, you learn about the protagonist, her life, her tastes, her experiences and her story, at least to a certain moment.
I felt so happy at the end. What a wonderful game.
As you play, you learn about the protagonist, her life, her tastes, her experiences and her story, at least to a certain moment.
I felt so happy at the end. What a wonderful game.
Really cute game! It was very relaxing and made me super nostalgic which was definitely the point. I do kinda wish there was a bit more content though.
Una manera superoriginal y preciosa de narrar una vida, de manera relajante y dejándote llevar por los detallitos.
Mi único punto negativo es lo "tonto" que se puede poner a veces y que ESTA MUJER TIENE DEMASIADAS BRAGAS.
Mi único punto negativo es lo "tonto" que se puede poner a veces y que ESTA MUJER TIENE DEMASIADAS BRAGAS.