Unpacking is a puzzle game released in November 2021 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, and in May 2022 for the PlayStation 4 & 5.
The game is divided up into multiple chapters for the years 1997, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018 and within each year, your task is to unpack boxes from your move and place objects in the correct place while doing so. Each year represents a significant life event, such as moving to college, getting your first apartment, and moving in with your partner. As you unpack the boxes, a story unfolds about the character and their life.
So-called ‘cosy games’ are a big thing at the minute, and Unpacking is just one of many that are out there. It’s so-called because it doesn’t have any big scary’s or difficult quests; it’s purely about having the most relaxing experience possible while playing a video game. Some people, myself included, just don’t find there to be enough in many of these games to keep (or even start) playing them.
On the face of it, Unpacking doesn’t have a great deal of gameplay, and the lure of simply unpacking boxes and putting things on shelves or in cupboards just didn’t do it for me initially. However, once you start playing, you realise that although unpacking boxes is the main game mechanic, there is also a storyꟷalthough subtleꟷto be told. As you find items, you begin to learn about the character you play and their life. You follow them through the years until the game ends in 2018, presumably because the character is settled and will no longer move home.
The different levels are mostly set in different locations, with differing numbers of rooms to unpack. The rooms include bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms, pretty much any room that you might find in an apartment or house. Although there are multiple boxes in each room, as you unpack, you find some items that are in the wrong room, so you have to flick between them to place them in the correct room. This isn’t all, though. This game is a puzzle game in that, although a lot of items can seemingly go in multiple places, there is actually a correct location to place them. Once you’ve unpacked all the boxes in the level, red rings around objects will tell you that they’re in the wrong place, and in some cases, it can be a real challenge to figure out just where the game wants you to put them. Although the game has the element, compared to a lot of games, the puzzle aspect isn’t particularly difficult unless, as with some objects, you have no idea what in the hell the thing is, never mind where in the house it goes.
The graphics in Unpacking are very well done pixel art, and especially for the earlier levels, this serves to ground you in that year. The rooms and objects are exceptionally well designed, and some objects, like the DVD boxes, have so much detail on them you can tell which movie they areꟷthrough the game, I spotted Donnie Darko and Jaws, to name just a couple.
The sound is pretty pleasing too. There is no spoken dialogue (I believe this was done, so it didn’t matter if you could understand it or not), and there is little in the way of written text. The sound of the objects being placed and different snippets of music is all you get, so the fact that it’s done so well (in the PlayStation version, it makes use of the controller speaker) really adds to the overall immersion and feeling of the scenes in which you play. One nice little detail was that if you turn music on in one room, you can still hear it, although dulled, in other rooms in the apartment/house.
Unpacking isn’t a difficult game, and if you’re a trophy hunter, it’s a pretty easy platinum, with having to place certain objects in specific locations or interacting with others in a certain way. But the game has enough there to keep you playing, and I think if you’re in a period where your mind is loud, it would be a good game to play just to get out of that headspace.
Another thing that I think really helps is the way it handles. The controls, at least for the PlayStation version, are really easy to use. Even the main mechanic is a mouse pointer it moves smoothly across the screen, and even selecting items to be moved feels fluid.
As I said at the beginning of this blog, Unpacking is a game that I will rush to play, but I found the entire experience calming and enjoyable. So much so that I’m going to give it a higher rating than I thought I would with a 9/10. And I will say that even if you’re not a fan of games like this, you should give it a try. I’m sure that you won’t regret it.
Gareth Ellis - Author 