Unpacking Review

Game: Unpacking
Genre: Puzzle, Simulation, Lifestyle, Indie, Other
System: Nintendo Switch (Also on Steam (Windows, macOS, Linux) Xbox)
Developers | Publishers: Witch Beam | Humble Games
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US E Everyone
Price: USD $19.99 | EU €19,99 | UK £17.99
Release Date: November 2, 2021

Review code used, with many thanks to Forty Seven PR 

It’s never easy figuring out which aspects of your life to take with you or leave behind when you move. But, it’s always a beautiful process that makes you wonder about the joys and woes of life. Unpacking is a game that takes those feelings and turns them into a puzzle and lifestyle simulator. Will these boxes hold good memories or bad…?

Story 

In Unpacking, the player takes control of a woman who appears to be unpacking her college dorm. She has just moved out on her own. From there, the player proceeds to unpack boxes using an on-screen cursor. Slowly, the player fills the rooms, item by item. 

As they go about placing items, the player comes to know their avatar: what they like, the things they value, their aesthetic, life story, relationships, and so on. It unfolds through 8 major moves that set the stage for the puzzles at the story’s heart. 

The Game Of Life

The player goes through several stages of the protagonist’s life as they play through Unpacking. It was nice to see which items stayed and which ones were left behind as the game progressed. The story is primarily told through imagery with the occasional sentence tossed in here and there. Thus, there are some things left to the player’s imagination about what happened between moves and why. 

Honestly, more than a few times during playing the game, I thought about my own experiences moving between houses. I’m a military brat, so I’ve moved quite a bit and currently live overseas. It brought up some good (and occasionally sad) memories, which I think is a bonus for a game like this. 

Everything Has Its Place

Gameplay is simple: click on a box, get an item, and place it where it’s supposed to go. An on-screen cursor controlled by the thumbsticks guides the player around the room and directs things, much like a point-and-click game. There is some freedom in where items go, though the game will show a red outline around a misplaced object once the player has gone through each room. 

Switching between rooms is as easy as clicking the onscreen images or pressing L and R. There is also a photo mode that can take pictures of the setup throughout the process and at the end of each level, with a star being displayed once done. The cool thing is that the last image snapped of each room goes into a cute in-story photo album with a caption by the protagonist. It’s satisfying to take a picture of a room that had plenty of time and energy invested into making everything fit and look nice. 

Art and Music 

The art of Unpacking was a joy to look at. It is clear how much detail and care went into every item and room in the game. I loved the zoom-in and out pictures that would turn a picture into a beautiful diorama. I snapped more than my fair share of images as I played through. 

The music, on the other hand, didn’t catch my attention as much. Each track suited the activities, but the only song left an impression on was the ending track set over the credits. I honestly thought about playing an audiobook, but I was a little too wrapped up in the puzzles to stop in the middle just for that. 

Pros and Cons

What I enjoyed most about this game were the puzzles/life-sim elements. I had great fun placing the objects and making a nice space for the protagonist. The story, though minimally expressed, was engaging and I found myself excited to unlock what would come next. When I finished the last room, I was a little disappointed there wasn’t more, though thankfully, the game encourages extra playthroughs with fun unlockables. 

My complaints are few. I mentioned the music, though I was honestly neutral rather than disappointed about it. The game did crash once before I hit the end, but I picked up rather quickly from the main menu without many setbacks. That said, do ensure you save! Lastly, I kind of wish there would be a little bit of a hint system for ambiguous items. There was one part I got stuck on for a while because the controls are sensitive and the item had to be placed ever so specifically in one room. It was a bit frustrating, but even that faded quickly. 

Conclusion

Unpacking is a lovely little indie gem. If you are a puzzle player like me who wants to get lost in playing a game, this one is certainly addictive. Even more so if you want to experience a nice little story and maybe ponder about life. I highly recommend it! 

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot.